Disability Review: How Long Will the Process Take?

If you are undergoing the process of applying for social security disability and have already submitted your initial claim, you may be facing the disability review process, wherein the Social Security Administration (SSA) reviews your claim and supporting documents and begins to make decisions about whether or not your disability claim will be covered.  The disability review process can be time consuming and you may start to wonder how long does a Social Security disability decision take, and when will I begin to see benefits or hear more about whether or not my claim has been approved or denied?  The social security disability evaluation process works a lot like the initial claims process, with some differences.

How Long Does The Disability Review Process Take?

The disability review process typically takes at least as long as the initial Social Security disability claims process took:

• Depending on the current workload and any existing backlog, this process can take as little as a few weeks, or as much as a few months. 
• Typically, the average processing time for a disability review is three to four months, however, certain extenuating circumstances or additional requirements for your specific case may push this time out further and delay your disability review process.

What Happens During the Disability Review Process?

The disability review process works in much the same way as the initial claims process:

• Your file and application are sent to a disability claims examiner, who reviews everything that he or she has available from your initial application. 
• If the examiner needs to see additional medical records, or has questions about your medical records as contained in the file, he or she will request them from your doctors, and will have to wait until they arrive before processing of your disability review can continue. 
• In addition, if the disability examiner feels that there is a need for a consultative medical examination, your process will be further delayed, because you will be notified of this request, then you will have to set up an appointment and have your doctor perform the examination and send the records to the disability examiner.  This can easily add several weeks to the length of the disability review process.
• Finally, the disability reviewer or examiner will look at everything necessary regarding your specific case and your medical history and will make a recommendation to the Social Security Administration either approving or denying your disability claim. 

See also: Continuing Disability Review Process

Getting Help

As you can see, there is a lot of work involved in the disability review process and it is not uncommon for this process to last three to four months or longer. It is a good idea to have an experienced disability rights attorney help you throughout this process. Your attorney can make sure that you provide comprehensive evidence of your disability as well as any other information necessary to move through the claims process quickly and to get approval.