Denied at a hearing · what next

Appeals Council, or federal court?

An ALJ denial isn’t the end. The next step is the Appeals Council; after that, federal district court. Here’s what the SSA data says about each path — how often cases get sent back, and the reasons why.

Step 1 · Appeals Council

14.59%

of request-for-review dispositions remanded (FY2020). The AC reviews the ALJ’s decision for legal/evidentiary error — it rarely awards outright, but a remand sends the case back for a new hearing.

Step 2 · Federal court

62.6%

of filed SSDI cases remanded (FY2025) — 9,457 of 15,098. District courts review the record after the AC; a remand is the common favorable result.

Why the Appeals Council sends cases back · FY2025

The most common remand reasons are the errors worth pointing to in a request for review — most are about how the ALJ handled the evidence.

Inadequate Articulation of Supportability of Medical Source Opinion(s)4.9%
Found Persuasive Without Adequate Articulation4.8%
VE and DOT Not Reconciled (e.g., sit/stand limitations , time off task, etc.)4.7%
Medical Source Opinion(s) Not Identified or Discussed4.1%
Inadequate Articulation of Consistency of Medical Source Opinion(s)3.7%
Inadequate Rationale for Symptom Evaluation Finding2.7%

Free case review

Denied at your hearing? Have an attorney review your appeal.

A disability attorney can tell you whether to take your case to the Appeals Council or federal court — and what a remand would take. No cost to talk; most only get paid if you win.

Full appeals data

AC activity, grant/remand trends, and court comparisons over time.

Appeal deadline

You have 60 days to appeal a denial — check the exact window.

Source: SSA appeals datasets · Updated 2026-06-18. Not legal advice. Remand rates and reasons are SSA historical aggregates (Appeals Council and federal-court dispositions); they describe past cases in general, not the merits of any one appeal. Deadlines are strict — confirm yours and consider counsel.