What Does a Social Security Disability Attorney Do?
If you are struggling to obtain Social Security Disability benefits, you may have considered hiring an SSD attorney to help you navigate the often-complex process. There are many good reasons to hire a Social Security Disability attorney after your initial application for disability benefits has been denied, but perhaps the most compelling reason is that those who are seeking SSD benefits are about twice as likely to receive benefits when they have an attorney looking out for their rights and their future. When the outcomes for those who hired an attorney at some point in the SSD process were compared to those who did not, about 60 percent of those with an attorney were approved for benefits, compared to about 34 percent of those who did not have an attorney.
While having an attorney is helpful at the initial application stage—and those with an attorney in this first stage are significantly (20 percent vs. 28 percent) more likely to have their initial application approved—it is in the appeals process where an attorney really becomes a necessity. Your SSD attorney can help you determine whether you properly meet all the financial and work-history requirements before you apply for disability benefits and can ensure you have all the medical evidence you will need. Since a significant number of initial applications are denied, it could be helpful to have an SSD attorney’s help with this stage as well.
Once an initial SSD application has been denied, the applicant can ask for reconsideration. While a few more applications are approved at the reconsideration stage, the number is fairly low, and most applicants will be forced to request an Administrative Law Judge Hearing. This is the step in the process with the greatest chance of success—an even greater chance when an SSD attorney is a part of the process. Almost three-fourths of those whose application was denied at the reconsideration phase requested an ALJ appeal hearing. Almost half of all those who were legally represented prevailed at the ALJ appeal hearing, compared to less than a quarter of those who attended the hearing without an attorney.
While this is quite a difference, it really should not be all that surprising. An experienced SSD attorney can help you gather all the required medical evidence, let you know when more evidence (or updated evidence) is necessary, thoroughly prepare you for the hearing questions you will face, and will know when a medical expert is necessary—and where to find that expert. Your Social Security Disability attorney will also be able to strengthen your case by carefully cross-examining the vocational expert.
Contact Carmichael Law Group
In the end, obtaining Social Security Disability benefits can be a long, exhausting process. It is important that you not give up if your original application is denied, and equally important that you find a highly knowledgeable SSD attorney to handle your appeal. The Carmichael Law Group can help you get through the SSD process with a much better chance of being approved for the disability benefits you are entitled to receive. Contact the Carmichael Law Group today.
