Steps to take After Receiving a SSI Denial Letter

The first step to take if you receive an SSI denial letter is to take a deep breath and try not to get too upset.  Every problem has solutions and this too will resolve with just a little more effort on your part.  If you have received a partial denial or a full denial of your claim be advised that the decision can be successfully appealed causing the Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to take another, more in depth, review of your entire case. 

The Reconsideration Process

The applicant must first request an appeal of the decision.  The request must be made in writing.  The Social Security has a special form that can be used for this purpose or you can submit a signed note with your social security number stating that you want to appeal the decision in your case.  If the claim was denied for medical reasons you may even make the request for an appeal on-line.  In certain cases, if the applicant was already receiving benefits, he may be able to continue receiving the benefits if he requests an appeal within ten days of receiving a denial letter.  Generally, an applicant has sixty days starting from the date on the letter noticing him of the adverse decision to request an appeal of that decision.  If the request is not made within the sixty day period the right to appeal may be lost.

The next step will be a Social Security complete review of your claim by an employee that did not take any part in the first decision resulting in the denial.  The person will look at all the evidence currently on file and, if submitted, he will also consider any new or additional evidence you provide.  If the appeal involves a claim of a medical condition or disability the case will be placed under a process called “case review.”  Applicants appealing decisions not involving medical conditions can choose to have case review, an information conference, or a formal conference.  Case review is a reconsideration process where Social Security does not meet with the applicant but only reviews the contents of the file and any new medical or documentary evidence submitted by the applicant.

Getting Legal Help

If you or a member of your family has received an unfavorable decision from the Social Security, Supplemental Security Income it may be helpful to contact a disability attorney to help to resolve the issues that resulted in the denial and move you forward to a more favorable decision on appeal.