WHAT ARE MY CHANCES?

"What are my chances?" is the question most claimants for Social Security benefits wants to know.

In 2018, the Social Security Administration released some updated statistics on approval rates.

Generally, approval rates for SSDI fell from an average of 68.6% in 2011 to 50.7 in 2018. Claimants who were not represented were approved only 12.9 percent of the time.

The numbers are even more disturbing for concurrent claims. A concurrent claim is where both SSDI and SSI benefits are applied for on the same application. Claimants with an attorney won 42.3 percent, but unrepresented cases won only 8.5% of the time.

Social Security disability is a tough road. The main disadvantages for an unrepresented claimant are not knowing the laws, being unfamiliar with the process, and not understanding the type of evidence it takes to get approved. This sets up a chemistry that usually results in denial of the claim.

Just the "foreign" language spoken in court can be cause for panic. Judges speak of "alleged onset dates, amended onset dates, date last insured, listings, grid rules, medical source opinions, and so many other terms that the average person has no way of understanding.

I contend that most disability cases are won or lost before the hearing begins. They were won or lost in case preparation. You either have the evidence to win, or you don't. Once you get in court, it's too late to worry about it. The time to act is 6 months prior to the court date.

Representation should guarantee that your disability case has been well prepared before it goes to a judge. Unless you are well experienced in Social Security laws and rules, find someone who is to represent you. What are your chances? It all depends on how you go about it!