Skip to main content

SMALL SOCIAL SECURITY MISTAKES CAN COST YOU A $$ FORTUNE$$

Social Security disability is a very complicated, tedious affair.  One small mistake can delay your claim by months or even years.  A small omission or using the wrong wording can get your claim denied.

That's why it's better to get someone to help who knows the rules and has a lot of experience dealing with the Social Security Administration.

Here are a FEW examples of how a mistake on your application or appeal can cost you dearly:

 Wrong Onset Date.  You will be asked to provide an alleged onset date. Your claim can potentially pay back to this date.  Use the wrong date and you may lose thousands of dollars in pay.

Income After Your Alleged Onset Date (AOD):   If you have non-earned (non-job related) income after your AOD, Social Security may mistakenly use that to deny your claim.  It is important to identify such income and explain it to Social Security in the beginning.

Insufficient Work Credits.   I recently represented a person who had a catastrophic disease.  He had been denied because of "insufficient work credits."  Turns out, he had enough work credits but his former employer had not reported his income.  We got that corrected and the claimant was approved in less than 10 days.

Failure to Return a Form.  If you fail to return a form, questionnaire, or any requested information it can delay or deny your claim.  Some forms are confusing and difficult to understand.  

Lack of Medical Proof.  The burden of proving medical disability always rests upon the claimant.  What you think is proof may not be acceptable to Social Security.  You need to be part detective to find and recover medical information that will get your claim approved.  It takes a lot of work. 

Misunderstanding terms (the "Lingo").  Social Security speaks to itself and to you in their own unique language:  Title 2, Title 16, Date Last Insured, Specific Vocational Preparation, Alleged Onset Date, exertion levels, Substantial Gainful Activity.......on and on.  It's helpful to have someone who understands these unfamiliar terms and how they apply to your claim.

At the Forsythe Firm, we understand Social Security disability because it's all we do:  Social Security law and nothing else.  Call us for a free consultation with no cost, no obligation and no pressure.  We can often answer all your questions over the phone in less than 10 minutes.  If you require legal representation, we never charge a fee unless you are approved and recover past due benefits.

_________

THE FORSYTHE FIRM

PHONE (256) 799-0297     Email us:  forsythefirm@gmail.com  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IS IT HARD TO GET SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY IN TENNESSEE?

  How hard is it to get Social Security disability (SSDI) in Tennessee? It can be very difficult.  In the beginning stages of the process, it seems like the agency is out to deny as many claims as possible.  Later--in the appeals process--it takes more technical and legal skill to move through the labyrinth of obstacles. What's the usual reason for an SSDI denial? If you look at all the denial letters, the most comm on reason given is:  You are not disabled according to our rules. The 2 main explanation for finding claimants not disabled are: 1.  You are able to perform some of your past relevant work. 2.  You can't perform any of your past work but you are able to do other work. Those are the two "catch all" reasons Social Security gives for nearly all of their denials.  Both of these reasons fall into the category of a medical denial .  The claimant's condition is not deemed severe enough to prevent all work. There are other reasons for d...
Post a Comment
Read more

WHAT YOU WILL BE ASKED AT A DISABILITY HEARING

Most Social Security disability claims will be denied twice:  First at the end of the Application process, and again after the "Reconsideration" process.  The third stop will be a hearing before a federal Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). It is here at the hearing level that most SSDI claims are paid.  So, what do you need to know about your Social Security disability hearing?     First, the judge will follow the rules established by the Social Security Administration.  His or her job is to determine whether you meet the particular laws and rules to receive disability payments.  So, it is a legal proceeding where you must prove certain things in order to get paid. Among the things you must prove:  Your insured status with Social Security:  You have worked recently enough and paid into the Social Security trust fund to gain the required "work credits" to support your claim.  You have a severe medical or mental impairment supported by adequa...
Post a Comment
Read more

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