The claimant filed an application for SSI on January 11, 2013. We denied their application
because of excess resources and issued the denial notice dated February 1, 2013. On
February 10, 2013, the claimant filed a request for reconsideration. The FO affirmed
the denial and issued a reconsidered determination on February 15, 2013. On February
19, 2013, the claimant requested a hearing. The ALJ issued a hearing decision, dated
December 15, 2013, affirming the denial. Then the claimant filed a new application
on March 3, 2014, which we denied again for excess resources on March 14, 2014 (date
of denial notice). The claimant filed a reconsideration request on April 15, 2014,
and we issued a reconsidered determination dated May 1, 2014, affirming the denial.
The claimant filed a request for a hearing on June 1, 2014, and the ALJ issued a hearing
decision on January 16, 2015, reversing the denial and reopening and revising the
hearing decision of December 15, 2013. During the second hearing, new and material
evidence came to the attention of the ALJ that pertained to the first application
(i.e., evidence not available at the time of the initial determination of February
1, 2013, and subsequent appeals). This was the basis for establishing good cause for
reopening and revising the prior hearing decision, which appeared to be correct based
on the evidence available at the time of original adjudication. Because the claimant
filed the second application within two years after the initial determination on the
first application (February 1, 2013), the ALJ could still reopen the hearing decision
based on that application under the 2-year rule.