Disability claims are denied or approved by the Social Security Administration (SSA) based on a specific set of criteria. In Connecticut, only 33.3% of disability claims are approved by the SSA, with most claims being denied. The odds are stacked against disability applicants, so you should consider contacting one of the most experienced disability lawyers in the area.
A disability lawyer in Connecticut can be of great assistance. The usual wait for a response to your disability claim in this state is 342 days, but with the help of an experienced attorney who knows the ins and outs of filing paperwork, that timeline could be shortened significantly. Not only does having correct and complete information help, but it is essential for your application to be approved. Insufficient medical evidence or inaccurate details usually lead to denials from the SSA.
Our Connecticut disability lawyers have worked with clients for over three decades to submit disability claims that were approved by the Social Security Administration. In order to get a disability claim approved by the SSA, we understand what it takes to convince a team of medical examiners. In order to expedite the approval of a disability claim, our disability lawyers in CT work closely with your healthcare provider to collect and organize your medical records.
How Does a Disability Claim Work?
If you are unable to work due to a disability, you may be eligible for assistance from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. This requires filing a claim with supporting documents. Your application must include personal details and contact information as well as that of any medical professionals participating in your case.
The Social Security examiners who review your case will deny your claim if there is insufficient medical evidence supporting your claim. If you hire an experienced Social Security disability attorney, you are likely to file an accurate and complete claim with supporting evidence that proves you are disabled.
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How Does the SSA Deny Disability Claims?
Disability claims are denied by the Social Security Administration for several reasons. One of the most common reasons is the submission of an incomplete or inaccurate claim.
A team of medical examiners from the SSA evaluates your claim to decide if you meet their Blue Book criteria. This is the guide they use to disapprove or approve disability applications. The Blue Book includes multiple parts that describe possible disabling medical conditions, plus the markers that outline them. If your medical status doesn’t match up with those outlined in the Blue Book, then it’s likely your application will be turned down.
In order to qualify for disability benefits, the SSA also considers your Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), which is the maximum amount of income you can receive each month. SSA has set the monthly SGA for non-blind applicants in 2022 at $1,350. For blind individuals, the monthly SGA is $2,260. People who exceed the monthly SGA are ineligible for Social Security disability benefits.
Financial assistance is only available to those who miss 12 consecutive months of work. You cannot miss eight months of work, return to work for three months, and miss work again for four months. The SSA also considers part-time work a disqualifier for disability benefits. The SSA will deny your claim for disability benefits if you haven’t worked for 12 consecutive months.
How Do I Submit My Claim Documents?
Our CT disability lawyers will review a variety of documents when you meet with them for a free case evaluation.
Records of medical care
Medical records are critical for a Social Security disability claim, including the results of any diagnostic testing and detailed accounts of treatments and physical therapy. Demonstrating you purchased medical devices or prescription medications out-of-pocket is also necessary. To complete your application, our disability lawyer in Connecticut helps obtain contact information for each healthcare provider that provided relevant services. This allows us to provide the Social Security Administration with the necessary medical evidence needed to improve the chances of a successful claim.
Information about finances
The SSA requires applicants to prove a disabling medical condition has stopped them from working. To do this, financial documents must be submitted – copies of bank statements for several years, and your income history for at least 15 years along with former employers’ time-keeping records. Additionally, any other forms of assistance received from the federal government such as TANF or short-term disability payments should be included.
Hire a CT disability lawyer who is highly rated
As a result of the frequent backlog of cases at the SSA, it may take more than five months to hear about the status of your claim. Working with a highly-skilled disability lawyer can help move your claim through the SSA system at a faster pace. Knowing you have legal representation may motivate the SSA to expedite your claim process.
We help clients gather and organize the medical evidence required to receive Social Security disability benefits by working with our disability lawyers in CT.
What are the best disability lawyers in Connecticut?
Disability attorneys in Connecticut should have a proven track record of success and experience handling disability cases. The question is how do you find one who matches all the criteria?
Get in touch with friends and family
Choosing the right lawyer for your disability benefits case can be guided by trusted friends and family members. Ask neighbors and colleagues for recommendations if you do not receive one from your inner circle. You still have to vet any lawyer that makes your shortlist of candidates if you do not receive a recommendation from someone you trust. Do not blindly accept recommendations you receive from someone you trust.
Take advantage of other applicants with disabilities
Rehabbing a disability can potentially put you in touch with other applicants who have experienced the same process. You may further strengthen your connection to this community through communal activities and employment training. Therefore, if you’re looking for a trustworthy lawyer in Connecticut to help with your disability claim, it could be beneficial to seek out someone who has personally gone through the procedure. Such recommendations are often more reliable than those from close friends and family members.
Resources for attorneys
If you know any attorneys, ask them for advice on choosing an experienced Social Security disability lawyer. They don’t need to practice disability law to help. All they have to do is connect you with a lawyer they know who handles Social Security disability claims. A feature on the Connecticut Bar Association’s website called “Find a Lawyer” allows you to find lawyers in Connecticut with a Connecticut license to practice law.
How Does the Disability Claim Appeals Process Work?
SSA denies nearly 70 percent of Connecticut disability claims, so you should understand the four levels of appeals.
Reconsideration
The SSA reviews your case once more by analyzing the evidence you submitted with your original disability claim as part of a reconsideration process. A total of 15 percent of the original claims denied by the federal government agency are reversed by the SSA.
Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge
If the Social Security Administration (SSA) denies your appeal for reconsideration, your next step in the appeals process is to request a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Your disability attorney has 30 days from the date of your denied appeal to make this request. During an ALJ hearing, which follows a similar format to that of other court proceedings, your lawyer will present evidence on your behalf in support of claiming Social Security Benefits. To increase your chances successful, you should deliver more convincing proof than when you initially claimed benefits or requested reconsideration. Statistics show that more than half of ALJ cases end with people being granted financial help.
Council of Appeals
If an ALJ denies your appeal for disability benefits, you can take your case to the Appeals Council. This step in the appeals process is not about presenting your case. The Appeals Council focuses on correcting errors made by the ALJ during the hearing. In the event that the Appeals Council finds abuse of discretion, it may overturn the ALJ’s decision. However, only one percent of ALJ decisions are overturned by the Appeals Council.
File a Lawsuit
The final phase in the appeals journey is filing a lawsuit in a US District Court, which is attended by your Social Security disability attorney and presided over by a federal judge, but without a jury. The overturn rate of decisions made by an ALJ and the Appeals Council is minimal; however, over half of cases heard at these hearings have been sent back to the SSA for further assessment. Should this be the case for your claim too, the Judge will share why it was deemed necessary to re-evaluate your application.