This information may help claimants with representation, as well as claimants who are not represented by an attorney or non attorney representative. Understanding how the Social Security Disability system works can make the difference between winning or not winning the continuing disability benefits and backpay to which a person is entitled. In pursuing a claim for ongoing and past due benefits, claimants should learn about the disability process to improve their chances of winning. |
|
Here's a sad but very commonplace scenario. A person is employed many years, perhaps at just one job, suddenly to find that their medical condition has worsened to the point that they can no longer do their job, or, realistically, any other job. On their own initiative or on the advice of others, they contact the social security office and file a claim for benefits. Then they wait. About two months into the process, they decide to make a call and check the status of their claim. They are simply told that "the evaluation will take 90 to 120 days". And so, again, they wait. Finally, several more months after the process originally began, they get a letter. Unfortunately a denial letter. However, since the letter mentions that an appeal may be filed (a reconsideration), they file their appeal. And then they wait...and wait...and wait. Once more--and, generally, of course, a number of months later--they receive another letter. And, statistically speaking, this is usually a second denial letter. Once again, the letter states that an appeal can be filed and this time it involves a hearing before an administrative law judge. So, the claimant files a request for hearing before an administrative law judge, and waits, hopefully, for a hearing date to be set in the near future. It is at this stage of the appeal process that the experience becomes overwhelmingly disappointing and frustrating. Because, depending on where you live in the country, a request for hearing may take a year or longer to process. At the Raleigh, North Carolina Office of Hearings & Appeals, to use one terrible example, it can take 18 months from the time a hearing is requested until the time that a hearing date is set. And this is only an average. And, unfortunately, it doesn't end there. After a hearing has been held, it may be weeks or even months before a decision is made by a judge and, even if an approval is granted, many weeks more before benefits are made available. All told, depending on how backlogged the system is in a claimant's particular state of residence, it may take up to 2 1/2 years before disability benefits are ever received. It goes without saying, of course, that, by allowing claims to drag on for such extended lengths of time, the social security administration is not fulfilling its duties to disabled citizens. Such situations should simply not be allowed exist. However, what seems absolutely amazing is that very few claimants ever seem to be told when they first apply how long the process might take. Disability Advocates Help with Claims Free Case Evaluation |
|
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY ATTORNEY, REPRESENTATIVE LAWYER LIST ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 3 ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 4 |
|
If you suffer from a medical disability such as hip, neck, shoulder, ankle, wrist, back, or other joint problems, disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rsi or repetetive stress injury, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, dysthymia, depression or other mood disorders, congestive or chronic heart failure, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, high blood pressure (hypertension), seizure disorder, stroke, copd, emphysema, hearing loss or poor hearing, statutory blindness, peripheral field problems or other vision loss, clinical obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity or, simply, adhd, bipolar disorder or manic depression, panic disorder, schizophrenia, autism, head trauma, memory loss, low iq, mental retardation, learning disability, epilepsy, cancer, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, lupus, anxiety, inner ear problems, meniere's, vertigo or dizziness, kidney failure requiring dialysis or other renal problems, cirrhosis, hepatitis, or other liver disease, pancreatitis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, rsd or reflex sympathetic dystrophy, crohn's disease, sarcoidosis, peripheral vascular disease, lyme disease, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, hiv, aids, anemia, sickle cell, thyroid problems including hypothyroidism, esrd or end stage renal disease, reflux, gerd (gastroesophageal reflux disease), cfids, muscular dystrophy, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or tachycardia, bradycardia or other arrhythmia and have initiated or been denied on a social security disability, or ssi, claim for benefits, this site may assist you with your case. Social Security Disability benefits are often difficult to win; however many claims for social security disability are lost simply because a claimant did not know enough about the disability process to their social security or ssi claim. For information re: representation on a social security disability or ssi claim (attorney or non attorney representative), see the "questions" & "how" pages. |
| Social Security Disability What kind of conditions qualify for social security disability ? |