Requesting Appeals Council Review

Use the Current Request Options

SSA provides online and other request methods. Use the method that matches the decision and follow the current filing instructions.

The ordinary request period is generally 60 days after receipt of the hearing decision. Review the actual notice, including how to explain a late request.

Connect the Request to the Decision

Identify the findings or procedural issues you dispute and the evidence involved. New evidence has specific requirements; a document’s date alone does not answer whether the Council can consider it.

Explain how additional evidence relates to the period at issue and why it was not provided earlier when that explanation is required. Individual advice may be valuable.

Understand the Possible Results

The Council can deny the request for review, issue a decision or return the case for further proceedings. A request does not automatically produce a new hearing.

Read the Council’s notice for any further rights. Federal court review requires a court filing, not another private website form or an ordinary SSA status inquiry.

Organize the Review Request by Issue

A useful outline identifies the finding you dispute, the evidence or procedure involved and why it matters to the decision. It is different from simply attaching a new diagnosis list. Keep additional evidence labeled by source and date, and ask about the Council’s requirements for considering it. Save the request and acknowledgment, then read any later action carefully because it determines the available next step.

• Identify the relevant part of the hearing decision.
• Connect each issue to a record or procedural concern.
• Ask for qualified help if federal court review becomes relevant.