SSDRC

Filing an Application for Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability List of Impairments

Social Security Disability and SSI Back pay

Social Security Disability Status

SSI Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability and SSI Requirements

Social Security, SSI, and Mental Disability

How Long Does It Take To Get Disability Benefits?

Qualifying: What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability?

Getting a Disability Lawyer in Georgia for a Social Security or SSI Claim

Nationwide, the vast majority of claimants who file for social security disability (SSD) or supplemental security income (SSI) are denied. In Georgia, the number of initial claims that are denied by Georgia’s state disability determination services agency actually surpasses the national average—more than seventy percent of disability claims riled in Georgia are denied each year. Of course, if a disability examiner denies your claim, you can always appeal the decision, but in Georgia the chances of your appeal (sometimes referred to as a request for a review or reconsideration) are once again even more likely to fail than disability appeals filed in other states: Less than fifteen percent of all reconsideration appeals filed in the state of Georgia are approved.

Filing for SSD or SSI is a difficult process no matter where you live, and the disability determination process follows pretty much the same pattern in each state: An individual files for disability benefits, waits three to four months for a decision, only to be denied; the individual then files a reconsideration appeal with disability determination services, waits several more months for a decision, and is denied; then finally the claimant can make a request to have their claim heard before an administrative law judge, which is, surprisingly, the best chance for approval of their claim throughout the entire process. However, it can take up to a year before the case is heard (the great increase in the number of people filing for disability benefits has created backlogs in every state). While it is true that some individuals filing for disability are approved fairly quickly, that is not the norm, and is certainly not the norm in Georgia. The fact is, statistics are pretty consistent in demonstrating that the majority of applicants will have to wait a long time before they see any actual disability income, if they see any at all.

If you live in Georgia and are filing for SSD or SSI, you should keep in mind that in your state you are even less likely to win benefits than applicants in other states. With odds like this, you should strongly consider retaining a disability attorney or non-attorney rep. You may even want to consider this at the outset of your case, rather than waiting until you have been twice denied by disability determination services. An experienced attorney can help you get your medical records together, as well as your work history, and make sure that you start out with the strongest evidence possible, and take some of the stress out of the process for disability applicants who may already be overstressed from struggling with the physical or mental symptoms caused by their medical condition. Those who choose not to retain a disability lawyer when they first file for disability will definitely want to revisit their decision if their claim is denied—claimants who are represented by a lawyer at a disability hearing are statistically more likely to win benefits than those who choose to go it alone.