2 ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR THE DISABLED

I opened a letter today to find that it contained a Notice of Decision.  As my eye scanned the page, the first two words I saw were Fully Favorable.

A Fully Favorable decision means that the claimant was approved according to the alleged onset date stated in the application and is, therefore, entitled to past due benefits.

Getting this notice is like a reprieve for the claimant, who may have been waiting for two years or longer for Social Security to decide whether benefits will be paid or not.  And the claimant often does without medical care, prescriptions--or even the ability to pay rent, utility bills or to buy decent food. 

A Fully Favorable decision comes after a hearing by an administrative law judge. It is the culmination of a very long, very difficult process, in which the legal representative has worked countless hours and invested a great deal of money to prepare and present the case.   A Fully Favorable decision is the end of the trying process and it does not need to be appealed further.

After the Fully Favorable decision has been issued, it still may take 30 to 60 days for the claimant to receive a benefit check.  But that is nothing compared to the months or years of waiting while the system trudged its way to the decision. 

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