Founder
We handle a great deal of Social Security claims at our office and often times people call us after they have been denied benefits on their initial application. Most people who are applying for benefits are in desperate need of the additional income and receiving a denial from the Social Security Administration can be extremely disheartening.
The truth is, if you have been denied benefits at the initial claim level, you are not alone. Between 2010 and 2019, only about 21% of claims were successful at the initial claim level. Although there are a variety of reasons why a claim may be denied, often times it is because the claims investigators are not provided (nor do they request) the medical records that they need documenting the individuals physical and/or mental disabilities.
One thing that any good advocate will do for you to try and make sure that your claim is granted at the hearing level, is to make sure that all of your medical records are received and added to your claim file. This can be a burdensome process when there are multiple doctors offices and hospitals to deal with, and, when there has been years of treatment. However, a hearing officer cannot grant an individual’s claim if they do not have the records that they need to determine if the individual has a qualifying disability.
The bad news is that the Social Security Administration is not going to do the extra work to make sure that your file has all of your medical records. The good news is; we will. If you have been denied SSI and/or SSDI call us and let us help you turn your denial into an award of benefits.