Disability Application Approval Rates

One of the questions that many individuals tend to ask when they are considering applying for SSDI benefits is what their chances really are of getting their application approved when they have been diagnosed with a disabling condition such as liver disease.  In order to answer the question, there is an important point to bring up and that is the fact that the terminology “liver disease” does not refer to one specific disease or disorder.  Indeed, there are numerous diseases and disorders of the liver, so liver disease is a generalized term in so many words as is relates to SSDI benefits.

In 2006, the SSA provided a table stating the average waiting periods for certain aspects of the application and benefits process.  There are 5 levels to the process as follows:

Level 1 – initial application, 88 days

Level 2 – reconsideration period, 30 days

Level 3 – hearing (if required), 483 days

Level 4 – Appeals Council stage, 203 days

Level 5 – Federal District court hearing, no data available

Remember that these are average waiting periods.  Based on your individual case, those times could vary.  In 2005, the SSA provided nationwide statistics stating that 34% of all the applications for benefits are ultimately approved.  Where Levels 1 through 4 above are concerned, the following information was derived from another chart provided by the SSA regarding the likelihood of actually being awarded SSDI benefits:

Initial Application – 10% approval, 75% denial, and 12% of denials appealed

Reconsideration – 12% approval, 86% denial, and only 2% of denials are appealed

Hearing – 2% approval, 12% denial, and 98% of all denials are appealed

Appeals Council – 33% approval, 7% denial, no appeals – process moves to the Federal District court at this stage

According to the SSA, there were over 2.5 million applications processed for SSDI benefits in 2006.  As of the following March (2007), the backlog or pending applications totaled over 1.4 million.  So you can well understand these numbers where approval and denial of these applications are concerned.

Additionally, those numbers signify the importance of hiring the services of a Social Security Disability attorney to assist you with your case.  The application process is nothing short of tedious and it can get very frustrating at times.  A qualified and experienced attorney can help you through this trying period so that you receive the benefits you are entitled to.