According to a recent press release out of the Digital Journal, the Social Security Administration has been changing some of its rules, and that can mean a tough time for those applying for Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. According to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) 11-1p rule, it used to be possible to have multiple filings for the same benefits. It’s a pretty useful ability when your first filing is denied and it has to be appealed. Why? Because then you can file an entirely new claim and wait for either the new claim or the appealed claim to come back. Waiting for an appeal can take an awfully long time (and during that time you likely are in need of those benefits). Of course, 11-1p is the rule that’s been flipped and now you can’t have two filings for the same benefit. As a result, you will need to choose between waiting out the appeals process or letting it drop and then filing an entirely different one. Using the appeal track alone might cost you that much more time, and simply filing again will mean that you’ll miss out on back-benefits (for the time you were waiting), if the appeal would have gone through. It’s an unfortunate position and it highlights the need to file with the SSA correctly the first run through.
Reference: Digital Journal (December 1, 2011) “New SSA Rule Disallows Multiple Benefits Applications”
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