If you recently submitted a claim for Social Security Disability benefits in Georgia and it came back with a denial, do not give up. More than half of all claims get denied off the bat, but that doesn’t mean the process is over for you.
The Georgia Disability Benefits Center states that if your initial request is denied, you can then file a Request for Reconsideration to set up an SSD hearing where you will get an opportunity to make your case. Once hearing dates are set and paperwork is in order, the process can take over a year before you actually get to see a judge, depending on where you live in Georgia. The Office of Disability and Adjudication Review in Covington takes an average of nine months to process a hearing request, while the office in Savannah, with the longest wait time, takes 538 days on average.
The decision will not be made on the date of the hearing itself. You can expect to wait anywhere between 45 and 90 days to find out the judge’s decision.
You may not have the luxury of being able to wait for 500 days to find out about your SSD benefits. Statistics show that applicants who hire a Social Security Disability attorney are more likely to be awarded benefits than applicants who represent themselves. An attorney can also help to expedite the process to get an actual hearing date set.
Do keep in mind that 80 percent of reconsideration requests end up being denied. While your circumstances may be unique, understand that the odds will most likely be against you if you’ve already been denied once.
