Filing unchanged evidence
Re-submitting the same records that were already reviewed gives the examiner no reason to decide differently.
SSDI & SSI Appeals — All 50 States
Your denial letter has a date on it.
Your denial letter has a date on it.
That date is a deadline.
Social Security gives you 60 days to appeal. Enter the date printed on your letter and we’ll tell you exactly how many days you have left — and what to do with them.
- We help file the appeal for you
- No fee unless you win
- Nationwide — all 50 states
Look at the top right of the letter. Not the date you opened it — the date it was written.
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Your remaining appeal window will appear here.
~13%Succeed at reconsideration
~50%Approval rate at a hearing
$0Owed unless benefits are awarded
60Days to appeal from notice date
The ladder
Four stages of a Social Security appeal
A denial is not the end of your claim. It is the start of a process with four levels — and most awards happen at level two.
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01
Reconsideration
The same office reviews your file again. New medical evidence matters most here.
Deadline: 60 days -
02
Hearing
You appear before an administrative law judge. Where most awards happen.
~50% approved -
03
Appeals Council
Reviews whether the judge applied the rules correctly to your case.
Rules review -
04
Federal court
The final route. Rare, and it requires an attorney to file.
Last resort
Straight talk
Why most appeals get denied a second time
Nearly every avoidable denial we see traces back to one of these six things.
Missing the 60-day window
Late appeals are dismissed unless you can show good cause, which puts your back pay at risk.
Gaps in medical treatment
Long stretches with no visits read as improvement, even when you simply could not afford care.
Symptoms instead of limits
“My back hurts” is not evidence. “I cannot sit more than 20 minutes” is.
Doctors never contacted
A treating physician statement on your functional capacity is often the strongest document in the file.
Earnings above the limit
Work activity over the substantial gainful activity threshold can end a claim before medical review begins.
Not sure which of these applies to your denial? An advocate can read your letter with you.
Call an advocate now Schedule a callback
Simple process
Three steps from denial to hearing
Step 1
Free case review
Answer four questions or call. We check your deadline, your denial level, and whether an appeal or a new claim makes sense.
Step 2
We build the file
Appeal paperwork is prepared and filed on time, medical records are requested, and your doctors are contacted for functional statements.
Step 3
Representation to decision
You are prepared for the hearing and represented in front of the judge. No fee is owed unless benefits are awarded.
Qualifying conditions
Conditions that commonly support a claim
What matters is not the diagnosis alone — it is how the condition limits your ability to work full time.
- Back & spine disorders
- Mental health conditions
- Neurological disorders
- Chronic illnesses
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cancer
- Developmental disorders
- Sensory impairments
- Heart & lung disease
- Diabetes complications
- Chronic pain syndromes
- Post-surgical limitations
Frequently asked questions
Answers before you call
My 60 days have already passed. Is it over?
Not necessarily. Social Security can accept a late appeal if you show good cause — serious illness, a death in the family, a letter that never arrived, or incorrect information from the agency itself. The sooner you act, the stronger that request looks.
Should I appeal, or just file a new application?
Usually appeal. Filing fresh restarts the clock and can cost you months of back pay tied to your original onset date.
What does it cost?
Nothing upfront and nothing if you lose. If your appeal succeeds, the representative fee comes out of your past-due benefits and is capped by federal law at 25%.
How long will the appeal take?
Reconsideration commonly takes several months. If it goes to a hearing, the wait depends heavily on your local hearing office — some under a year, some closer to two.
Can you take over an appeal I already filed?
Yes. A representative can join a pending case at reconsideration or hearing level, review what has been submitted, and add the evidence the file is missing before a decision is made.
Are you part of the Social Security Administration?
No. SSD Claim Support is a private, independent website. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Social Security Administration.
Every day on that letter counts.
Advocates available Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm ET. Free review, no obligation.