MEDICAL DENIALS vs TECHNICAL DENIALS
. Most denials of Social Security disability benefits are medical denials. Some are technical denials.
A medical denial occurs when Social Security believes that your medical evidence does not prove that you are disabled. Your denial letter will usually say that you are not eligible for benefits "because you are not disabled according to our rules." This is the most common type of denial and should be appealed immediately.
A technical denial occurs because you failed to do something within the required time limit-- or you failed to follow the correct process. For example, you are allowed 60 days to file an appeal. If you file it after 90 days, you will get a technical denial, regardless of the other facts in the case. Another example: You file a disability claim but you have not worked in the last 7 years. You are not insured under Social Security's disability program. You will receive a technical denial, even though you may indeed be disabled. Technical denials are usually cut and dried and much harder to appeal. (You either filed on time or you didn't).
The chart below shows the types (with percentages) of denials issued by Social Security in the ten year period between 2004 and 2014. These numbers look about the same in 2015 and 2016. Interestingly, Social Security only approved an average of 23 percent of claims at the initial application stage during that same period.
A medical denial occurs when Social Security believes that your medical evidence does not prove that you are disabled. Your denial letter will usually say that you are not eligible for benefits "because you are not disabled according to our rules." This is the most common type of denial and should be appealed immediately.
A technical denial occurs because you failed to do something within the required time limit-- or you failed to follow the correct process. For example, you are allowed 60 days to file an appeal. If you file it after 90 days, you will get a technical denial, regardless of the other facts in the case. Another example: You file a disability claim but you have not worked in the last 7 years. You are not insured under Social Security's disability program. You will receive a technical denial, even though you may indeed be disabled. Technical denials are usually cut and dried and much harder to appeal. (You either filed on time or you didn't).
The chart below shows the types (with percentages) of denials issued by Social Security in the ten year period between 2004 and 2014. These numbers look about the same in 2015 and 2016. Interestingly, Social Security only approved an average of 23 percent of claims at the initial application stage during that same period.
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