Appeals Council and
Federal District Court

If you have been denied on your Initial Claim Level, the Reconsideration Level and then received an Unfavorable Decision at your Hearing, Don’t Give Up!

You have two more options to Appeal.

The Appeals Council and the Federal District Court are two different levels in the Social Security disability appeals process. Here’s how they differ:

1. Appeals Council

(Social Security Administration Department)

This is the final level within the Social Security Administration (SSA).

If your Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing decision is unfavorable, you can request the Appeals Council to review your case.

The Appeals Council can do one of three things:
1. Deny the request for review (if they believe the ALJ’s decision was correct).
2. Send the case back to the ALJ for further review.
3. Issue a new decision in your case.

The Appeals Council does not hold a new hearing; it mainly reviews documents and the ALJ’s decision for legal errors.

If denied at this stage, the next step is filing a lawsuit in federal court.

2. Federal District Court

(Judicial Department)

If the Appeals Council denies your request or upholds the Hearing decision, you can sue the Social Security Administration by filing a case in Federal District Court.

This is the first level outside the Social Security Administration

The court does not hold a new hearing or accept new evidence. It only reviews whether the Social Security Administration followed the law and made a reasonable decision based on the evidence.

The judge can:
1. Uphold the SSA’s decision (denying benefits).
2. Reverse the decision (awarding benefits).
3. Remand (send the case back ) the Case for another Social Security Hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

Key Differences Summary

Feature	Appeals Council	Federal District Court
Part of SSA?	Yes	No (Federal Court System)
Reviews ALJ Decision?	Yes	Yes (Legal Review Only)
Can Introduce New Evidence?	No	No
Possible Outcomes?	Deny, Remand, or Reverse	Uphold, Reverse, or Remand
Next Step if Denied?	Federal Court	Discuss Options with your representative

Would you like guidance on how to proceed with an appeal?

Filing an appeal has strict guidance on filing dates and deadline.
Don’t miss your opportunity

Appeals Council and
Federal District Court

If you have been denied on your Initial Claim Level, the Reconsideration Level and then received an Unfavorable Decision at your Hearing, Don’t Give Up!

You have two more options to Appeal.

The Appeals Council and the Federal District Court are two different levels in the Social Security disability appeals process. Here’s how they differ:

1. Appeals Council

(Social Security Administration Department)

This is the final level within the Social Security Administration (SSA).

If your Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing decision is unfavorable, you can request the Appeals Council to review your case.

The Appeals Council can do one of three things:
1. Deny the request for review (if they believe the ALJ’s decision was correct).
2. Send the case back to the ALJ for further review.
3. Issue a new decision in your case.

The Appeals Council does not hold a new hearing; it mainly reviews documents and the ALJ’s decision for legal errors.

If denied at this stage, the next step is filing a lawsuit in federal court.

2. Federal District Court

(Judicial Department)

If the Appeals Council denies your request or upholds the Hearing decision, you can sue the Social Security Administration by filing a case in Federal District Court.

This is the first level outside the Social Security Administration

The court does not hold a new hearing or accept new evidence. It only reviews whether the Social Security Administration followed the law and made a reasonable decision based on the evidence.

The judge can:
1. Uphold the SSA’s decision (denying benefits).
2. Reverse the decision (awarding benefits).
3. Remand (send the case back ) the Case for another Social Security Hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

Key Differences Summary

Would you like guidance on how to proceed with an appeal?

Filing an appeal has strict guidance on filing dates and deadline.
Don’t miss your opportunity

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Appeals Council and Federal District Court

If you have been denied on your Initial Claim Level, the Reconsideration Level and then received an Unfavorable Decision at your Hearing, Don’t Give Up!

You have two more options to Appeal.

The Appeals Council and the Federal District Court are two different levels in the Social Security disability appeals process. Here’s how they differ:

1. Appeals Council

(Social Security Administration Department)

This is the final level within the Social Security Administration (SSA).

If your Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing decision is unfavorable, you can request the Appeals Council to review your case.

The Appeals Council can do one of three things: 1. Deny the request for review (if they believe the ALJ’s decision was correct). 2. Send the case back to the ALJ for further review. 3. Issue a new decision in your case.

The Appeals Council does not hold a new hearing; it mainly reviews documents and the ALJ’s decision for legal errors.

If denied at this stage, the next step is filing a lawsuit in federal court.

2. Federal District Court

(Judicial Department)

If the Appeals Council denies your request or upholds the Hearing decision, you can sue the Social Security Administration by filing a case in Federal District Court.

This is the first level outside the Social Security Administration

The court does not hold a new hearing or accept new evidence. It only reviews whether the Social Security Administration followed the law and made a reasonable decision based on the evidence.

The judge can: 1. Uphold the SSA’s decision (denying benefits). 2. Reverse the decision (awarding benefits). 3. Remand (send the case back ) the Case for another Social Security Hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

Key Differences Summary

Would you like guidance on how to proceed with an appeal?

Filing an appeal has strict guidance on filing dates and deadline.Don’t miss your opportunity

Appeals Council and
Federal District Court

The Appeals Council can do one of three things:
1. Deny the request for review (if they believe the ALJ’s decision was correct).
2. Send the case back to the ALJ for further review.
3. Issue a new decision in your case.

The judge can:
1. Uphold the SSA’s decision (denying benefits).
2. Reverse the decision (awarding benefits).
3. Remand (send the case back ) the Case for another Social Security Hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

Filing an appeal has strict guidance on filing dates and deadline.
Don’t miss your opportunity