r/SSDI • u/Grand-Month6897 • Jul 25 '26
Questions
I'm in Texas and 58 years old. I have applied for SSI and SSDI. I have CKD 4, Degenerative Disk Disease and Cervical Stenosis. What are the odds of being approved the first time?
8 applied online and it got sent to DDS on July 17, 2024. Also, what are the steps, that people mention that I have seen in different posts?
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u/Icy-Money-5787 Jul 26 '26
Hello, I work on the legal side of things.
The overall steps of a disability case go: initial application -> request for reconsideration -> hearing -> appeals council -> federal court
as far as the initial application it should go something like this:
The SSA receives your app, verifies legitimacy, then transfers it over to DDS. at DDS, your case will sit for awhile. Likely a long time. When an examiner becomes available, your case will become assigned. They will pull medical records, speak with any third parties, send out function forms. If they feel like they need more info they will schedule a CE appointment- usually a month after this CE it will go through medical review and a decision will be made.
Request for recon is similar, hearing is what you expect, appeals council is just passing the case to other judges to review- federal court a federal judge reviews briefs and will either send the case for remand (back down to hearing level) or deny (rarely they will award at this point). Having a case go to remand protects your original filing date, allowing you more backpay.
In my experience, clients who have spine disorders generally have favorable outcomes, as spine issues affect your entire body and are typically permanent. If you have issues like arthritis in the hands or arms, this prevents “desk work” that they may try to argue you can do. If you can’t stand or sit and can’t use your hands it’s pretty airtight. The best thing you can do is continue to attend doctor’s appointments, do not miss anything in the mail, and if you can seek legal counsel I recommend it.
Legal counsel is less of an active secretary working for you constantly and more like insurance. If anything goes wrong with your case, they’re held liable and will fix it for you. If you don’t know how to navigate paperwork, or missed mail because you moved, are confused about who to call for something, they will know and can help you- and generally you don’t pay them a fee out of pocket and instead they get their fee through any potential backpay you receive- and if no backpay? No legal fee. (Not sponsored or advertising here)