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Congressional Inquiry

unique

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unique Enthusiast

unique

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My appeal is currently at the SSA Appeals Council level. I was denied SSA disability benefits by the ALJ. Has anyone ever had to write their Congressman concerning a social security disability issue and did it help?

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john999 Grand Master

john999

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Has your lawyer sent you to one of his doctors to get more evidence? Most SSD lawyers know doctors who know how to write good reports for the SSD judge. I really don't think congress critters will help at all. It might even slow it down as they pause to respond to you. The congressman will make an inquiry and the SSD will send back some BS and your congressman will accept it. That's it! What does your lawyer say to do?

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unique Enthusiast

unique

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Has your lawyer sent you to one of his doctors to get more evidence? Most SSD lawyers know doctors who know how to write good reports for the SSD judge. I really don't think congress critters will help at all. It might even slow it down as they pause to respond to you. The congressman will make an inquiry and the SSD will send back some BS and your congressman will accept it. That's it! What does your lawyer say to do?

Yes my lawyer did send me to one of his doctors and he said that I cannot work but I was still denied at the ALJ hearing. My lawyer said that I can write my Congressmanl if I wanted to it is my decision.

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Bonzai Experienced

Bonzai

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unique,

At the Social Security Appeal Council level, your case is first received and prepared for review. It then goes on a pile of other cases to be reviewed, to see if it will even be reviewed in case of an ALJ error; or just a standard appeal denied letter is sent. (Roughly 75% of cases are denied, 22% remanded back to the ALJ for corrections, and 3% get a favorable ruling).

For 2009, the average processing time for Appeals Council cases was 261 days. However, due to increases in applications and subsequent denials, the average processing time for 2010 was 345 days, and is getting longer.

I am in the same boat, as I too have my case sitting at the Social Security Appeals Council. I have evidence that the ALJ ignored evidence of multiple hospitalizations in my file. However, in my opinion, a Congressional inquiry will probably only slow my case down; which in all likelihood is going to result in the standard denial letter anyways. I can't imagine a Congressional inquiry speeding anything up, as everyone would do it if it worked; and I haven't seen it posted as working on any of the Social Security boards I've visited. I could be wrong...

I am prepared to do two things, if I am denied by the Social Security Appeals Council:

1. File suit against the Social Security Administration in Federal District Court.

2. File a complaint against the Administrative Law Judge for being biased against me, based upon his deliberately ignore supportive evidence in my file.

I have called the 800 # and ensured that my request for appeal was received. I was added to the cases waiting to be reviewed in late August 2010 - so have been waiting 121 days, but who's counting?

Edited by Bonzai (see edit history)
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john999 Grand Master

john999

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Think of all the jobs that SSD supplies for lawyers, judges, clerks and all the other people who get to dip their beaks into the money stream. I think it is a racket, but you have to play the game. The lawyers know exactly what the score is on these things. If you persist you will win eventually.

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unique Enthusiast

unique

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unique,

What reason did the ALJ give to deny ?

The ALJ denied my case because he said that there is work in the national economy that I can do such as a greeter at Walmart. He also said that the medical evidence does not support a finding of being disabled although my doctor has diagnosed me with PTSD, major depressive disorder, paranoia and psychotic disorder.

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