social security

[redbird]

It has been more than a month since I got email saying that my application for disability benefits had been rejected, and an explanation would be coming in the mail*. I have not received an explanation, or any other mail from them. I have now left two phone messages with the person at their office who was assigned to my case, asking how I can appeal the rejection without having received that paperwork.

So far, my contact hasn't answered. There's a 60-day window for appealing the decision. I'm not sure of the right thing to do here. Things that have occurred to me: (a) look for a lawyer to help; (b) file an appeal online to avoid missing the deadline, even though the first page of that process implies that I should have answers to what they have; (c) ask my congresswoman's office for help.

Does anyone know a Massachusetts lawyer or organization that helps with this, or have other suggestions?

*What I actually got was an email saying "we have made a decision, log in to see it" and that got me the bare-bones answer.

Comments

[jenett]

Argh. I might try the congresswoman - they so often have contacts with agencies and can shake loose more info, at least.

[anne]

Check with your congresswoman, especially if it's who I think it is. (I love my condo, but the downgrade in representation is still upsetting.)

[adrian_turtle]

What Anne said. If we didn't have such a great congresswoman, the answer might be different. But this one can definitely help. (Even the one we had 15 months ago was good.)

[rachelkg]

A resource for locating legal help -- the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder https://masslrf.org/en/triage/start/benefits (which resources they point to depends on household income as well as the type of case. I verified that this web form does lead to legal aid organizations that do disability benefit work.)

I get the impression from looking at some web pages on the topic that the first round of appeal, the "request for reconsideration", almost always amounts to the SSA saying "Nuh-uh, you don't qualify," the applicant saying "Ya-huh, I do too qualify! Look at all the stuff I already sent you again, properly!" -- with about a 10% chance that they come back with a different answer -- and the real communication happens on the next round.