Understanding SSA Denial Paperwork

It has finally been recognized that the Social Security Administration needs to provide more detail in denial notices. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that denied claimants sometimes received communications with inconsistent or hard-to-understand information. Medical sources and reports were not clearly linked to how a determination was made. The SSA generally agreed with the GAO but said that it would require computer system changes with funding for information technology. The story can be read here.

I have read hundreds of application and reconsideration denials. The Social Security sends out these form letters and except for a few lines in a few paragraphs, the denials are always very similar. It is almost impossible to understand exactly what information was used to make the denial. It is nice to see that the GAO has called out the Social Security Administration and that there is a chance something will be done.

This article was written by Chip Permar