Reasons the government denied your application for SSD benefits

The chances that the government denies your claim for Social Security disability (SSD) benefits are good. Join the club because two-thirds of all people who seek the much-needed benefits receive rejection notifications from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

You initially worry but after some research, you learn that you have a solid chance to get those benefits upon appeal. You know that you are not the first person to have this happen to him or her. However, it still makes you wonder why the SSA denied your initial application. There are some common reasons for that.

Able To Do Other Work, Ailment Not Severe

According to the SSA’s most recent annual statistical report, between 2009 to 2018, the government denied 66 percent of all worker applications for SSD benefits. In the most recent year with such statistics, nearly 500,000 workers had applications denied in 2018. That number marked the fewest rejections during that 10-year period. The year 2011 had the most SSD benefits denials with nearly 837,000.

The most common reasons for SSD benefit denials in 2018 were:

• The individual was able to perform other types of work duties: 40%
• The medical ailment was not severe: 24.2%
• The applicant could still perform his or her usual work: 9.3%
• The medical impairment did not or was not expected to last at least a year: 4.6%

Nearly 22% of denials were for a variety of reasons. They included the ailment resulted from alcohol or drug addiction; insufficient medical evidence provided; the person’s failure to cooperate; failure to abide by medically prescribed treatment; applicant’s decision to no longer continue with the claim; and the person returned to work prior to the confirmation of the disability.

Perseverance is crucial when seeking to secure SSD disability benefits. An appeal usually works in your favor. Do not give up.