As a Baby Boomer, I have been warned many times by financial experts that I better not depend on Social Security benefits for my retirement. As I get closer to the possibility of retiring, the opinions of these experts become less opinion and more fact. The system that has been helping to support retirees is on shakier ground than ever before. What most people don’t realize, however, is that Social Security Disability Insurance is on the same shaky ground.
According tot the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA), 65% of initial SSDI claims were denied in 2009. Putting it another way, only 35% of initial claims were approved. For those waiting for their disability checks, that statistic and be quite demoralizing.
I just read a press release about Allsup, a company that assists people with the SSDI claims process, which can be quite daunting if you attempt to do it by yourself. The article’s author agrees that most people do, in fact, have their claims denied on the initial submission. While many people quit trying after the initial application is denied, Allsup recommends that you don’t give up and attempt to appeal the decision. They suggest that you get good representation for the appeals process. More than three out of four disability claimants whose cases reach the hearing level have a representative, according to the Social Security Administration.
The article lists the ten biggest mistakes you can make in this process. Some of them are: Giving up; missing the appeal deadline and reapplying at the initial level; not providing enough information; choosing not to appeal.; and not keeping copies of applications, completed forms and records. You can see the whole list as well as some other very helpful information at www.allsup.com.