Each year, 12 percent of the American population, or over 37 million people, apply for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. Only about one-third of those applications are approved, however. There are a few common reasons that these applications are denied the first time an applicant applies for benefits.
In order to be approved you must show you can’t do any substantial, gainful employment. Make sure that your application is complete and provides all of the medical information available to document your disability. An experienced attorney can be very helpful in guiding you through the application process.
While you and your doctor may consider your condition to be disabling, the SSA may not see it similarly. From their perspective, an injury has to be so profound that it impacts your ability to work in any position. It must be expected to last over a year or must be considered terminal.
Many applicants will have their requests for disability benefits denied simply because their condition isn’t listed on the SSA’s Listing of Impairments. For others, it may be on the list, but they may not have the proper records or documentation that shows just how serious their symptoms are.
Even if you have a condition that the SSA considers to be disabling, in reviewing your medical records, they may determine that your condition isn’t as disabling as it may be in the future. They may conclude that you’re able to work in a different field or role other than those to which you’ve been accustomed.
The caseworker who reviews your file will request detailed documentation showing when your condition first started and how it’s progressed. They’ll expect your medical records to show what tests that you’ve had performed and the prognosis of your doctor. Reviewer examine your complete work history for as long as 15 years and any workers’ compensation documentation you may have.
First time SSD applicants often have their requests for benefits denied because they paint an incomplete picture of how they came to be diagnosed with their disability and how it impacts their ability to work. A Belleville Social Security Disability attorney can help you do just that in hopes that your application will be approved the first time around.