Why are those numbers outrageous ?

If those numbers are outrageous, we have an even larger problem.......gross incompetence at the ALJ level. If great numbers of people SHOULD be approved at the AC level, it means all those ALJ's made the wrong decision. Their mistakes SHOULD BE few and far between.

The chart speaks for itself.

According to the 2009 chart:
AC approves 2%, denies 73%.
ALJ approves 63%, denies 22%
Initial level approves 37%, denies 63% but the volume of approvals is significantly higher than at any level.

Using total number of claims filed, initial approvals outnumber ALJ approvals by 3 to 1, and AC approvals by 1700 to 1 for all claims filed. This includes claims filed by people who are required by their LTD to file a claim.

Chart speaks for itself.

AC finds an error is less than one out of four. Still, an error is not an automatic approval. Still worth filing an AC request but should also file a new claim at the same time or go back to work.

That number only considered half the number of cases processed. I was speaking of the 2002 chart that you posted. You have said yourself in post #6 that the internet numbers and even numbers posted on this site cannot be considered accurate.

The data is either valid or invalid. The chart that speaks for itself is either valid or invalid. Not sure of your point.

2002 data
AC approves 3%, denies 70% for a total of 3,268 approvals
ALJ approves 61%, denies 26% for a total of 267,423 approvals
Initial claims approvals 38%, denies 62% for a total of 883,921 approvals.
Not a great deal different than 2009.

Again, volume of approvals at the initial level much higher than ALJ level and crushes AC level.

No one should trust anything they read on this board as being valid. All posts are personal opinions. Data from anecdotal evidence cannot be validated but data from other sources can be if someone is better at searching than I am. I believe the Commissioner of Social Security is a pretty good source and NOSSCR is a good source. My opinion.

I promise this is the last post I will make on this subject no matter what is posted to contradict me.

The data is inconclusive and can not be considered a statistic.

sorry but this continuous back and forth is counterproductive to helping others and instead just confuses things.

I am locking this thread and requesting that this type of argumentative posting please not continue