— SSDI · SSI · long-term disability claims
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If you have a Social Security denial letter, you generally have 60 days from the date you receive it to appeal to the next stage. That applies at every level — reconsideration, hearing, and Appeals Council.
Miss it and you usually have to start over with a new application, which can cost you months of waiting and, in some cases, back pay you would otherwise have been owed. If your letter is dated recently, that date is the most urgent thing on this page.
Private long-term disability denials are different again — many ERISA plans allow 180 days, and the evidence you file during that internal appeal may be the only evidence a court is ever allowed to consider.
— Common denial reasons
Most denials are not about whether you are unwell. They are about what the file does and does not show.
Roughly two out of three initial applications are denied, and reconsideration approves relatively few. But the approval rate at the administrative law judge hearing is around 54% nationally, and higher in some hearing offices. That is not because the law changes between stages. It is because a hearing is the first point at which a person hears your case, reads a developed file, and can ask you questions.Most people who ultimately receive benefits get them at that stage.Giving up after the first letter is the single most costly mistake in this process.
Claimants who appear at a hearing with representation are approved at meaningfully higher rates than those who appear alone. Here is what that work actually involves.
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That is exactly what a free review is for. You will get a straight answer, including if the answer is that your claim looks weak. It costs nothing either way.
There is more than one programme, and people are sometimes eligible for more than one at the same time.
For people who paid into Social Security through past employment and have enough work credits.
For people with limited income and resources, including those who have not worked enough to qualify for SSDI.
Private cover, usually through an employer. Separate from Social Security and governed by your policy – often under ERISA.
You do not need your file, your records or your denial letter in hand to start.
The 60-day clock runs from when you received it. If you cannot find it, that is fine — say so on the call and it can be looked up.
Two minutes on the form or a phone call. Which stage, which benefit, and what is keeping you from working. No cost, no obligation.
Usually within a day. They review your situation independently and tell you whether they think an appeal is worth pursuing. If they take it, you sign directly with them.
This matters more than almost anything else. Consistent treatment is what builds the record, and gaps in care are one of the most common reasons claims fail.
What Direct2Attorney is
A legal marketing and referral service. We check whether your situation matches what participating law firms are looking for, and connect you with one of them if it does.
What Direct2Attorney is not
We are not a law firm, and we are not the Social Security Administration or affiliated with any government agency. We cannot give legal advice, file your claim, or decide your case. To contact SSA directly, visit ssa.gov or call 1-800-772-1213.
No. Roughly two out of three initial SSDI applications are denied, including many from people who are genuinely unable to work. A denial at the first stage is a normal part of the process, not a judgment that you are not disabled. Approval rates rise substantially at the hearing level, which is where most successful claimants are ultimately approved.
Less than most people expect, because federal law caps it. A representative’s fee in a Social Security claim is generally 25% of your past-due benefits or $9,200 in 2026, whichever is lower. It comes out of back pay only, Social Security withholds it and pays the representative directly, and if you are not approved there is generally no fee at all. Long-term disability insurance claims are private and follow different fee rules.
Longer than it should. An initial decision usually takes three to six months. If you are denied and appeal, waiting for a hearing before an administrative law judge commonly takes twelve months or more, and in some offices up to twenty-four. Start to finish with appeals often runs one to three years. The national hearing backlog was around 330,000 cases at the start of 2026 and has been growing.
Some, but there is a hard limit. Earning above what Social Security calls substantial gainful activity will generally cause a denial regardless of your medical condition. For 2026 that limit is $1,620 per month for non-blind applicants. Earnings below it are usually acceptable. Check the current figure with Social Security or your representative before taking on work.
SSDI is based on your work history. You qualify by having paid enough into Social Security through past employment. SSI is needs-based and looks at your income and resources rather than your work record, so it can help people who have not worked enough to qualify for SSDI. The medical standard is the same for both, and some people qualify for both at once.
No, and the difference matters a great deal. Long-term disability is private insurance, usually through an employer, and many of those plans are governed by a federal law called ERISA. ERISA appeals often must be filed within 180 days, and the evidence you submit during that internal appeal may be the only evidence a court ever sees. If you have an LTD denial letter, treat the deadline on it as urgent and get advice quickly.
Social Security permits both attorneys and qualified non-attorney representatives, and you are also allowed to represent yourself. What the data consistently shows is that claimants who appear at a hearing with representation are approved at meaningfully higher rates than those who appear alone. Whether you use a representative is your decision, and the free review costs nothing either way.
Ask it on the call. The review is free, and there is no obligation to move forward.
