WHY GET A DISABILITY LAWYER?

PREPARATION OF THE INITIAL CLAIM

Your attorney/advocate can file the initial claim for you. He or she will provide all the information necessary and maximize the money you may receive. He or she will know what information and documentation is required and will communicate with the Social Security Administration for you. COVID-19 has closed many of their offices and this has complicated communication with the agency. Your attorney or advocate can be of great assistance in keeping communications open on your claim.

FILING OF APPEALS

About 80 percent of Social Security disability claims will require an appeal. An essential part of your advocate’s job is the preparing and filing of appeals. There are strict deadlines that must be met and there must be good legal grounds for your appeal.

MANAGEMENT OF EVIDENCE

Disability awards are based on objective evidence. Your attorney or advocate will make sure that Social Security has all the evidence it needs to award benefits. He or she will provide complete information about your doctors and hospitalizations. Deciding whether to call a witness or not is also an important consideration. One of your advocate’s crucial jobs is to make your case as strong as it can be.

REPRESENTATION AT YOUR HEARING (COURT)

Your advocate will be at your side when you go before a judge for your hearing. Before you go to see the judge, your attorney or advocate will prepare you and help answer all your questions. He or she will ask you a lot of questions to know how to plan your testimony before the judge. This is crucial. Your attorney will be able to respond to testimony from vocational or medical experts at the hearing. Only an experienced disability advocate or attorney can effectively cross examine these Social Security experts at the hearing.

Your attorney can also make opening and closing statements to the court. These statements give a concise, convincing summary of why your case meets the legal requirements for a disability benefit.

The judge may have questions during the hearing. These questions may concern onset date, date last insured, wages, substantial gainful activity or past relevant work. These issues may be confusing to someone who has not dealt with Social Security disability before. Your advocate or attorney will understand the terminology, the law and how to answer these questions during the hearing.