Why does nobody talk about the 5-year rule for SSDI appeals

I was denied in 2022 and just found out that if you don't appeal within 5 years of your last insured date, you lose your window completely. My lawyer never mentioned this until I pushed him on it last month at a meeting in Kansas City. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from their attorney about this deadline?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicecraig13d ago

Ngl the lawyer thing is a huge problem. My cousin in Des Moines had a lawyer who was supposedly a "SSDI specialist" but the dude kept forgetting to file her work history forms. She'd call and get the same "we're working on it" line for months. By the time they got to the hearing the judge was looking at all these gaps in her record and she ended up denied. She found out later her lawyer had something like 400 cases on his docket. No way he was keeping track of any deadlines for any of them. Its wild how many of these attorneys just treat it like a numbers game.

sean85413d ago

Man I had a buddy from St. Louis who went through this exact thing. He got denied back in 2019 and his lawyer kept telling him "don't worry we got plenty of time." Fast forward to 2024 and he's at his hearing and the judge asks about his last insured date. Lawyer froze up right there in the room. Turned out his date was December 2022 and they missed it by like 8 months. He ended up having to start completely over with a new application. Cost him thousands in back pay he could have had. His lawyer never once mentioned that ticking clock until it was way too late.

kim.nina13d ago

This is just how it goes anymore with so many services. You ALWAYS have to be your own watchdog because nobody else is going to look out for you.