One common questions among potential clients seeking Social Security disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) because they are no longer able to work is, “How long will it take for my claim to be approved?” Though your claim can be approved upon review of your completed initial application for benefits, most claims for SSDI or SSI benefits are denied at the initial application level and ultimately require a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Below is a brief description of the timeline from one our past victories.
After moving to Colorado Springs in 2014, Client J.L., a veteran of the United States military, contacted Viner Disability Law in December 2014 after having already received a denial of his initial claim for benefits in June 2014 despite the fact that he had severe degenerative disc disease in his lumbar and cervical spines. After requesting that J.L.’s case be transferred to Colorado, Viner Disability Law’s staff filed a request for hearing before an ALJ in February 2015, only to have the request processed as a request for reconsideration, an stage of evaluation that does not exist in Colorado but is common in other states. J.L.’s request for reconsideration resulted in another denial in March 2015, at which time Viner Disability Law again filed a request for hearing. After acknowledging and processing this request, the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) scheduled J.L for a hearing in December 2016 in Colorado Springs. After completing the hearing, J.L received a fully favorable decision in March 2017, approximately four months after his hearing date and nearly three years after having filed his initial application for benefits in June 2014.
Although this case may not represent the timeline by which your claim for disability benefits may be adjudicated, it is a snapshot of one possible route, which ultimately led to a favorable outcome. If you have questions about how long your claim for disability benefits may take before you receive a final decision from an ALJ, please contact Viner Disability Law for a free consultation.