Social Security Disability OTR
Social Security Disability OTR
If you’ve applied for Social Security Disability (SSDI), but have been denied, then you’re probably thinking about appealing. For many, the appeals process is difficult and frustrating, even if it does sometimes end in good news. Some people are able to catch a lucky break when going through appeals, however, because the evidence that they submit is compelling enough that the hearing officer decides that an actual hearing isn’t needed, and just decides to grant the SSDI benefits on the spot. When this happens, it’s said that the decision was made “on the record,” or OTR.
How Does a Case Get Decided OTR?
As you no doubt know already, documentation is key when it comes to Social Security Disability cases. If you’ve been denied, it probably means that the documentation provided wasn’t strong enough to prove your disability the first time around. This means that, when it’s time to appeal, the best thing you can do to help your case is boost your medical records to present a clear and compelling case for your disability.
With a strong case, the chances of having a decision made OTR great increases. To make this happen, there are two ways to go:
- In some rare cases, an officer will flag a case for an OTR review. This doesn’t happen that often, but sometimes a case will be so cut-and-dry that the officer will initiate this move on his or her own.
- The second route is more common, and involves the applicant requesting an OTR review. The good news about this is that anyone can do this, and it’s completely free.
What Happens After an OTR Request?
Once a request is made to have a case reviewed for an OTR decision, the case will be reviewed by a hearing officer. If the documentation does provide evidence, then your case is approved, and you are immediately granted SSDI benefits. If you are denied, then your case goes back into the lineup for an official hearing.
In this case, though, you should know that there is no penalty: the judge will not be prejudiced towards your case in any way, and the denial will not make your review take any longer than before.
If you would like to know more about OTR decisions, or anything else that can happen during an SSDI appeal, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.