This information may help social security disability claimants with representation, as well as claimants who are not represented by a disability attorney or non attorney representative. Understanding how the social security disability system works can make the difference between winning or not winning the ssd or ssi benefits to which a person is entitled. |
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Yes, even at the initial claim and reconsideration levels, a disability representative, attorney or otherwise, can often improve the chances of winning your ssd or ssi case. Most representatives will file all of a claimant's appeal paperwork, ensure that deadlines are not missed, and provide medical record updates to the social security office, or directly to the DDS examiner who has been assigned to review the case.
However, this will nearly always be true if your case is heard by an Administrative Law Judge. And most social security disability claims will have to be heard by a judge in order to be approved. The basic rule is: unless the ssd or ssi case is approved at the initial application level, it will have to go through the entire appeals process, up to the point where a disability hearing before an ALJ is held. Why does having representation help? Because the regulations that govern the Social Security Administration's disability program are complex enough that the average person will simply not know how to prepare their social security disability properly case for a hearing. Case preparation for a social security hearing involves getting medical record updates, attempting to get very detailed statements from physicians, and sending copies of such evidence to the disability judge handling the case. It also involves getting a hard copy of a claimant's social security file (which is sometimes 3 inches thick) so the prior medical records examined by the DDS (Disability Determination Services) examiner can be reviewed. Of course, there are many other things that transpire to prepare a social security claim for disability. But, in any event, the best advice is this : if a hearing is the next step on your case, make sure you have a Representative, either an attorney who specializes in ssd and ssi claims, or a skilled non attorney representative (many of whom are former DDS examiners and social security claims representatives. Disability Advocates Help with Claims Free Case Evaluation The following pages relate, in various aspects, to disability lawyers and may provide some helpful information regarding attorney representation: Tips for working with a social security disability attorney Social security lawyers - questions and answers about representation and disability attorneys More Information about disability lawyers and attorneys |
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SOCIAL SECURITY LAWYER - SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY LAWYER REFERRAL ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 1 ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 2 |
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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. |
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