If your disability claim was denied in New Hampshire, you’re not alone, and this isn’t the end of the road. The Social Security Administration denies most new applications, and only a small share get approved at the first appeal step, called reconsideration. Most people who do win benefits get there after a hearing in front of a judge who decides Social Security cases, called an administrative law judge. Having a disability lawyer who can practice in New Hampshire and knows the system by your side can make a real difference.
We represent disabled clients in Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth, and across New Hampshire, handling Social Security disability claims and long-term disability (LTD) insurance denials. Founded by Michael Liner, our firm has helped more than 10,000 clients and secured billions of dollars in benefits. We work on contingency, which means you pay no attorney fee unless we win your case.
See if You Qualify for SSD/SSI Benefits. It only takes about two minutes, and there’s no cost or obligation. It’s the fastest way for our intake team to review your case and reach out to you.
Social Security Disability Insurance and SSI in New Hampshire
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are the two programs the Social Security Administration uses to pay monthly benefits to people who can’t work because of a medical condition. SSDI is based on your work history. You generally need 40 work credits, with 20 earned in the last 10 years (work credits are simply how Social Security tracks how long you’ve paid into the system through payroll taxes). Your SSDI payment depends on your past earnings, so it’s usually higher than an SSI payment.
SSI works differently. It’s based on financial need rather than work history, so you can qualify even without work credits. It pays monthly benefits to disabled people with limited income and resources, though your payment can be affected by your living situation and any other income you have. If your work history is short and your income is low, you may qualify for both SSDI and SSI at the same time.
SSDI has a five-month waiting period after you’re found disabled before monthly payments begin. Once your claim is approved, you’ll also receive past-due benefits, sometimes called back pay, covering the months between when your disability began (after that waiting period) and the date Social Security approved your claim. When SSDI recipients reach retirement age, their benefits typically convert automatically to Social Security retirement benefits.
How the Disability Claim Process Works in New Hampshire
Your initial application goes to New Hampshire’s Disability Determination Services, the state agency that reviews your medical records and decides whether you qualify. Social Security denies most first-time applications, and only a small share of new applicants are approved. If you’re denied, you have 60 days to appeal. The first step is called reconsideration, where a different reviewer looks at your case. The second step is a hearing in front of an administrative law judge, the judge who decides Social Security cases. This is often where New Hampshire disability cases are decided. If the judge approves your claim, your benefits are awarded from that point forward. If the hearing decision is unfavorable, your case moves to the Appeals Council, which checks for legal or procedural errors in how the judge handled it. If the Appeals Council also denies the case, federal court is the final option within that claim. If the case is closed out at that stage, pursuing benefits again means starting an entirely new application from the very first step.
Waiting for an SSDI decision can take many months, and we know that wait can feel unbearable. Most people who eventually win benefits get there at the hearing stage, so don’t lose hope if you’re denied earlier. Working with an experienced disability lawyer improves your odds of approval. Filling out your application accurately helps you avoid denials over paperwork, and gathering strong medical evidence matters at every stage of your case.
Many New Hampshire workers also have long-term disability (LTD) insurance through their employer, which pays monthly benefits if you’re found disabled under the terms of that policy. If you don’t have an employer plan, an individual disability insurance policy can provide similar coverage.
Top Approved Impairment Categories in New Hampshire
New Hampshire disability approvals track national Social Security patterns:
- Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, meaning conditions affecting your bones, joints, and muscles, including severe back impairments, degenerative disc disease, and severe arthritis.
- Mental health conditions, including major depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
- Nervous system and sense organ disorders, meaning conditions affecting the brain, nerves, or senses, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.
- Circulatory conditions, meaning heart and blood vessel problems, including congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and lasting effects after a stroke.
Why New Hampshire SSDI Claims Get Denied
Most SSDI denials in New Hampshire trace back to the same handful of problems. Insufficient medical evidence is the most common: a file that’s thin on imaging, lab results, or specialist notes gives the disability examiner little to approve. Gaps in treatment, whether from cost, long waits for a specialist, or simply falling out of care, can make a real condition look inactive on paper. An application that names a diagnosis without describing how it limits your ability to stand, concentrate, or get through a workday leaves the reviewer guessing. And missing a deadline, whether for reconsideration or a hearing request, can close the file before your case ever reaches a judge.
A denial doesn’t mean your case is weak. It usually means the file needs more work, and that’s exactly where an experienced New Hampshire disability lawyer can help, before or during your appeal.
Who Qualifies for Disability in New Hampshire
To qualify for SSDI or SSI, you need to show that a medical condition keeps you from what Social Security calls substantial gainful activity, meaning work that earns more than a set monthly amount, and that the condition is expected to last at least 12 months. This medical requirement is the same across New Hampshire. Common qualifying conditions include severe back impairments, neurological disorders, mental health diagnoses, cancer, autoimmune disease, and disabling injuries.
Conditions without clear imaging or lab evidence, like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, tend to be the hardest to get approved. These claims succeed when an experienced attorney builds a strong record, your treating doctor supports your limitations in writing, and your hearing is prepared the right way. The Disability Rights Center in New Hampshire offers free advocacy for residents who need help with non-financial disability rights issues. If you qualify based on income, 603 Legal Aid can also provide free civil legal representation.
What a New Hampshire Disability Lawyer Does
When you hire us, our team will:
- Help you with your initial application or appeal
- Gather medical evidence from every doctor and provider you’ve seen
- File your paperwork and meet every deadline Social Security sets
- Represent you at your hearing in front of the judge, usually by phone
- Fight for your past-due benefits (back pay), ongoing monthly benefits, and a favorable decision
- Handle your federal court appeal if it’s needed
Navigating federal disability law on your own is hard, and having a lawyer by your side improves your odds of approval. We know the local judges and the medical reviewers New Hampshire’s Disability Determination Services, the state agency that reviews your medical records, tends to rely on. We only get paid out of your past-due benefits, and only if we win.
Attorney Fees for New Hampshire Disability Cases
Federal law caps Social Security disability attorney fees at 25 percent of past-due benefits. Like most disability attorneys, we work on contingency, so there’s nothing to pay up front and no fee unless we win your benefits. If we don’t win, you owe us nothing.
Long-Term Disability Insurance Denials
Long-term disability claims through an employer plan are governed by a federal law called ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which sets the rules for most group disability plans). Insurance companies deny these claims for predictable reasons: a paid medical reviewer disagrees with your treating doctor, your treatment history looks scattered and sporadic, or the policy’s definition of disability shifts from being unable to do your own job to being unable to do any job. We handle long-term disability claims against every major insurance carrier.
You usually have 180 days to file an internal appeal with the insurance company. This step matters more than people realize: whatever record you build during that appeal is the only evidence a federal judge will later see if your claim ends up in court. Our attorneys build that record carefully, with complete medical evidence, an opinion from a vocational expert (a specialist who evaluates what work you’re able to do) when needed, and a written argument that addresses the specific language in your policy. If the insurance company still refuses to pay, we take the case to federal court.
See if You Qualify for LTD, the fastest way to get in front of our team.
Workers Compensation and SSDI Offset in New Hampshire
Some New Hampshire claimants receive workers’ compensation, overseen by the Workers’ Compensation Division of the New Hampshire Department of Labor, at the same time as SSDI. Under federal law (42 U.S.C. § 424a), your combined SSDI and workers’ compensation benefits generally cannot exceed 80 percent of what you earned before your disability began. Social Security calls this the offset. When combined benefits go over that cap, Social Security reduces your SSDI payment, not your workers’ compensation, until you turn 65 or the workers’ compensation award ends. Liner Legal focuses on the SSDI side of these cases and refers workers’ compensation representation to trusted partners through our referral network.
What Our Clients Are Saying
Common Questions About New Hampshire Disability Claims
You need a severe medical condition, expected to last at least 12 months, that keeps you from substantial gainful activity (work that earns more than a set monthly amount). You'll also need enough work credits for SSDI, or a limited income for SSI. Social Security reviews your claim through five steps, looking at whether you're working, how severe your condition is, whether it matches a listed condition in what's known as the Blue Book (Social Security's official list of qualifying impairments), whether you can do your past work, and whether you can do any other work in the national economy.
Conditions without clear lab results or imaging tend to be the hardest to get approved, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and many mental health conditions. These claims succeed when the medical record is detailed and your treating doctor supports your limitations in writing.
Federal law caps Social Security disability attorney fees at 25 percent of past-due benefits. That fee comes out of your back pay, and only if we win your case.
Your SSDI payment depends on your own earnings history, and SSI payments follow the federal benefit rate, adjusted for your living situation and household income. New Hampshire doesn't run its own separate disability program, so federal SSDI and SSI are the main government benefits available to disabled residents here.
Beyond Disability: Our Referral Partner Network
Did you know you may be entitled to additional financial compensation beyond your disability benefits? Depending on your situation, you could also have a workers’ compensation, personal injury, medical malpractice, or long-term disability claim. Exploring these options does not automatically affect your eligibility for Social Security Disability benefits.
At Liner Legal, we’re committed to helping you identify every potential source of financial support so you don’t leave benefits you may be entitled to on the table. While we focus exclusively on Social Security Disability (SSDI/SSI) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) claims ourselves, our nationwide network of trusted referral partners connects clients with experienced attorneys in areas like workers’ compensation, veterans disability, personal injury, employment law, medical malpractice, family law, and more. See if You Qualify for Additional Financial Compensation to find out what else may be available to you.
New England has a strong veteran community, and New Hampshire is no exception. We focus on the SSDI and LTD side of your case, and for VA disability appeals, we refer you to VA-accredited partner attorneys through this same network.
Don’t Delay. Secure the Benefits You Deserve. Start Your Process Now.
See if You Qualify for SSD/SSI Benefits. It only takes about two minutes, and there’s no cost or obligation. If a long-term disability policy is also on the table, See if You Qualify for LTD is the fastest path. For legal needs beyond disability, See if You Qualify for Additional Financial Compensation connects you with a trusted partner. We work on a contingency fee basis, so there’s nothing to pay up front and no fee unless we win your benefits. Federal law caps our fees at 25 percent of past-due benefits.
Support Starts With a Free Consultation
When you file for disability benefits in New Hampshire, there’s a whole lot of forms and paperwork, but this is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s also about your health, your stability, and your entire future. And when all of those things feel scary or uncertain, trying to handle the Social Security system alone can feel like too much to handle. That’s exactly why we’re here.
We know how hard it can be to get approved in New Hampshire, especially if you’ve had gaps in care or have had to switch providers. That’s why we stay with you from day one through every part of the process. If you’re looking for a New Hampshire SSI attorney who knows the system and genuinely cares, you’re in the right place.
Let’s take the next step together…with a lot less stress and a whole lot more support.