When Social Security Says No, the Case Is Just Starting

Most disability claims are denied at first. The appeals that follow run on strict federal deadlines, and the record you build early is the record a judge reads later. We handle SSDI and SSI appeals for claimants across Northern Virginia.

Federal Disability Appeals, in Brief

Appeals Are Won on the Record

A Social Security disability claim moves through fixed levels. A state agency decides the initial application and the reconsideration. An administrative law judge holds a hearing and takes a fresh look. The Appeals Council reviews the judge's decision for error, and after that the case can go to federal district court. Each level has its own 60 day deadline, and each level reads the record the earlier levels built.

We represent claimants at every level, in SSDI claims built on a work record, SSI claims based on financial need, and the many cases that involve both at once. Fees in these cases are set by federal law. The Social Security Administration must approve any fee before it is charged, and in most cases the fee is paid out of past due benefits at the end of a successful claim, not out of pocket along the way.

Where We Come In

• ✓ Your initial application was denied and the appeal deadline is running
• ✓ A hearing is scheduled and the file is not ready
• ✓ An unfavorable decision needs Appeals Council or federal court review
• ✓ Benefits were cut off after a continuing disability review
• ✓ You are filing for the first time and want it done right once
• ✓ An SSI claim involves income, resources, or a concurrent SSDI claim

Initial Applications

Building the claim correctly from the start: medical evidence, work history under the current five year rule, and function reports that match the record.

Reconsideration Appeals

The first appeal after a denial. We fill the gaps the state agency flagged and add the evidence the file was missing.

Hearings Before a Judge

Preparing claimants to testify, developing opinion evidence, and questioning the vocational expert whose testimony often decides the case.

Appeals Council Review

Identifying legal error in an unfavorable decision and briefing the issues that support review or a remand for a new hearing.

Federal Court Review

Civil actions under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) in Virginia's federal district courts, decided on the record under the substantial evidence standard.

SSI & Concurrent Claims

Financial eligibility, income and resource rules, and claims where SSDI and SSI run together and the details of each affect the other.

"Most people read the first denial letter and assume the system has made up its mind. It has not. The levels above that first decision exist because the first look is often incomplete, and the claimants who do well are the ones who treat the appeal as a deadline-driven records project, not a form to mail back. Whichever stage you are at, the move is the same: protect the deadline first, then build the file the judge will actually read."

Answers Before You Call