WHY IS SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY SO HARD TO GET?

Getting approved for Social Security disability isn't easy. In fact, it's one of the most difficult things you can imagine. And it's very frustrating. Why is it so difficult?

1. Communication with the Social Security Administration is difficult. They speak in their own language with dozens of acronyms and terms that most of us don't understand. They seldom return calls and most offices are still locked down and inaccessible to the public.

2. Social Security's definition of "disability' is impossibly strict. They find that most applicants can perform "some work." You have to prove that you are so severely disabled that there is nothing you can do. It's difficult by design.

3. Medical proof can be hard to get. Even if you go to the doctor and have recent medical records, those records may not adequately reflect how limited you are in performing work-related activities--like sitting, standing, walking, lifting, bending, reaching, concentrating, remembering, etc. Routine medical records don't document those kind of specifics.

4. Social Security is a very skeptical group of people. Their "job one" is be certain that nobody gets a benefit who doesn't qualify. Thus, they are naturally suspicious and require double and triple documentation of every allegation, fact, claim or statement.

5. Social Security is a massive government agency that is under-funded and under staffed. It operates with less money than it did 10 years ago but is expected to do four times the work.

6. It's easier to deny claims than to approve them. Nobody at Social Security ever lost a job or a promotion by denying too many claims. So, when in doubt, they deny, deny, deny.

7. Finally, you may lose your claim by simply not getting it into the right hands. Most claimants today will require having an administrative law judge review the claim before it is paid. I talk to individuals every day who have been denied 3, 4, or 5 times--yet have never been before a judge. They are not having the right person review their claim. Get an attorney/advocate who knows how to get your case reviewed here it counts!

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THE FORSYTHE FIRM handles SSDI cases in Alabama and Tennessee on a "pay only if you win" basis. Contact the firm at (256) 799-0297. The call is free.

"Nobody at Social Security ever lost a job or promotion by denying too many claims...."