Skip to main content

DO YOU REALLY A NEED A LAWYER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY?

A lawyer isn't required to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.  However, many people who try to go it alone will get confused and frustrated and seek an attorney or advocate to assist them.

A lawyer or advocate can fill out the SSDI application for you and submit it.  He/she can review the application to be sure it is complete and without errors that could delay the claim.  Your lawyer/advocate can attend meetings, conferences or hearings with you.  The Social Security Administration (SSA) will work directly with your legal representative and will share your Social Security file.

Having legal representation can be especially important if you disagree with Social Security's decision on your claim and you need to appeal.  

Most denied cases require attendance at a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.  Your legal representative can go with you to the hearing and can prepare for it.  He or she will prepare you and any witnesses on your side to testify effectively.

A 2017 study by the Government Accountability Office found that people who are represented by a professional advocate or attorney are twice as likely to be approved as those who are not represented.

By the way, a lawyer cannot charge you a fee unless your case is approved and you receive past due money from Social Security.  

___________

Charles W. Forsythe is principal of The Forsythe Firm in Huntsville, Alabama.  He does nothing but Social Security disability cases.  Free consultations available.  (256) 799-0297.


 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CAN YOU WIN YOUR DISABILITY APPEAL WITHOUT A LAWYER?

The Social Security Administration does not require you to have a lawyer to file an appeal or to appear at a hearing.  However, most people heading for a disability hearing will hire a lawyer or advocate to help them.   Studies have shown that you are about twice as likely to win with a lawyer.  A recent study found that claimants with no lawyer win about 30 percent of the time while claimants with a lawyer or advocate win 60 percent of the time.   " He just cooked his own goose." These statistics cover only one aspect of a disability appear--your odds of winning. The other important aspects are time and convenience. If you prepare and adjudicate your own disability appeal, expect to spend 12 to 24 months working on the case.  You will be collecting, reading and submitting hundreds or thousands of pages of medical records.  These records are complex and often difficult to understand.  And you must know how each medical record helps (or hurts) your dis...
Post a Comment
Read more

GET YOUR APPLICATION RIGHT - GET PAID SSDI B ENEFITS

  Get your Social Security application right - get paid.   There are hundreds of ways to mess up a Social Security disability application.  One of the most common ways that I see?  Blank lines.  Questions left blank.  One way or another, these questions will get answered before a decision is made on your claim.  They may get answered 6 months later when the Social Security office calls you--but you have just wasted 6 months.   Worse yet, Social Security may assume that since you didn't answer the questions, all the answers are "no," so nobody bothers to call you. This will lead to a negative action on your claim.   The complete disability application will consist, not just of the basic application, but several forms.  Many of those forms will be mailed to you AFTER you file the claim.  The following is always required for a complete application: The basic disability application (5 pages)  Disability Report (14 p...
Post a Comment
Read more

HOW TO PASS A SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY EXAM

  So, Social Security is sending you to one of their doctors for an exam.  The first thing you may ask is, How do I pass this exam?   First, I should say that Social Security exams are not "pass or fail."  The doctor or examiner cannot tell Social Security whether or not you are disabled or whether you should get a benefit.  The doctor is going to check certain facts. For example, the doctor may check the range of motion in your joints and list the measurements. They may check your grip strength. (S)he may determine if you have difficulty walking, squatting, kneeling standing from a seated position.  The examiner may answer specific questions asked by Social Security: Is the use of a cane or assistive device medically necessary? Why is it necessary? Can the claimant use his/her hands to grasp and hold objects? Is the claimant able to understand and follow simple directions?  Here is advice I give my clients for a Social Security examination:  ...
Post a Comment
Read more