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DOES A SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY APPEAL DO ANY GOOD?

When Social Security messes up and denies your disability claim, it can be fixed by an appeal.  Appeals are the legal answer to improper Social Security disability decisions.  These days, appeals are not the exception, they are the rule.

What You Need to Know About Disability Appeals

1.    An appeal is NOT starting over.  It picks up your case and moves it forward--up the chain of command--to a higher level of decision making authority.

2.    The appeal won't cost you anything if you lose.  Lawyers are not permitted to charge you a fee until after you win your case and collect past-due benefits.

3.    54 percent of appeals will be approved and paid.  That's the best chance for approval in the entire disability process.

4.  Appeals that go all the way to a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge have the best chance for approval and payment.

5.  Appeals protect your original filing date, your disability onset date and your chance for retroactive benefits or back pay.

6.  Some claimants have received over $100,000 in a lump sum after a successful appeal.  Most claimants recover significant back pay in appeals.

7.  Your lawyer will NOT take most of your back pay.  Under US regulations your attorney may never collect more than 25 percent of your back pay as a fee--and in addition to that limit, there is also a limit on the dollar amount of the fee.  For example, if you collect $100,000 in past due benefits, your lawyer will only get $9,200 (as of 2025).  That is less than 10 percent.

8.  You have only 60 days after a denial to file an appeal in writing. Wait longer and you have missed the boat.

9.  Claimants who use a lawyer or qualified representative are 3 times more likely to win their disability case--according to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). That's the government's number, not mine.

10. Many "do it yourself" claimants make errors that cost them time and money because they don't understand the rules and regulations that govern Social Security disability.

The Forsythe Firm in Huntsville, AL has helped thousands of denied claimants recover past due benefits from the Social Security Administration. We practice Social Security Disability Law and nothing else.  Call for a free consultation with no obligation and no pressure. 



 

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