Obtaining disability benefits can require up to three separate application processes. First is the initial application, a very high percentage of which are denied. Within sixty (60) days of denial, you must file a Request for Reconsideration. Again, a high percentage of these applications are denied. If your claim remains rejected, you must request a hearing in front of a judge within sixty (60) days. Although some applications in cases of severe disability are granted at the initial or reconsideration stages, many claims require a claimant to go through the formal hearing process in order to obtain benefits.