Savannah, Georgia
Savannah Disability Lawyers for SSDI and SSI
Downard & Associates represents adults in Savannah, Georgia, with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applications and appeals. We work with clients by phone or video from our Tennessee base. Whether you are applying, responding to a denial, or preparing for an administrative hearing, start with your treatment history, work information, and any letters from the Social Security Administration (SSA) so we can discuss the next step in your claim.
How we help
What we do for Savannah disability applicants
The aim is to respond to the issues in the decision rather than simply repeat the original application.
For a new application, we help document your work history and gather medical evidence. That gives SSA information about your condition and the work you have done.
After an initial denial, we review the reasons given, address missing evidence, and help with reconsideration. The aim is to respond to the issues in the decision rather than simply repeat the original application.
At the administrative hearing stage, we prepare you for questions, develop the medical record, and present the case to the administrative law judge. Preparation connects your treatment history with the limitations you need to explain.
We handle SSDI cases for people who currently receive benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but we do not handle VA claims or appeals. We do not take disability cessation or continuing disability review cases, or new cases involving back-pay issues alone. We refer federal court appeals to a trusted affiliate rather than handling them in-house.
For broader program and claim information, visit our Georgia disability representation page.
Benefit eligibility
SSDI and SSI eligibility for Savannah adults
Duration rule
12months
SSDI on your own work record generally requires enough recent work covered by Social Security. The work-credit requirements depend on your age when your disability began; younger workers may qualify with fewer credits. For workers who meet SSA’s statutory-blindness rules, the usual recent-work test does not apply, although fully insured status is still required. SSA explains the general work-credit requirements in its disability eligibility guidance.
SSI has separate financial and categorical rules. You must have limited countable income and resources and qualify based on disability, statutory blindness, or age 65 or older, along with other requirements. SSI based on age does not require proof of disability. See SSA’s SSI eligibility rules.
For SSDI and adult SSI claims based on disability, SSA evaluates whether a medically determinable condition prevents substantial gainful activity, meaning work that is substantial and gainful under SSA’s rules. If the evaluation reaches the later work steps, SSA considers your ability to do past work or adjust to other work. The condition must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 consecutive months or be expected to result in death. You do not have to wait a year before applying.
Initial SSI eligibility based on statutory blindness does not use the substantial gainful activity test, and statutory blindness has no duration requirement under SSI. The financial rules still apply. A diagnosis alone does not establish disability-based eligibility.
Local claim process
From Georgia DAS review to a Savannah hearing
A DAS request for medical information is different from an administrative law judge hearing notice.
An SSA field office checks nonmedical eligibility, such as SSDI insured status or SSI financial requirements. The medical disability evaluation is a separate task. In Georgia, Disability Adjudication Services (DAS), part of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, makes disability determinations at the initial and first appeal stages. A DAS request for medical information is different from an administrative law judge hearing notice.
SSA’s current Hearing Office Locator lists the Savannah field office among the offices served by the Savannah hearing office. That entry identifies the listed field-office route; it does not establish the assignment for every Savannah-area resident. Use your own SSA correspondence to identify the office handling your appeal.
The office listed in a directory does not by itself establish where you must appear. An in-person hearing may use a hearing office or a permanent remote site. Follow your hearing notice for the scheduled site and attendance instructions. Our hearing-office guide explains the office information separately from your case notices.
SSA lists four ways to attend a hearing: in person, by audio/telephone, by agency video using SSA equipment, or by online video using a personal device. Online video requires your agreement. The Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing includes agreement and objection forms; objections to audio or agency video are subject to SSA’s deadlines and exceptions. Follow those instructions before making travel arrangements.
Get organized
Sort the paperwork in your Savannah disability file
For each letter, record the sender, notice date, date you received it, requested action, and response instructions. Keep a copy of what you submit and how you submitted it. Use this tracker to separate the tasks.
Alongside the letters, list your treating providers, treatment dates, medications, and medical tests. Describe your recent jobs and their physical and mental demands, then give specific examples of what your condition limits. SSA’s application information checklist explains the information and documents it requests.
| Sender or notice | What to identify | What to record or prepare |
|---|---|---|
| SSA field office | The nonmedical eligibility issue, such as work coverage or SSI finances. | The documents requested and the response instructions on the letter. |
| Georgia DAS | The medical information or disability questionnaire requested. | Treatment sources, medications, education, and work details relevant to the request. |
| SSA hearing office | The scheduled proceeding and appearance instructions. | The hearing date, attendance method, and site or connection instructions. |
| Initial or reconsideration denial | The reason for denial and the next review stage. | The notice date, actual receipt date, appeal instructions, and any evidence of delayed receipt. |
After a denial
Protect the next step after a Savannah disability denial
Deadline
60days
For an initial SSDI or SSI denial, reconsideration generally must be requested in writing within 60 days after you receive the notice. After a reconsideration denial, a hearing before an administrative law judge generally must be requested in writing within the same receipt-based period under the SSDI hearing rule and SSI hearing rule. SSA presumes receipt five days after the notice date unless you show that it arrived later.
If your request is late, ask in writing for an extension and explain why you missed the deadline. SSA must find good cause to extend it; an extension is not automatic. The parallel SSDI reconsideration rule and SSI reconsideration rule explain the receipt-based period and written extension request. Keep evidence of delayed delivery or other circumstances affecting your response.
Common questions
Questions Savannah disability applicants ask
Do I have to travel to Tennessee to work with Downard?
No. We work with Savannah clients by phone or video. We are based in Tennessee and do not have a Savannah office. Communications with our firm are separate from SSA’s instructions for attending your hearing.
Who makes the medical decision before an administrative hearing?
Georgia Disability Adjudication Services makes disability determinations at the initial and first appeal stages. SSA field offices handle nonmedical eligibility. A later administrative law judge hearing is a separate review stage within SSA.
Should I wait to apply until I have every medical record?
No. SSA advises applying when your disability begins and says not to delay applying because documents are missing. Provide accurate treatment-source information and the records you already have; SSA can help obtain missing documents. This does not change the medical, work, or financial requirements for eligibility.
Should I include treatment received outside Savannah?
Include the providers who treated the conditions relevant to your claim, wherever you received that care. Record their contact information, treatment dates, and tests rather than limiting your list to Savannah facilities. SSA requests treatment-source information to develop the medical evidence.
Discuss your claim
Discuss your Savannah disability claim with Downard
Tell us where your claim stands and what your condition keeps you from doing. We can discuss your application, denial, or upcoming administrative hearing and the information needed for the next step.