Whether you've applied for disability, been denied for benefits, or are simply at the point of considering wheather or not to file for Social Security Disability or SSI, the issue of representation is an important one. And, typically, applicants and potential applicants have questions such as the following:
How much will it cost to hire a disability attorney, When should you get one?, What will an attorney do for you?, and Will an attorney increase your chances of winning Social Security Disability or SSI Disability Benfits?
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Questions & Answers about filing for disability
- Social Security Disability (SSD)
- Social Security Disability (SSD) questions
- What can I expect to happen after a social security disability, ssi hearing ?
- How often will my social security disability ssi case come under review?
- What happens after the disability hearing with the ALJ is over?
- What do I need to have with me at a social security disability ssi hearing?
- Is it a good sign or bad sign if social security sends you to an examination ?
- What kinds of medical conditions qualify for social security disability ?
- SSI benefits
- Can you get approved for SSI and not SSDI - social security disability
- How long does it take to get the results (answer, decision) of an SSDI (social security disability) or SSI hearing ?
- Will social security pay for me to see a doctor if I can't afford it ?
Regarding the issue of representation and representatives:
Statistically, the great majority
of Social Security Disability and ssi claimants are denied at the
Initial Claim and Reconsideration levels.
For this reason, most claims being decided in Colorado will need to be
heard by an Administrative Law Judge before a claimant can hope to
receive benefits.
It is at the level of an ALJ hearing for ssd or ssi that one should
always be accompanied by a specialist, a Disability Attorney or a Non
Attorney Claimant's advocate.
While an ssdi disability lawyer or non attorney representative
practicing in Colorado cannot guarantee that a claimant will be awarded
social security disability or ssi benefits, such an individual can guarantee that a case will be properly developed prior to a hearing date.
The simple fact of the matter is this: the vast majority of
Colorado disability claimants 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 in Colorado who is not represented by a lawyer or
non attorney advocate 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
in Colorado before an Administrative Law Judge are markedly decreased
when a claimant does not employ the services of an attorney or non
attorney advocate; 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 who are successful and win their claims in Colorado 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
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 lawyer or non attorney representation is never required in a
disability claim, to attend a hearing before a judge without the
assistance of a disability attorney or non attorney representative is
unwise and may result in a lost opportunity to win disability benefits.
