Murfreesboro Social Security Appeals Lawyer | Social Security Disability Appeals Process | SSD | SSDI | SSI
Appeals process
If the Social Security Administration denies your initial claim for disability benefits, there are several levels of appeals you can go through to try to have the decision reversed. While many people simply give up when their claim is denied, a large number of denials are successfully appealed each year! Do not despair—an experienced Murfreesboro Social Security lawyer can guide you through the appeals process, which can be long and difficult if you try to navigate it alone.
Click here to read Tips on Getting Your Claim approved, so you can avoid the initial denial of benefits altogether.
Four levels of Appeal
1. Review of Initial Determination
The first step you can take after your claim is denied is applying for reconsideration through your local field office. Murfreesboro area field offices are listed at the bottom of this page. A reconsideration is a complete review of your claim conducted by the Tennessee Disability Determination Services agency. The people who review your claim on appeal are different than the people who made the initial denial. Only about 5 percent of reconsideration claims are granted.
2. Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge
If your reconsideration request (appeal level 1) is denied and you want to continue the appeals process, you have 60 days to ask for a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. An administrative law judge works for the SSA's hearings and appeals office. These judges tend to grant around 67 percent of the cases they hear. If the city you live in does not have an Administrative Law Judge hearing office, then the ALJ will come to you for the hearing.
3. Appeals Council review
After an administrative law judge hears your case, the Appeals Council may randomly select your case for review. The Appeals Council will only review your case if they find some flaw in the administrative law judges' decision. The Appeals Council is known to only grant 2 to 3 percent of all cases they hear. The Appeals Council is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, and there are no offices outside of Virginia. However, you can also contact your local SSA office or local hearing office with questions about your Appeals Council review. The Appeals Council headquarters is located at:
Appeals Council, SSA/ODAR
5107 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041-3255
(800) 772-1213
4. Federal lawsuit
If the Appeals Council denies your claim or declines to review it further, you can have your attorney file a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court. You have 60 days from the Appeals Council denial to file this lawsuit, so speed is key. In court, a federal judge would decide on your case without a jury. District courts reverse the decisions of administrative law judges or the Appeals Council about 30 percent of the time. Judges often find the SSA did not fully weigh the information provided by a patient's doctor. Only about 1 percent of all disability claimants take their appeals this far, as it can be time consuming and expensive to file such a lawsuit. Appeals courts near Murfreesboro include:
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
Nashville Division
801 Broadway Street
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 736-5498
We can help direct you with a local Murfreesboro Social Security law firm that can help you through all stages of the appeals process. An experienced Rutherford County Social Security lawyer will be well versed in how the system works and can describe your case in the most compelling way possible.
Murfreesboro SSD Appeals Resources
Social Security Administration Offices of Disability Adjudication and Review near Murfreesboro are listed below:
Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
Suite 350, 6840 Carothers Parkway
Franklin, TN 37067
(866) 568-9450
Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
221 Cumberland Bend
Nashville, TN 37228
(877) 583-4103
Other Murfreesboro resources include:
Tennessee Department of Rehabilitative Services
www.tn.gov/humanserv/st_map_trc_ttap.html
1132 Haley Road
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
(615) 898-8084
Murfreesboro area Social Security Administration Offices:
Social Security Administration
2836 Saint Patrick Court
Murfreesboro, TN 37128
(615) 895-5790
US Social Security Administration
931 Old Smithville Road
McMinnville, TN 37110
(877) 616-2515
US Social Security Administration
140 Cude Lane
Madison, TN 37115
(866) 964-6302
Social Security Administration
1885 Shady Brook Street
Columbia, TN 38401
(931) 381-5832
Social Security Disability Attorneys Serve Murfreesboro and Surrounding Cities
Serving clients throughout Central Tennessee, including Brentwood, Centerville, Columbia, Dibrell, Franklin, Hendersonville, La Vergne, Lebanon, Lewisburg, Manchester, McMinnville, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Shelbyville, areas in the vicinity of Murfreesboro Municipal Airport,and other communities in Rutherford County.
Call a local Murfreesboro Social Security Attorney now to discuss your denial and potential appeal.