Everything You Need to Know About Successfully Using iAppeals to Request a Reconsideration or Hearing

A little over a year ago, as part of an upgrade to iAppeals, the Social Security Administration (SSA) began a practice called “single-submission.”  The SOAR TA Center recommends not only filing initial applications online, but also reconsideration and hearing appeal paperwork too. You can actually submit the SSA-1696 and medical documents online! Not only are you sending in a complete appeal application, you are expediting the disability determination process at the appeals level too. However, there are some slight variations with filing appeals online.

So, what is this “single-submission” thing?  This means SSA only considers an electronically submitted Reconsideration (i561) or Hearing (i501) request as filed as of the date that the applicant (or, vis-à-vis the SSA-1696, Authorized Representative) completes both the online equivalent of the SSA-561/HA-501 and the Disability Report-Appeal (SSA 3441). 

We know that many SOAR providers were using iAppeals before these upgrades were made by SSA. Some folks may think they have successfully used iAppeals to request a reconsideration or a hearing, but since they may not have completed the Disability Report after getting their iAppeals re-entry numbers, SSA will not take any action on those appeals. In other words, SSA will not electronically deliver to Disability Determination Services (DDS) or the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) because both the Request and the Disability Report-Appeal were not submitted. 

For those SOAR providers who filed Reconsideration and Hearing Requests prior to these upgrades, your SSA field office may have forwarded the Appeal Request (SSA-561 or SSA-501) without a completed Disability Report-Appeal (SSA-3441). Alternatively, DDS or OHO may have mailed the SSA-3441 to you for completion after the Appeal Request was received.

If you think your appeals may be held up at the SSA field office by this newer procedure, please let us know. We’d be glad to talk with you more about single-submission with iAppeals.

For more information on filing online appeals using iAppeals, check out the SOAR website article, Filing Online with iAppeals.