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Regarding the issue of representation and SSA Attorneys:
Statistically, the vast majority of Social Security Disability and ssi claims in the state of Alaska are denied at the Initial Claim and Reconsideration levels. For this reason, most claimants will need to have their cases heard by an Administrative Law Judge before they can hope to receive benefits. It is at the level of an ALJ hearing that one should always be accompanied by a Disability Attorney or Non Attorney Claimant's advocate. While a disability attorney or non attorney advocate in Alaska cannot guarantee that a claimant will be approved for social security disability or ssi benefits, such an individual can guarantee that a disability claim will be properly developed prior to a hearing date. The simple reality is this: the vast majority of disability claimants in Alaska will have no idea how to properly and thoroughly prepare a disability case for a hearing, whereas an attorney or non attorney disability representative can apply a certain level of familiarity and expertise with social security rules and regulations toward the goal of obtaining a favorable outcome on a case. And, in many cases, an attorney or non attorney representative will have several years of invaluable ssdi and ssi claim experience to lend to a claimant's disability case. Can an ssdi claimant who is not represented by an attorney or non attorney advocate in the state of Alaska still win an ssd or ssi disability claim at an ALJ hearing? Yes. And, in fact, this does occasionally happen. However, the odds of winning a social security disability or ssi claim before an Administrative Law Judge in Alaska are markedly decreased when a claimant does not employ the services of an attorney or non attorney representative; therefore, a claimant should weigh the risk of going unrepresented to a hearing when their future livelihood is literally at stake---particularly when it takes so long to get to a disability hearing in the first place. And even unrepresented claimants in Alaska who are successful and win their ssdi claims may not obtain the most favorable onset date for the commencement of their benefits. The date of onset and the date of entitlement, of course, will determine how much a claimant will receive in backpay; therefore, being able to prove the earliest possbile onset is of extreme importance for a social security disability or ssi disability claimant. Disability attorneys and lawyers do a great many things to ensure that a social security disability or ssi claim will have the best chance of winning. This includes gathering medical records, obtaining detailed statements from a claimant's treating physicians, and, at the time of the hearing, applying a thorough understanding of SSA regulations and requirements to the disability adjudication process. Though attorney or non attorney representation in Alaska is never required in an ssd or ssi disability claim, to attend a hearing before a judge without the guidance of a disability attorney or non attorney representative advocate is never a good idea and may result in a lost opportunity to win disability benefits. |
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