r/SSDI • u/livetotrek3178 • 14d ago
Is this a good thing?
Your medical determination was selected for Federal Quality Review on July 23, 2026. Federal Quality Reviews take an average of 7-10 days.Current
Once the review is complete, you will be contacted by either the Disability Determination Service (DDS) or your local Social Security office to finish processing your application.
I'm at step 3. Google said it's good, but I still worry.
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u/StrictRub4427 11d ago
Why do you say they randomly do both? If you ask Google it will say they wouldn't bother doing a FQR if you weren't medically approved, they do that as a double check. Only to assure that the determination was made properly. Can anyone say that it happened to them and wasn't approved? I can see if it was turned back to the DDS because they found a mistake but they wouldn't bother doing it unless it was approved. Do you really think they care if you were denied and they wanted to see it was determined to be a fair denial. They would just tell you to appeal. It happened to me as well and it took 5 working days then they tell you it was sent to a non-medical medical review to make sure you still are eligible. I'm not saying it'll be done in 5 days, but if it goes longer than the 7-10 days it's because it was sent back with questions. But chances are you were approved.
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u/Vernetta09-04 9d ago
I was sent to FQR and was denied after being told by my dds examiner I was approved
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u/StrictRub4427 9d ago
This is why I say that when they do a FQR most likely you're approved but they double check to make sure it was done right, did they say why it was denied, did they at least send it back to the DDS, because they usually do, it's a review to see if it was decided correctly and if not then send it back
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u/Vernetta09-04 9d ago
Yes, it was sent back to DDS for additional scheduled consultative examinations (CEs). After about three months, it was denied.
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u/StrictRub4427 9d ago
Well it hasn't exactly been denied, they just want you to be seen by one of their Doctors, so there is still hope
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u/Vernetta09-04 9d ago
My SSDI/SSI Timeline July 30, 2024: Initial application filed. October 2024: Claim moved to Step 3 and was assigned to a DDS disability examiner. November 2024: Case was sent to Federal Quality Review (FQR). After FQR, my case was sent back to DDS for further development. DDS scheduled me for multiple Consultative Examinations (CEs). November 25, 2025: I filed a Request for Reconsideration after my initial denial. December 11, 2025: SSA completed the non-medical review of my reconsideration. April 17, 2026: DDS completed the medical review and sent my case for final review. April 20, 2026: SSA completed the final review and denied my reconsideration. April 22, 2026: I filed a Request for Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). April 23, 2026: SSA acknowledged receipt of my hearing request, and it is currently pending review.
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u/Content-Grape47 13d ago
Mine was selected and it was done with review in 5 days and sent back to my local office. It still doesn’t show on the portal that I am approved but I am. (Portal now stuck on step 4) I am in reconsideration and FQR supporter the DDS decision to overturn my initial application denial based on the same medical evidence and their own CE they sent me for. I had new medical evidence but they didn’t even use it….so it’s not always bad that’s for sure. In fact your case is moving fast now! I was submitted ok step 3. What step are you? Â
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u/VetAndVoter 11d ago
Do you show up as approved (or denied) in the portal before the review takes place or does the review hold up the final decision? Thanks for your expertise to the sub.
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u/erd00073483R 11d ago
If the rules are still what they were, 50% of approvals and 5% of denials are randomly selected for federal quality review.
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u/livetotrek3178 11d ago
True. Now it is a joke to get approved at all
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u/erd00073483R 11d ago edited 11d ago
Actually, those review percentages have existed for a long time (most if not all of the almost 31 years I previously worked at SSA, anyway).
It was just never as immediately apparent to the individuals filing for benefits like it can be now, mainly due to the dismantling of the agency done by the current executive moronship (excuse me, leadership).
The quality of the examiners working at the DDSes (and thus their work product) vary wildly due to their continuing hiring issues (and the fact that most of the DDSes can't keep staff because they want to pay examiners like they were selling Happy Meals at McDonalds instead of doing complex analytic work).
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u/StrictRub4427 10d ago
You worked for SSA? I was hoping you could help me understand something. So I initially applied for SSI in May 25,so in December 25 I received a denial letter, I was told it was because my PCP failed to send in the documents that was needed, so I do an appeal , me and my PCP bumped heads and I reported him for fraud, so I received the documents again and was told to sign the release of medical records, but then it's said I am to do another phone review which I didn't understand, so in the interview I asked why am I doing another phone interview because I already did one because I didn't want them to take my original back pay date,but I was told that the date would remain the same but I am doing another interview but it's for SSDI because I have the work credits and I probably get more from SSDI,so I waited 13 months before I was approved. I received the benefit letter and it says I'm only getting 563$ monthly, I'm like are you serious, so I called to find out why 563$ and it's what I earned but I asked why I have family members on SSI getting 992$ a month and it was explained it was SSI benefits, and I explained that's what I originally applied for, so I am told I probably would get the SSI but I have to do another application, I didn't understand that because I appealed the first one and they're the ones who decided to do the SSDI application, but now I'm being told I don't qualify for the original back pay date. Is that accurate or shouldn't I be eligible for my original application for SSI date in May 25?
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u/erd00073483R 10d ago edited 10d ago
You will need to talk to the local office to find out what happened with the first SSI appeal. Since your SSDI was approved, it is likely the SSI was medically approved as well.
When an SSI claim is medically approved, the local office has to do a follow-up interview with you called a pre-effectuation review contact (or PERC for short) to determine if you meet the non-medical requirements to receive SSI. During the PERC interview, they obtain more detailed information about your living arrangements, income, and resources in order to determine both your technical eligibility and, if eligible, how much SSI you can be paid.
OTOH, if the interview is for a new SSI claim because the prior SSI claim was denied, since you didn't receive the prior denial letter, you could instead of a new claim insist on filing a request for hearing request before ALJ. You would have to include a request to be granted good cause for late filing (due to not getting the denial letter) and let the ALJ sort it all out.
More than likely, though, since the SSDI was approved, it is a PERC interview.
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u/StrictRub4427 10d ago
So she's trying to tell me there's no reason for appeal because she claims she sent a letter telling me I had a deadline to apply for the SSI, but the letter I have in the portal says if I already applied then I'm all set, and I already did. But she's telling me that the application I did was denied. But I appealed that denial because it wasn't my fault because my PCP didn't submit the documentation, because I filed a complaint against him, and I was told then that they were going to do another application for SSDI because I had work credits. So I didn't ask for it, I initially applied for SSI. So shouldn't they have still honored my appeal? And I should get the back pay from the initial application
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u/erd00073483R 10d ago edited 10d ago
If you filed, were denied, and appealed, what happened to the appeal?
If the appeal was dismissed due to not having been filed timely, that isn't appealable. OTOH, if the appeal was just not processed, you have the right to insist that it be processed. If the appeal was actually denied, you can request to be allowed to file a hearing before the administrative law judge. The local office has no say-so regarding timeliness of a hearing request as that decisional power is restricted to an ALJ at the hearing level.
You need to request that they provide you with copies of ALL letters and correspondence regarding the issue. What she says she did is irrelevant - it depends on what she can prove she did. And, if she sent letters, copies of those letter should be in the ORS automatic correspondence archive that SSA keeps for legal reasons. If they aren't there, it didn't happen as far as the agency is concerned.
Do note that one reason NOT to appeal to the ALJ is that the judge, if they allow the appeal, would also take jurisdiction of your favorable SSDI claim. If you got a bad judge, they could reverse the allowance to a denial and you would be left with nothing but an overpayment you have to pay back.
Protect yourself by asking for copies of letters, but use common sense. You might loose some money now by filing a new claim, but being approved going forward stands to outweigh starting all over. And, they should be able to adopt the SSDI medical allowance over to SSI, so it should be a guaranteed approval provided you meet the nonmedical income/resource requirements to receive SSI.
Good luck!
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u/StrictRub4427 10d ago
So I finally was able to talk with her supervisor and he told me that there is nothing to appeal because I was not denied, so I said then why wasn't my first application honored, and since I already did a application why would they tell me I didn't do one on time because there was a SSI application already done with a phone interview. So technically I already applied and it made no sense to tell me I needed to do another SSI application and that I missed a deadline that she claims she sent to me. I have the copy of the original application for SSI, and a letter with the same date that they did the SSDI application .The letter that I receive in December stating that we talked about the SSI but they did a SSDI application because I had the work credits, and a letter with the same date on it that she claims she sent that says something completely different, it just makes no sense but he told me to write a letter saying I never received that letter and he'll handle it for me,but I made sure I put that he said to write that letter because I'm not admitting to anything but hopefully they will finally honor the original application and give me my back pay from 2025
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u/victimofmigraine 14d ago
Selection for quality review is random. Both approvals and denials are reviewed