It’s going to take a bit of time.
That briefly stressed point is perhaps the fundamental takeaway for Social Security Disability Insurance applicants to appreciate when they file for federal benefits they are entitled to as the result of substantial and enduring disabilities.
That reality can be hard to deal with. We know that intimately at the Oakland SSDI/SSI law office of Richard A. Gutstadt, P.C. Our deep legal team has provided diligent representation for disabled claimants for decades, with a demonstrated record of advocacy on behalf of thousands of clients from across Alameda County, Contra Costa County and the Bay Area.
Here’s a central piece of advice from our Social Security Disability website that we often give claimants at the application stage or in the months thereafter: “Do not give up.”
We say that for two reasons.
First, the Social Security Administration’s denial of a claim initially is virtually the agency’s default response. Most applicants experience rejection in the first instance. That might seem both unfair and flatly illogical in many instances, but it is simply the way the system plays out in scores of thousands of cases.
Here’s our second point related to that: Close assistance from a proven SSDI/SSI appeals attorney often yields ultimate success for a claimant who perseveres beyond rejection and makes a strong case before an administrative law judge on appeal.
Claimants with so-called “qualifying conditions” have earned the right to apply for SSDI/SSI benefits through a work history marked by longevity and consistent effort. Disability payments are not government handouts; rather, they are earned entitlements linked with years of on-the-job toil and taxes paid into the program.
The road from application to approval is unquestionably challenging and time-consuming for many claimants. They are reasonably advised to stay the course and enlist the help of an experienced benefits attorney who knows well the process and proven route to claims success.