BEST ADVICE TO GET SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS

I often have Social Security disability claimants call me and say, "I went to my hearing but the judge postponed it and told me to get representation."

Why is that Administrative Law Judges like for claimants to be represented at a disability hearing? I think there are several reasons.

1. The hearing goes much more smoothly when the judge doesn't have to stop and explain to the claimant what certain terms and conditions mean.

2. The claim has been much better prepared. When it gets to the judge, the representative or attorney has explained the major points of law. All the evidence has been obtained and submitted. The judge won't have to delay the case and go looking for additional evidence or documentation.

3 The representative can help to quickly answer questions and resolve issues on the spot.

4. It may be less likely that the decision will be kicked back on remand due to an allegation of mistakes at the hearing.

5. Represented cases can often be done much more quickly. In some cases, the claim can be approved based on the representative's pre-hearing work and a hearing may not be necessary at all. This is is called an On-The-Record (OTR) decision.