Shane's blog

We all know that things are tough all around in the present economy. Unemployment has risen to and stayed at levels unheard of since the Great Depression. It would appear that the unemployment problem may be even worse than the numbers would seem to indicate.

The second step in the Social Security disability appeals process entails the Social Security applicant appearing at a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). If a disability claimant is denied benefits upon their initial application, and again upon reconsideration, they will submit a request for this hearing and then wait – likely a year or more – for their hearing to be scheduled. At the time they file their hearing request, they’ve likely already waited 6 months or more for their application to progress through the first two stages of the process.

The last year has brought increased scrutiny of the SSA’s appeal courts, the federal level at which cases denied twice by the state are allowed a final review. In understanding of the need for unbiased review of the way administrative law judges (ALJs) process Social Security Disability appeals, the administration has agreed to, and commissioned, the Administrative Conference to perform a review which is scheduled to be completed by November of 2012.

In recent months, the Social Security Administration has made significant improvements to its website and is now offering easy-to-use online services for those who need to apply for retirement, Medicare and disability benefits. In order to promote these great new services and make the public aware of their availability, the SSA has retained none other than famous celebrities Patty Duke and George Takei, of Star Trek fame.

It is no secret that many American citizens become frustrated with the help they try to receive from the Social Security Administration. In a world where customer service used to be a priority, finding good service is becoming less and less common. This is even truer when dealing with state and federal agencies.

When considering applying for Social Security Disability benefits, many applicants are faced with the question of whether it is better to hire a qualified disability lawyer to help with the initial application process, or if a person should only retain the services of a Social Security attorney once their claim is denied.

If you’re applying for Social Security Disability and have a mental illness, you’ll need to prove that your disability prevents you from working in any job, for at least a year. The large majority of disability applicants have their initial applications denied, and those who are applying for disability based on a psychiatric condition may have an even harder time getting their application approved.

Below are 3 common reasons that the Social Security Administration (SSA) may deny your mental illness disability claim:

When you apply for Social Security Disability benefits and are denied, you can appeal the decision by filing a Request for Reconsideration. If a second denial is received, you will then take your place in the queue of the many Social Security applicants who are waiting for their disability hearing in front of an administrative law judge. Although the wait for a hearing can be long – more than a year – the plus side of this is that you’ll get plenty of time to prepare for your hearing.