How to File a Request for Reconsideration for Social Security Disability in Florida

There are four ways to file your Request For Reconsideration for Social Security Disability Benefits.

Visit Your Local Social Security Office

You can call 1-800-772-1213 to find the closest Social Security Office to your home and schedule an appointment there to complete the Request For Reconsideration and updated medical information forms. You can bring a family member or friend to help you fill out the forms.

File Online

You can file your Request For Reconsideration at www.ssa.gov by clicking on “online services,” and click on “appeal a decision.”   You can stop and start the process. The medical form can be confusing; call Nancy Cavey if you have any problems.

Schedule a Phone Interview

You can apply by calling 1-800-772-1213 and ask to schedule a phone interview with your local Social Security office. At the appointed time, your local representative will call and help you complete the Request For Reconsideration.

Reconsideration Request FAQ’s

How Long Will I have to Wait for my Reconsideration?

Your Request For Reconsideration is sent back to the Florida Office of Disability Determination Services (DDS), the state agency hired by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to review and decide every Initial Application and Request For Reconsideration. DDS writes to all the medical providers listed on your Request For Reconsideration asking them for copies of your medical records.

After your medical records are received and reviewed, a decision is made. The waiting period typically runs three to four months.

What Should I do While Waiting for a Decision?

If you have filed a reconsideration request you should do the following while you wait:

• Continue to get medical care;
• Tell your medical providers about your symptoms and how they limit your ability to function every day;
• Tell your medical providers any side effects you are having with your medication.

DDS and SSA are looking for consistency in your medical records. It is important that for each visit your medical records document your symptoms and how they impact your daily activities. Don’t exaggerate. Simply tell your medical providers what problems you have lifting, standing, sitting, walking, bending, stooping and reaching. At the grocery store, for example, you might have to hold onto the cart for support to walk the aisles, or you cannot life a gallon of milk into your cart.

What Should I do if my Reconsideration Request is also Denied?

Never give up!

Waiting for a life-changing decision is hard, especially one where the odds are you will lose: more than 85% of the Requests for Reconsideration filed are denied. If your claim is denied, the next step is to file a Request for Hearing, which goes to the Social Security Administration’s Office of Disability Adjudications and Review (ODAR). A lot of people give up: 30% of the applicants don’t file a Request for Hearing.

But that is the wrong time to give up. The odds swing in your favor if you fight for your benefits at the Request for Hearing: you have a 66% chance of getting your Social Security Disability benefits. Those are winning odds!

Hire Social Security Disability Attorney Nancy L. Cavey

The claims process is complicated. You’ll be asked to provide the names and address of all the medical providers you have seen since you filed your Initial Application and add information about any new medical conditions your doctors have diagnosed. It’s easy to make a mistake, and the local office isn’t going to take the time to make sure your forms are perfect.

The denial of your Initial Application and the need to file a Request For Reconsideration can be confusing and overwhelming. You can schedule a free, no-obligation visit with Ms. Cavey to find out whether you are entitled to Social Security and have all your questions answered.

If you hire Ms. Cavey to help you file your Request For Reconsideration she will charge you either an hourly fee or a contingency fee made from your back benefits. Either way, the Social Security Administration must approve Ms. Cavey’s fee. And if the Administrative Law Judge who hears your case denies your claim, you won’t owe Ms. Cavey a fee.

It’s time to get help!