From applying to appealing, Levine Benjamin Law Firm has helped 80,000 people win disability benefits.
Denied Disability in Detroit? You Can Appeal
You live in Detroit, you can’t work after your health took a turn, and you apply for disability benefits. But after a while, you join a frustrated group—people who’ve been denied Social Security Disability.
You were counting on those monthly checks to survive.
Don’t give up. It’s not over.
Social Security denies most people. Recent numbers show they deny as many as 80 percent of initial applications. A strong Social Security appeal—put together by a skilled disability lawyer—is often how people win benefits.
Your first step after being denied Social Security Disability is to act fast. You have 60 days to start a Social Security appeal. Don’t miss the deadline!
Once you file your denied disability appeal, it’s often a long fight. It can include testifying in front of a Social Security administrative law judge—where it’s crucial to present your evidence and your arguments well.
At the Levine Benjamin Law Firm, we strongly recommend that you get a proven denied-disability lawyer. Social Security appeals are much more technical and complicated than applying was.
And get your disability lawyer as soon possible after you’re denied benefits, so they have time to build a strong disability appeal, and you move closer to benefits that let you live a more secure life.
Levine Benjamin has helped more than 80,000 people win Social Security Disability in Detroit and across Michigan.
We’re the top disability law firm in Michigan (and one of the top in the country), for winning the most total benefits for people in need. When they’re denied disability in Detroit, people come to us.
From applying to appealing, we help you every step of the way.
What would you like to do?
When Social Security brings medical experts to your disability hearing, Levine Benjamin Law Firm takes special care to see that you’re prepared.
What a Denied-Disability Lawyer Does for Your Social Security Appeal
During your disability appeal, Levine Benjamin attorneys take care of these steps:
- Analyzing your Social Security disability file
- Preparing your case and setting the strategy
- Gathering additional evidence from your doctors and medical providers
- Preparing you to testify at an administrative law hearing
- Making legal arguments before the judge
- Questioning medical and vocational experts who testify at your hearing
- Appealing your case at the federal court level if necessary
Your disability appeal hearing with a judge is the most critical stage of your case. It’s your best chance to present evidence in person and explain why you need Social Security Disability benefits.
Sometimes, Social Security brings in expert medical witnesses to testify at your hearing. They can hurt your chances of winning benefits. We know how to counter these witnesses.
When you get Levine Benjamin to help you appeal Social Security denials, you’ll always meet with an attorney before your hearing to help you get ready. At some firms, you’ll only see your lawyer on the day of your hearing.
We can also help if you were denied Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. We know how to win SSI appeals, from filling out SSI appeal forms to talking with a judge.
You can always have a conversation with our experienced disability lawyers in Detroit to see where you can go from here—there’s no bill for that.
And if you get Levine Benjamin on your disability benefits case, there’s no lawyer fee until you finally win benefits.
When you’re appealing a disability denial, Levine Benjamin Law Firm stays with you every step of the way
What Are the Steps of My Disability Appeal?
When you need to appeal a Social Security Disability denial, you’ll start by requesting a reconsideration.
These are the steps to appealing:
- Disability Reconsideration In this step, someone at Social Security who didn’t look at your initial application gives your file another review. A Levine Benjamin attorney can help you add new evidence for them to consider.
- Disability Hearing: If you’re turned down again after a reconsideration, Levine Benjamin will help you present your case to an administrative law judge. The wait for a hearing is typically long, but it’s your best chance to explain your needs in person.
- Appeals Council: If the judge turns you down, Levine Benjamin can ask the Appeals Council—a group within Social Security—to review your claim.
- Federal Court: If the Appeals Council still denies you, your next step is to go outside Social Security’s legal system and take your case to federal court. Levine Benjamin attorneys are experienced with federal court appeals.
One government study found that when you have a representative like a lawyer with you at your disability hearing, you’re almost three times more likely to get a favorable decision from the ALJ.
Don’t hesitate to fight for the support that you deserve. You worked and paid taxes so you would be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Let us help you fortify your financial future.
A Social Security Disability reconsideration, the first step in appealing a disability denial, means filing more forms with Social Security.
What Happens in My Social Security Disability Reconsideration?
Asking for a reconsideration means sending in new forms to Social Security. And it’s a chance to add new medical evidence about your health problems to your file.
This is all done with paperwork. You won’t meet with anyone in person.
You need to look closely at your original application for disability benefits, and why you were denied.
The goal of your disability appeal is to correct any weaknesses in your application.
It helps to work with an experienced disability attorney, because they know what you need and don’t need in the information you send to appeal Social Security denials.
But you need to brace yourself for a difficult process.
The vast majority of people who request disability reconsiderations still get denied.
Your best chance to win disability benefits on appeal may be your next step—talking to a disability judge.
Social Security Disability Denied FAQs
Why Was I Denied Social Security Disability Benefits?
Every case is different, and your case will require careful review, but you could be denied disability benefits for many reasons: incomplete application, incorrect information on your application, not enough medical evidence showing severity of your condition, lack of evidence that you have regularly sought medical treatment, missed responses to requests for more information, information presented in a way that doesn’t make your inability to work clear, continuing to work more than limits allowed by Social Security Disability, other activities that lead claims examiners to think you could work, an educational background that leads examiners to think you could switch to different work, alcohol or drug use that leads examiners to think you could return to work if you stopped, and of course, mistakes by Social Security.
Why Does Social Security Disability Deny So Many People?
Social Security is always under pressure to guard against undeserving people getting disability benefits. That means every claim must satisfy thousands of rules. The rules make it complicated and difficult to get benefits even for some of the most deserving people. Social Security almost always has a backlog of cases and not enough people to quickly put the cases through this complex process. Nationally about 80 percent of initial disability applications were denied over a recent 10-year period. It has essentially become a normal part of the process to apply for disability benefits, get denied and need to appeal.
Should I Appeal My Denied Disability Claim?
Most of the time, yes. Getting denied feels discouraging, but it is so common that your real chance of winning disability benefits may be when you appeal. While 80 percent of applications are denied at first, in the end about a third of people win benefits nationally. You chances are often the highest at the stage of a hearing with a disability appeals judge. An experienced disability lawyer can guide you through the steps.
Should I Start Over with a New Disability Benefits Application Instead of Appealing?
Usually, it’s better to keep your existing disability benefits claim alive with an appeal than to start a new claim. A big reason is that when you eventually win benefits, you’ll receive back pay covering time that you waited while your case went through the system. The longer ago you started, the better chance of more back pay. If you start again, the clock may reset to a newer date with less back pay. It’s often possible to fix the problems in your claim that got you denied. That said, in certain cases where your health situation has changed dramatically from your application or last appeal, it can make sense to start over. Later stages in appealing don’t allow you to add new evidence, so applying again to report a major shift in your health could be a faster way to get approved. Talk to a disability attorney to understand what path is best for you.
When Should I Appeal My Disability Benefits Denial?
You need to file your appeal quickly after you find out you have been denied. Social Security gives you a 60-DAY DEADLINE TO APPEAL from the date on your notice of benefits denial. Don’t wait.
What Do I Need for My Disability Appeal?
When you appeal a disability benefits denial, you’ll likely need more information and records about your health issues, updated information on the status of your health and attempts to work, and stronger arguments for why you should receive benefits. The first step is studying the Social Security Disability denial letter and your initial application to find and correct the weak spots. Later you may need to testify for a disability law judge. And you may need to submit legal briefs supporting your claim. When you’re appealing, it’s more important than when you first applied to work with a skilled disability lawyer.
How Long Does a Disability Benefits Appeal Take?
Appealing a Social Security Disability denial is a frustratingly long process. It typically takes several months to get an answer on your first appeal, which is a request for Social Security to reconsider their decision. Few people are approved at this level, though, so next you may have to ask for a hearing with a disability judge, which takes several more months to reach. It can easily be over a year before your disability benefits appeal is finished.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Social Security Disability Appeal?
Of course, at Levine Benjamin Law Firm our advice is to get a lawyer to help you appeal your disability benefits denial. But we truly mean this. Even if you don’t choose to work with our lawyers, we think you should find some lawyer to help you. Appealing is much more involved and legally technical than applying for disability benefits. A skilled disability lawyer is in the best position to handle this. And a lawyer can get you a better chance of benefits approval, especially at the crucial step of your hearing with a disability judge. No matter how much work goes into your appeal or how long it takes, you don’t pay a fee for your disability lawyer until you win benefits. Get professional support for your disability appeal, a fresh chance, and greater hope for financial relief.