DDS is the state agency which makes the initial decision on Social Security disability applications. They will order your medical records, review them, determine if they support your claim and issue a decision. There is a 75 percent chance you will be denied by this state agency.
By filing an appeal on the denial, however, you move your claim away from the state level and into the federal arena. The appeal puts you in the Office of Hearings and Appeal, a strictly federal agency within Social Security. It's a more productive place to be, although the waiting time can be quite lengthy (down to about 6 or 7 months now, less than it has been).
The appeal heads your claim toward a hearing with a US Administrative law judge. There are two advantages to the appeal forum vs. the application forum at DDS:
1. You get an in-person hearing with a judge.**
2. You get to take your attorney/representative to the hearing.
A vigorous appeal can be your best chance to get paid.
Get a good representative for your appeal. You will pay nothing unless you win and all fees are regulated by the Social Security Administration.
** Since the COVID-19 pandemic, all hearings are held via telephone conference call. But your attorney can be on the line with you and ask the same questions. No one knows when in-person hearings will resume.
___________Charles W. Forsythe
Social Security Representation
7027 Old Madison Pike - Suite 108
Huntsville, AL 35806
PH. (256) 799-0297
Serving all of North Alabama and Middle Tennessee
No comments:
Post a Comment