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If you've filed an application for disability benefits, or have received a noticed a notice of denial on a Social Security Disability or SSI claim in the state of Maryland, the thought of representation has probably occurred to you. Very often, disability applicants have questions such as the following:
How much will it cost to hire a disability attorney?, When should you consider getting a lawyer for a disability case?, Will representation improve the chances of winning benefits? |
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Regarding the issue of representation and representatives:
It is at the level of an ALJ hearing that a claimant should always be accompanied by a Disability Attorney or Non Attorney Claimant's Representative. While a disability attorney or non attorney representative cannot guarantee that a claimant will be win their social security disability or ssi benefits, such an individual can guarantee that an ssdi case will be properly developed prior to a hearing date. The simple truth is this: the vast majority of claimants will have no idea how to 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 Maryland claimant who is not represented by an attorney or non attorney 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, 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 Maryland who are successful 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 in the state of Maryland 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 ssdi disability adjudication process. Though attorney or non attorney representation is never required in an ssd or ssi disability claim, to attend a hearing before a judge in Maryland without the assistance of a disability attorney or non attorney representative is unwise and may result in a lost opportunity to win disability benefits. |
| Social Security Disability ssd ssdi How many disability cases does social security deny? |
