THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IN A DISABILITY CLAIM - DISASTEROUS!

 Nearly a million people will try to get Social Security disability this year.  Most of them will fail because Social Security's rules are so hard to pass.

There is one single mistake that claimants make that I'm going to call the worse mistake possible in a Social Security disability claim.

It is giving up after the first or second denial.

You should be prepared for your application for benefits to be denied.  70 percent are.  It is always a mistake to give up when this happens.  

You should also be prepared to be denied on the first appeal--which is called "Reconsideration."  There's over a 90 percent denial rate at this stage, which pretty much makes it a waste of time; however, it is required if you want to keep pushing your claim forward.  So, be prepared for a denial at "Reconsideration," and get your attorney to file another appeal--taking your case before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).  

If you give up before your case goes to a hearing you are missing the best chance you have in the entire process.  That's right!  A hearing before a judge is the BEST opportunity to win your disability benefits and recover past due pay.  Claimants who quit at the previous Application or "Reconsideration" stages lose this valuable opportunity to win.

Why would anyone quit without a hearing?  There are several reasons:

1.  It takes a long time to get to the hearing stage.  You may easily invest 18 to 24 months before Social Security gets to the hearing phase of your case.

2.  Claimants get discouraged.  Persons who don't know the Social Security process well can think, "I'm not eligible so I might as well give up."  This is not true.  Social Security is rewarded when claimants give up too early and they save billions of dollars by claimants who don't keep pushing their claims up the system.

3.  The appeals process can be confusing and downright overwhelming.  It isn't easy and it isn't meant to be.  Take a load off your shoulders by turning your appeal over to a knowledgeable attorney or advocate who knows how to handle it.  This not only relieves a lot of your stress and anxiety, it also gives you a much better chance of success.  A national study shows at while about 31 percent of unrepresented claimants win their benefits, 60 percent of claimants with attorneys win benefits.  

If I could tell every Social Security claimant just one thing, I would say......

"Never, ever give up until you have had a hearing."