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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For answers to these and other questions, Click Here |
Regarding the issue of representation and representatives:
It is at the ALJ hearing level that a disability claimant in Oregon
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 an Oregon 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.
In most instances, the vast majority of claimants will simply 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 an ssdi case. And, in many cases, an attorney or non attorney
representative will have several years of invaluable ssdi and ssi claim
experience.
Can a claimant who is not represented by an attorney or non attorney
still win an ssd or ssi disability claim at an ALJ hearing? Yes.
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 ssd or ssi 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 an ssdi disability hearing in the first place.
And even unrepresented claimants in Oregon who win their 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 an ssdi 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 Oregon 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 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.
Social Security Disability SSI disability benefit Info
