Just adding in my 2 cents. You were not denied for "still being on Active Duty". You were denied because on the work report form your wording conveyed that you are physically and/or mentally able to continue your military service. VA and military disability have no bearing at all on SSDI.
In short, you were not denied for getting an AD paycheck, you were denied because you yourself told them that you aren't disabled enough to prevent you from working.
Thank you for information. I'm not sure I agree wholeheartedly. I say this with all respect, and in light of my own case. For instance; there is/was no mention of my ability to continue to work or physically function for military employment or any other employment--only the opposite. My disability is of such a severe degree that the only narrative statements and work report comments from me, my employers, my neurosurgeons and several other military supervision ALL stated that I could NOT perform basic functions let alone participate in substantial or gainful employment. It was extremely clear and potently worded. It even went into detail on how I can not even dress myself anymore. ALL of the wording specifically indicated that I have been hospitalized since FEB 2016 and unable to work. There is no way that any other assumption could have been made from the clear information provided in my application. And yet I was still denied--much like the originator of this thread. My denial was classified as a "technical denial."
You stated the following:
"
you were not denied for getting an AD paycheck..."
However, the verbatum wording from my denial letter states the reason as:
"
because of how much you earn."
That's a bit of a contradiction when considering the SSA's stance on applying while still on active duty and still receiving/"earning" an AD paycheck. The letter also goes on to state the following:
"
It is important to know that we have looked only at your work, not your health problems."
This is an arbitrary, blanket statement considering that a vast number of disabled Wounded Warriors that apply do so while in the paid IDES process completely incapable or working or are classified as medically incapacitated. The entire reason for the application in this case is due to
health problems directly affecting current or future employability, and yet they admit to not even reviewing my "health problems" at all. My entire package was centered around my health problems and the well-documented, permanent nature of my disabilities and how that has prevented and will prevent any substantial employment. The letter also stated:
"Our
records show you meet the earning requirement" "
since you are working". But EVERY single portion of my application stated that I am not working at all. Therefore, they either:
A. Didn't read my application in full
B. Misread all of it
C. Used the fact that I was still on the active duty payroll as the sole grounds for denial
I'm not trying to be contentious. I just wanted to post the word for word verbiage of one of the SSA's denials to show that they themselves state that the paycheck/earnings were the main reason for denial--not any wording.
Technical denials never make it to the wording review stage.
Most technical denials cannot be appealed. For instance, if you don’t have the work credits to be eligible for SSDI, filing an appeal will not change this. However, in some cases, such as if the SSA made an error in evaluating income or assets, or if the denial was due to a paperwork error or a missing document, an appeal can be filed. In my case, I believe the SSA made an error in evaluating income or assets.
Perhaps I am mistaken. If so, please feel free to correct me on my understanding of all this.
Thanks.