Social Security Ruling (SSR) 11-1p effective on July 28, 2011, precludes the filing of a subsequent application for benefits while an appeal is pending. This SSR revokes the rules that the Social Security Administration (SSA) had issued more than ten years ago, allowing a new application to proceed to the hearing level while a prior application was pending at the Appeals Council. The article from the Empire Justice Center advocates discusses the implications of the new policy.