I lost my Social Security appeal at the Appeals Council and my lawyer doesn’t do Federal Court cases – how can I appeal?

If you lost your claim for Social Security disability appeal before the Appeals Council – Chad Brown Law can appeal your case to Federal Court
Taking Your Disability Claim to Federal Court
If your application for disability benefits is unsuccessful at the Appeals Council level, you have the right to file a lawsuit in Federal District Court. Nationwide, more than 18,000 cases go to Federal Court each year, according to the Social Security Administration. While you can file for a Federal Court review without an attorney, it is a bad idea to do so generally. The Federal Court is even more complex than the Appeals Council. It also requires proof of legal errors like the Appeals Council.

Just as with all the other stages of appeals, your time to take action is limited. You have 60 days to file a lawsuit after the Appeals Council decision is made. There is a specific protocol for filing a civil action and detailed procedures that you must abide by to validate your suit. Be aware that both the Appeals Council stage and filing a suit in Federal District Court are complex processes. While people periodically win cases in Federal Court without an attorney (pro se), it is extremely rare. In Federal Court, the U.S. Attorney’s office represents the Social Security Administration in court. They are supported by a special group of lawyers that work for the government and are experts in their own right at showing why the Social Security Administration ALJ followed the rules correctly. Winning at Federal Court requires the skill to win a case against another skilled lawyer. Most people cannot do this on their own.

Chad Brown Law has a division that handles Federal Appeals and we have the knowledge, skills, and experience to fight the government attorneys that will try and keep you from getting the benefits you deserve. If you lost your appeal to the Appeals Council in North or South Carolina and don’t know what to do now, call Chad Brown Law at (336) 962-5373 to see if we can help you fight in federal court.

Our firm focuses on three practice areas: Disability, Personal Injury, and Eminent Domain. Every practice area has attorneys who have expertise in their respective area of practice. 

Chad Brown is a North Carolina Board Certified Social Security disability law specialist. Mr. Brown helps Social Security disability claimants at all stages of the disability process. He also works with people that have Long Term Disability denials and with people that are injured by drugs and defective medical products.

Your Questions Answered

Do I need to tell SSA everything I did in my prior jobs?

The short answer is – Yes. Claimants must prove they cannot perform any job they regularly performed in the past 15 years to obtain Social Security disability benefits. When you apply for disability, you will be asked to list your previous work history. If you do not...

read more

What happens if I cannot afford medical treatment?

If you cannot afford medical treatment, winning your case could be difficult. You may, in fact, have disabilities that prevent you from working, but you have to be able to prove this to the Social Security Administration. You need to provide solid, medical evidence...

read more

FREE CONSULTATION