Understanding Your Social Security Disability Denial Letter

A Top Ten Disability Group in the U.S.

Understanding Your Social Security Disability Denial Letter

If you’re like most SSDI applicants, your initial application for Social Security disability benefits will be denied. It’s important not to lose heart when you get that denial letter–many people who are denied at first do ultimately receive benefits. However, you may have to fight for your benefits. 

The first step toward successfully appealing an SSDI denial is to take the time to thoroughly read and understand your denial letter. Once you receive the letter, you’ll have a limited time to act. So, if you don’t entirely understand the letter or don’t know what additional information you might be able to provide to strengthen your case, get help. An experienced disability benefits advocate will be familiar with the format of the letter and the language the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to describe problems or weaknesses in your application. 

Know Which Type of Denial You’ve Received

Social Security disability applications can be denied for medical or non-medical reasons. Non-medical denials are typically more straightforward since they relate to technical requirements such as earning too much money or not having sufficient work credits to be eligible. 

Technical Social Security Disability Denials

If you truly didn’t accrue sufficient work credits to qualify for Social Security disability, that’s a hard stop. You can’t persuade the SSA to award you disability benefits if you aren’t technically qualified. Mistakes do happen, though, so if you’re denied for not having enough work credits thoroughly check the record and make sure nothing has been left out or misreported. If there are credits missing, you can submit evidence to correct the record. 

A denial based on having earnings above the eligibility cut-off ($1,470 in 2023, or $2.460 if you’re blind) isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, because it’s common for disabling conditions to worsen over time. For most people, four to six months pass between the time they apply and the time they receive a decision letter. In other words, by the time you receive that letter, you may have been forced to cut back your work, or even stop working. 

Medical SSDI Denials

The technical issues described above may be fairly easy to understand in a denial letter, but medical denials can be much more complicated. For example, the explanation section of the letter may start out by confirming much of the information you provided. The SSA may agree that you suffer from the condition you’ve based your application on. But then, the denial letter may go on to say that the impairment doesn’t meet or equal a listed criteria, or that you are able to return to work.

If the denial letter says you can return to work, they may have drawn one of two different conclusions. The first is that you are medically able to return to the work you did before you got sick or suffered an injury. If the SSA concludes that you are able to perform past relevant work, they will also conclude that you are not disabled. However, you may be unable to return to your past work and still not meet SSA’s definition of disabled. That’s because SSA’s test for determining whether you are able to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) looks beyond your work experience. If there are significant jobs in the national economy that you could perform with whatever limitations your condition creates, you will not be considered disabled. 

Procedural Information in Your SSDI Denial Letter

In addition to explaining why your claim has been denied, your denial letter will contain information about the next steps you can take if you want to continue to pursue Social Security disability benefits. This will include a deadline for taking the next step. It’s critical that you take note of the deadline and follow proper procedures in moving your case forward. If your time expires, you can apply again. However, the decision that you were not disabled from the onset date you listed will stand, so you could lose months or years of benefits if you have to start over.

Next Steps after Receiving a Social Security Disability Denial Letter

Once you’ve read and thoroughly understood your denial letter (or gotten help understanding the denial notice), your next step will be to determine how best to handle the request for reconsideration. Reconsideration is the first stage in the SSDI appeals process. But, it isn’t strictly what it sounds like. Your case will be decided anew by a different person. But you aren’t limited to the original record. If you have additional documentation you didn’t submit with your original application, you’ve noted a mistake in the record, or your circumstances have changed since you submitted your application, you can send new information along with your request for reconsideration.

If you didn’t work with a disability benefits advocate when you filed your application, this is the best time to get help. It may be difficult for someone unfamiliar with the process to know what type of supplemental information might tip the scales on reconsideration. An experienced advocate can help determine what type of additional evidence is needed and how best to present that information.

Though our focus here is on the original denial letter, it’s important to note that most applicants who request reconsideration will be denied again at that stage. That means another notice and another deadline–this time, to request a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). By this point, several months or even a year may have passed since you originally applied. It’s easy to get discouraged. But, this would be the wrong time to give up. 

Most of the applicants who were originally denied but eventually receive benefits are approved at this stage. That’s likely in part because the opportunity for a hearing before an ALJ gives applicants an opportunity to talk to the decision-maker, present witnesses, and have an experienced advocate by their side ensuring that all of the important information is presented clearly and concisely.


Wherever you are in the process, you owe it to yourself to learn more about what Disability Help Group can do for you. Call (800) 800-3332 right now, or fill out our contact form.

Free Case Review, 100% Guaranteed

Let our friendly team help you with your disability claim

Monthly Income on SSDI

Monthly Income on SSDI Social Security disability benefits (SSDI) can be a lifeline for workers who are no longer able to earn a living due to disability. If you’re in the process of applying for or appealing denial of SSDI benefits, you’re probably wondering how much...

Social Security Disability Myths BUSTED

Social Security Disability Myths BUSTED - Matt Sauerwald, Vice-President, Disability Help Group Matt Sauerwald is one of the nation’s top Disability Advocates. Matt has spent more than a decade helping people who are unable to work due to a disability, representing...

How to File a Social Security Disability Application

How to File a Social Security Disability Application You have multiple options for filing an SSDI application. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recommends filing online and treats the online application as the default method. Here are a few reasons you may...

Does Social Security Disability Spy On You?

Does Social Security Disability Spy On You? You’ve probably heard stories about disability insurance companies or workers’ compensation insurance carriers hiring private investigators to try to disprove disability or injury claims. Those stories aren’t urban...

Can I receive VA disability for Burn Pit exposure?

Where did the military use burn pits? Since 1991, American forces have served in the Southwest Theater of Operations.  To dispose of nearly all forms of waste, the military dug large burn pits.  Every forward operating base (FOB) in the region used burn pits. See map...

How Can I Receive VA Compensation for Burn Pit Exposure?

What is a Burn Pit? A burn pit is an area devoted to open-air burning of trash and you can receive VA Compensation for burn pit exposure. During U.S. operations in countries such as Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, the military commonly used burn pits for waste disposal....

How to Qualify for VA Compensation While Receiving SSI

How to Qualify for VA Compensation While Receiving SSI. Veterans can receive both VA compensation and SSI.  Both VA compensation and SSI require that you have disabling conditions.  However, the requirements to qualify differ.  How to Qualify for VA...

How Receiving Social Security Disability Can Help You Get VA 100%

How Receiving Social Security Disability Can Help You Get VA 100%. Receiving Social Security disability can help you get a 100% VA rating.  However, receiving Social Security disability doesn’t guarantee a 100% VA rating.  It can be used as powerful evidence...

How to File a Social Security Disability Application

How to File a Social Security Disability Application You have multiple options for filing an SSDI application. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recommends filing online and treats the online application as the default method. Here are a few reasons you may...

What Does “Appeal Under Review” Mean for SSDI?

What Does “Appeal Under Review” Mean for SSDI? The Social Security Administration’s “appeal under review” update in the Social Security disability (SSDI) appeals process can be perplexing. The notification advises you that a decision has been made. You read all of the...

What You Need to Know: Widows Benefits and Social Security Disability

What You Need to Know: Widows Benefits and Social Security Disability When you qualify for two types of Social Security benefits, such as widows benefits and Social Security disability (SSDI), you may be unsure which to pursue or how they might work together. ...

What You Need To Know About Your Disability Benefits Denial

What You Need To Know About Your Disability Benefits Denial One of the most common questions about Social Security disability benefits is “How long will the process take?” Since most SSDI applicants are denied at the initial application stage, answering that question...

FREE CASE REVIEW

"The case managers were very professional and courteous. They called me at times to see if my condition had improved, stabilized or have gotten worse. They kept up with all my doctor’s diagnoses, and notes of every doctors visit. This company was truly involved in helping my disability case. I can’t show how I appreciate this company in mere words. They were truly concerned, thank you again."
Marjorie
Client Review