How Long Does It Take To Get Disability Approval Letter?
If you or a loved one is suffering from a disability, it may take a toll on you. It leads to significant physical and mental trauma for the individual and increases the financial burden due to pending medical expenses. However, qualifying for benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) may offer some much-needed relief.
However, the Social Security Disability (SSD) application process is complex and complicated due to many application processes and tight federal regulations. More than two-thirds of all applications made to the SSA for Social Security Disability benefits result in a notice of denial. Contacting an experienced and knowledgeable SSD benefits lawyer at a Law firm may help you understand the tough application process and its minute details.
It is advised that before you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, you get a fair idea about the time it takes to get a decision on your application and a disability approval letter. In this blog post, we will explain the timeline for getting a disability approval letter.
How Is An SSD Application Decided?
The Social Security Administration runs two federal programs called the SSDI and SSI. Out of these two programs, the SSDI concerns those who have paid sufficient taxes into the Social Security system out of the income earned at a job or through self-employment. On the other hand, SSI is a needs-based program designed to provide benefits to people having no to little income, and who are blind, disabled, or above the age of 65 years.
To qualify for either program, a Social Security field officer will check your medical and non-medical eligibility requirements. To fulfill the medical requirements for the SSDI program, you must show that you are unable to engage in Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) because of your medical condition. However, proving your non-medical conditions requires you to establish that you fall within the income and resource limitations for SSI and have sufficient work history/earnings records in the case of SSDI benefits.
When you meet the non-medical requirements for the SSDI or SSI program, the application proceeds further for the determination of medical eligibility requirements. It is conducted by the Disability Determination Service (DDS) office, a federal agency functioning in every state.
The DDS goes through your medical records and decides whether you meet the qualification criteria for SSI/ SSDI benefits. Based on its assessment, the DDS will approve or reject your application. If the application is approved, the SSA will give you a disability approval letter. Otherwise, you will get a notice of denial.
Initial Disability Determination should take three to five months. However, there may be a delay by healthcare professionals in providing medical records, a slow response by the applicant to queries raised by the DDS, or irregular attendance of the applicant at consultative appointments organized by the Disability Determination Service.
Free Consultation and Claim Review
If you have applied for Social Security Disability benefits and want to understand how much time it will take to get a disability approval letter from the SSA, you must speak with an accomplished SSD benefits lawyer.
Francis Babet loves pursuing excellence through writing and has a passion for Legal. He currently writes for The Law Firm, a USA Based Law Firm that provides SSD, SSI, SSDI, Personal Injury, and Drugs and Devices. His work has been published on various sites related to Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, and more.
