If you live in Camden, your Social Security Disability application follows the same federal process used nationwide. You file with the Social Security Administration, a state agency reviews your medical evidence on Social Security’s behalf, and your claim is measured against five questions asked in order.

The wait for a first decision runs about six to eight months, and most first applications are turned down, often because the file is missing medical records or a form the review requires. You then have 60 days to ask for the next level of review.

That wait is exhausting when bills keep arriving and your health keeps you out of work, and you don’t have to sort through it alone. The Camden Social Security Disability lawyers at Silver & Silver help South Jersey residents understand where a claim sits and what each stage requires.

Social Security decides claims using a five-step sequential evaluation. The questions come in a set order, and the review ends as soon as one answer settles the claim. An application can end at the first or second question, before anyone weighs how limiting your condition is day to day.

These are the five questions Social Security asks in the 5-step disability process:

Are you doing substantial work for pay right now?
Does your condition significantly limit basic work activities?
Does it meet or medically equal an entry in Social Security’s Listing of Impairments, the Blue Book?
Given what you can still do, can you perform work you held in roughly the last five years?
Considering your age, education, and work experience, can you adjust to other work?

Meeting a listing can establish disability without going further, but the last two questions, set out in federal regulations, look at what your condition keeps you from doing rather than what it is called. A diagnosis alone matters less there than records describing how far you can walk before you need to sit down, or whether you can stay with one task through a morning.

Filing in Camden and Waiting on a Decision

Filing starts the same claims process whether you apply online, by phone, or at a local office. What you’re filing for is Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, a benefit for workers who paid Social Security taxes long enough to earn credits. To qualify, your condition has to keep you from doing substantial work and be expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.

After you apply, your file goes to the state agency that handles the medical review, which gathers records from your doctors and may schedule an examination. That review is why a decision usually takes months, so keep your appointments and return forms promptly.

If Your Claim Comes Back Denied

An initial denial does not necessarily end the Social Security Disability process. Additional levels of review may allow further consideration of the claim and supporting evidence. The 60-day clock for requesting the next stage of review starts when the notice reaches you, not when it was dated, and Social Security presumes it reached you five days after its printed date. A denial moves through four levels of review: reconsideration, a hearing before an administrative law judge, the Appeals Council, and federal court.

The hearing is the first point where you speak for yourself and describe what a typical day looks like. Updated treatment notes matter a great deal there, along with a statement from your doctor describing specific limits. Missing the 60-day window usually means starting over with a new application, so mark the deadline the day the notice arrives.

Knowing Where Your Claim Stands

Much of this happens out of sight, while your file sits with reviewers you never meet. Once you know which question your claim is resting on, you know what to gather next, and the Camden SSD lawyers at Silver & Silver can go over a decision notice with you.

Months of silence after you file wear on you, especially with no paycheck coming in and no clear answer about the future. For 45 years, Silver & Silver has helped Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents pursue Social Security Disability benefits. The firm also handles personal injury matters in Pennsylvania. Contact us today and our team will explain what comes next.

Disclosure:

This website is designed to provide only general information. The information presented on this website is not formal legal advice. You should not rely on any general information from any source for making legal decisions. Each legal matter is unique and requires specific attention from a qualified attorney. Unless a representation agreement has been signed with the Law Offices of Silver and Silver, we are not your legal representatives.