Non-Medical Reasons For Being Denied Disability

Aside from the more noticeable medical reasons for being denied SSI or SSDI benefits, there are a lot of reasons a person's disability claim may be denied that do not involve their supposed disabling condition or conditions.

For instance, disability cases may be rejected since they don't satisfy the non-disability criteria, or eligibility requirements, of Social Security Disability and/or SSI (Supplemental Security Income disability) program. If someone has not worked, or hasn't worked for some time, they might not be insured for Social Security disability.

Insured status is acquired only with work activity and lasts a limited amount of time once an individual stops working. If somebody files a disability claim based on need, their disability claim can be denied because A) the worth of their assets is too high (at this time, the income resource limit for someone is $2,000 and the couple’s resource limit is three thousand dollars) or B) they have income that's over the income limit. Like all need-based social welfare programs, people who file for SSI need to meet particular income and resource limits to be eligible for disability benefits.

Disability claims might end up being refused for some other reasons as well. If someone files a disability benefits claim and they're working, their disability claim may be declined for the performance of substantial gainful activity (SGA) before their case being taken to a disability examiner (at disability determination services, the agency which makes case decisions for SSI and SSDI benefits) for a medical decision.

SGA is a regular monthly earnings quantity that the Social Security Administration has determined as being self-supporting. If somebody is earning over the SGA amount, if is irrelevant what their disabling condition is or how extreme it is; their claim is going to be denied.

Social Security disability claims may also be denied either in the Social Security office, or at the state agency responsible for making disability determinations, for failure to cooperate. Failure to cooperate denials include a failure by the disability candidate to supply forms or information necessary to process their social security disability claim.

Often, too, the state disability processing department denies disability cases simply because they're unable to make contact with the disability applicant. That's why it's so important for all disability claimants to provide Social Security with updated addresses and phone numbers if there are any developments throughout the processing of their disability cases.

The Missouri or Illinois state disability agency (DDS) may also deny a disability case if a disability claimant doesn't attend a scheduled consultative examination. If a disability applicant cannot attend their consultative examination for any reason, they need to contact their attorney or the disability examiner responsible for their disability case a reschedule examination rather than miss it.

Hiring a good attorney can go a long way in avoiding these and many other pitfalls of the social security and disability application process. If you live in Franklin, Warren, Lincoln, Washington, or St. Louis County in Missouri or Calhoun, Jersey, Macoupin, or Monroe County in Illinois, contact the offices of Kassin and Carrow today!