First, don’t get discouraged and give up.  Approximately 70% of disability claims are denied at the initial level, and many people simply give up.  However, if you persist in pursuing your claim, and obtain competent representation for the appeals process, your claim has about a 60% chance of being approved at the hearing level.  The following is an outline of the steps in the administrative process:

1. Request for Reconsideration:  if your claim is denied, you have 60 days from the date of the denial notice to appeal that decision.  You can file a Request for Reconsideration the same ways you filed your initial claim – by telephone, in person at a local Social Security office, or via the Internet.  If you go to the Social Security office, be sure to ask the Social Security representative to give you a signed copy of your appeal paper showing that you appealed on time. You can also appeal online by clicking HERE . If you appeal online, be sure to print and keep the receipt for your appeal so that you can prove you appealed on time.
   
   
2. Request a Hearing with an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ): If your Request for Reconsideration is denied, you have have 60 days from the date of the notice denying reconsideration to appeal by requesting a hearing before an ALJ.
   
   
3. Review by Appeals Council:  If the ALJ denies your claim, you can appeal to the Social Security Appeals Council in Washington, D.C. by filing a Request for Review within 60 days of the ALJ’s decision.   Decisions at this level are made “on the record,” which means you don’t have to appear in court to make your case.
   
   
4. Appeal via Federal District Court:  If the Appeals Council denies your Request for Review, you can ask the federal district court to reverse the ALJ’s decision.