How an SSDI Benefits Attorney Can Help You Fight For Your Rights
Going through the SSDI benefits process can be a rather difficult undertaking, especially for those that are truly disabled and unable to work. Overall, dealing with the Social Security Administration (“SSA”), whether to initially apply for benefits or appeal the denial of your claim, can often be difficult, time consuming and require quite a bit of inquiry into your medical history, employment and other personal aspects of your life. That is why you should highly consider working with an attorney experienced in representing people during each stage of the process. While having an attorney does not guarantee a certain result, the knowledge, experience and value that they can add to your case can often mean getting you the benefits that you dese
As every SSDI attorney knows, the fastest way to get approved is through your initial application. Specifically, they know the ins and outs of the application process, and also, what the SSA looks for in rendering a benefits eligibility decision. They can further assist you at the application level, as follows:
- Filling out your application so that it sufficiently establishes that you are truly incapable or working or, qualify under one of the SSA’s enumerated medical condition listings;
- Gathering and reviewing evidence necessary to substantiate the medical disability that you claim to have;
- Working with your treating physicians so that they properly document your condition and also, provide the information necessary for the SSA to approve your claim (i.e. the SSA often looks for specific medical terms when reviewing SSDI applications. An SSDI attorney can apprise your doctors of the requisite terminology to help support your claim); and
- Inform the SSA in the event that you are suffering from a terminal condition, which can potentially make you eligible for an expedited decision of your case.
In the event that your original application is denied, an attorney can also help you get an “on the record”, or OTR, decision in your case, which is the next quickest way to get benefits. They can also:
- Draft a brief, pursuant to the SSA’s specific set of requirements, that presents all arguments in support of why you should receive SSDI benefits;
- Gather new evidence by working with your physicians to obtain additional information necessary to answer all of the SSA’s questions regarding your medical condition;
- Put together a proposed decision and submit it to the presiding Administrative Law Judge, which ends up saving them the hassle of drafting a decision, which can sometimes take quite a bit of time to complete; and
- Consult with the Attorney Adjudicator assigned to your case in order to discuss the merits of your benefits application and also, to negotiate when you can start receiving SSDI.
In the event that the SSA denies your OTR decision, your case with then be set for hearing. If you happen to be financially strapped due to your disability, an SSDI attorney can draft a letter to the SSA indicating that you are in dire need of benefits. This may result in having your hearing date expedited. In any case however, an SSDI attorney can assist you at hearing level in the following ways:
- Prepare you to anticipate the questions that the SSA may ask of you as well as to properly inform the agency as to the specifics of your medical condition and why you can’t work;
- Assist you in choosing and preparing witnesses to help support your claim; and
- Make sure that you know what to expect every step of the way.
Whatever the situation, we at the Sanger Law Office can review your application for SSDI benefits prior to submission, assist you in submitting a request for reconsideration of a denial, or represent you in a formal appeal of your denial of SSDI benefits. Ms. Sanger provides thorough analysis of her clients’ medical records and zealous advocacy to assist her clients in obtaining the benefits they need to care for themselves and their families. The Sanger Law Office is centrally located in Lawrence, KS and represents those denied social security disability benefits in Kansas and Missouri. If you have been denied SSDI disability benefits or have some questions about your rights to receive SSDI, you should contact Danielle Sanger today for a free consultation at 785-979-4353. The Sanger Law Office looks forward to helping you get the benefits that you so rightfully deserve.