How Long Does It Take to Get Disability Benefits?

Support for You in a Long Process

Hearing back about your initial Social Security Disability (SSD) claim takes months—Social Security says six to eight months—or more, but actually winning benefits can take much longer than that.

Most disability claims are denied, meaning it’s common to appeal the Social Security Administration’s decision.

Get an experienced South Bend disability lawyer to help with the next steps.

The Morgan Law Firm has helped thousands of Hoosiers and Michiganders win disability benefits. We know how important this is to you and what a difference these monthly payments and medical coverage can make in your life.

While your disability lawyer can’t control how fast Social Security works, they can help you avoid mistakes that delay or sink your claim, keep your claim from getting lost in the system, and work hard to give you the strongest possible claim, so your wait will be worth it in the end.

Appealing a denied Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claim is tricky, but South Bend disability lawyer Anne Morgan and her team have decades of experience navigating this process.

We’ll help you protect your financial independence—and your dignity when you can’t work due to bad health. We give your disability claim the personal attention it deserves.

We help people in South Bend, Elkhart and all over Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan.

No matter how long this process takes, you won’t pay an attorney fee until you win benefits.

How Long Does an SSD Appeal Take?

There are four stages of appealing a disability benefits denial, and each adds more months to your waiting time.

You may not have to go through every stage, but they proceed in this order:

Reconsideration: The first step is asking Social Security to have another examiner look at your claim and see if you qualify for disability benefits.

Odds of success are low at this stage, but it’s crucial in keeping your claim active. It could take somewhere between three and twelve months to get a decision.

A disability hearing: If you get denied at reconsideration, making your case to an administrative law judge is the next stage of appeal. This may be your best opportunity to win benefits. How long you’ll wait to get a hearing scheduled varies based on location.

Recent data from Social Security shows that Indiana has an average waiting time of nearly seven months for a disability hearing, and Michigan is over seven months, but it can be longer or shorter for you.

The SSA Appeals Council: If your hearing doesn’t go your way, you can ask the Social Security Appeals Council to review the decision. It can take around six to 12 months to hear back.

Filing a lawsuit in Federal District Court: The last step is filing a suit in Federal District Court. A federal judge can decide to uphold Social Security’s decision, grant you benefits, or send you back for another hearing. This stage of appeal could add around a year to your waiting time.

Not every lawyer helps with these last two steps, but your Michiana disability attorney from The Morgan Law Firm can assist with each phase of your appeal.

Schedule your FREE case evaluation.

Factors That Increase SSDI and SSI Wait Times

It’s always going to take a while to win SSDI or SSI benefits, but there are a few issues that can make your claim take longer to get approved.

Some of these factors are beyond your control, but others can be accounted for. An Indiana Social Security Disability lawyer can help you avoid the pitfalls that frequently cause additional delays.

Common issues include:

Missing information from your initial application
Indications that you didn’t follow a treatment plan
A lack of medical evidence
Not responding to Social Security’s requests for examinations or more records
The complexity of your medical issues
Social Security’s claim backlog
Mistakes by Social Security in assessing your claim

We know you’re stressed about your finances and your health, and patience is a lot to ask right now, but you need to take your time with your Social Security Disability appeal up front. That way, you don’t give the SSA reasons to hold up your benefits even longer.

The team at the Morgan Law Firm can help you navigate this and fight for the SSDI or SSI payments and health care coverage that you deserve.

How a South Bend Disability Lawyer Can Help

We can’t promise that we’ll make this process quick, but we can promise that disability lawyer Anne Morgan and her team will do everything that they can to give you the best chance of winning benefits at each stage of appeals.

Our team can:

Help you avoid mistakes that increase your waiting time for benefits
Answer your questions about disability appeals
Point you toward local resources that can help you make ends meet while you wait for benefits
Prepare you for your hearing so that you know what kinds of questions to expect from the judge
Represent you at your disability hearing
Cross-examine expert vocational and medical witnesses at your hearing
File your appeal with the SSA Appeals Council or in federal court, if needed

It’s never easy to win disability benefits. The appeals process is complicated and Social Security puts plenty of obstacles in your way.

South Bend Disability lawyer Anne Morgan and the team at The Morgan Law Firm know the appeals process well.

If your SSI or SSDI claim has been denied, we want to hear from you. Let us help you get back on the path to financial stability.

How Long Does It Take to Get Disability Benefits in Michiana?

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Support for You in a Long Process

How Long Does an SSD Appeal Take?

Factors That Increase SSDI and SSI Wait Times