Federal Supplemental Security Income Appeals in Oregon

Your Path to a Federal SSI Appeal

Before you reach federal court with your SSI appeal, you go through these steps within Social Security:

• Applying for benefits but getting denied
• Asking Social Security for a reconsideration of the denial
• Taking your claim to a hearing with a Social Security administrative law judge
• Asking the Appeals Council at Social Security to review the judge’s decision

Then you reach federal court.

Now you’re going outside Social Security. Officially, you’re suing the Commissioner of Social Security.

When you’re looking at a federal SSI appeal, you’ll want to talk to an experienced disability lawyer.

This is different from the other steps in applying for SSI. We have a disability attorney who focuses on these cases.

Here are two important points to consider:

• Suing in federal court preserves your original disability application date. So when you win approval, you’ll get more back pay.
• You can’t add new information to your claim, however. The judge focuses on reviewing your previous disability denials.

If your medical condition has changed in a major way since your last appeal, you may be better off reapplying and showing Social Security your updated situation.

To help you make this decision, you can get Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor to provide an initial review of your case at no cost to you.

How Does the Federal SSI Appeals Process Work?

This is how a federal court appeal looks:

• Your lawyer files your case in United States District Court.
• Your lawyer submits documents arguing that Social Security made mistakes in denying your benefits.
• The court looks only at evidence already in your claim record.
• The federal judge evaluates Social Security’s decision to turn you down.
• The process takes place through court documents. You probably won’t have a direct conversation with the judge.

What happens next?

The federal judge can deny or award your benefits or send your case back to Social Security with instructions to change their decision.

This is a long process. But our disability attorneys can stay by your side. And at the end, you can win back pay for the time you waited for benefits and helping you pay off debts.

THERE’S NO ATTORNEY FEE UNTIL YOU WIN.

Winning benefits could provide a much deserved break from your stress.