Top Reasons to Hire a Social Security Disability Lawyer

The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) implements two programs that provide assistance to citizens with debilitating conditions who are consequently unable to work. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD) is mainly for workers who have worked and have been paying contributions to the SSA for the minimum number of years. Meanwhile, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), in collaboration with the applicant’s state government, provides payments to low-income earners.

These disability programs are designed to provide assistance to disabled workers. Despite those good intentions, many applicants find the disability claims process rather complicated and even get denied the benefits they deserve.

You may not find the need to hire a lawyer when filing a disability claim, but having an experienced lawyer handle your case can increase your chances of a successful claim or appeal. A great number of applicants fail to obtain compensation on their first try, which is why they resort to filing an appeal that ultimately decides the outcome of their request. Your social security disability attorney will assist you in not only filing your appeal but with the remaining stages of your claim, including a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge.

The most important element in the process is medical evidence, which includes your physician’s notes and objective evidence such as MRIs and X-rays. The evidence will serve as the basis for the questions formulated by the administrative law judge (ALJ). While you may opt to gather these details on your own, the social security disability lawyer may obtain them more efficiently and determine the documents that require updating in greater detail and precision.

Once the necessary records have been acquired, your lawyer will proceed to check for potential issues or errors that may undermine your claim. If additional evidence is needed, the doctor who treated you may be asked to provide a testimony about your medical condition. A psychological or physical exam may also be requested from the SSA if the attorney deems your medical history insufficient to support the case.

The ALJ will initiate the hearing itself, and will question a Vocational Expert (VE) about your capacity to work based on the documents submitted. The knowledge and experience of a disability attorney, like someone from Jan Dils Attorneys at Law, will come in handy during the VE’s cross-examination, particularly when the observations of the VE deserve to be challenged.

Sources:

Social Security Disability Benefits, Nolo.com

Do You Need an Attorney to Appeal a Social Security Disability Denial?, Disabilitysecrets.com