|
|
Regarding the issue of representation and representatives:
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 Georgia cannot guarantee that a claimant will be awarded ssdi benefits, such an individual can guarantee that a case will be properly developed prior to a hearing date. The simple reality is this: the vast majority of 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 a Georgia claimant who is not represented by an attorney 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 before an Administrative Law Judge are markedly decreased when a claimant does not employ the services of an attorney or non attorney representative; therefore, an ssdi 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. Disability attorneys and lawyers practicing in the state of Georgia do a great many things to ensure that a social security disability or ssi claim will have the best chance of winning ssd or ssi benefits. 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 is never required in a disability claim, to attend a hearing before a judge without the assistance of a disability attorney or non attorney advocate in Georgia is unwise and may result in a lost opportunity to win disability benefits. |
| Social Security Disability How much in social security disability benefits can you get ? |
