If you have a disability that severely limits your ability to perform your routine daily functions, you may depend upon social security disability benefits to help you to make ends meet. It can be devastating, then, to receive a notice that the government denied your application for benefits, leaving you in need of an alternative way to pay your expenses. Unfortunately, this is the reality for most people who apply for these benefits.
Statistics surrounding denial of benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the government body that oversees the approval or denial of applications for social security disability benefits.
According to their annual statistical report, the rate of approval for applications varies by year, but tends to average around 32 percent year over year. This means that the administration denies close to 66 percent of disability applications each year.
The factors that the SSA uses to make their decisions
There are several factors that the SSA uses to determine whether they should approve your benefits or not. These factors include:
- How much money you make, if any
- If you are able to work
- If you have sufficient medical evidence of your disability
- If you have been following your doctor’s treatment advice
- If your condition is on the list of disabilities that the SSA recognizes
Almost all of the rejected claims fail to qualify for benefits because they are missing one of the above factors. Before you apply, it’s a good idea to consult an experienced attorney to look over your application, so that you can maximize your chances of approval.
If you have received a denial letter from the SSA, don’t lose hope. You still have the opportunity to appeal the rejection, present new information and try your best to get the administration to give you a second chance at receiving the benefits that you desperately need.
