A disability attorney will communicate with the SSA on your behalf and ensure that all necessary information is submitted promptly. They will also ensure that irrelevant information isn’t submitted because it can aggravate ALJs during hearings.
Experienced disability attorneys know how to challenge vocational evidence offered by the jobs professional that ALJs pay to testify at hearings.
Expertise
Having a disability attorney on your side significantly increases your chances of being approved for Social Security disability benefits. They will communicate with the SSA on your behalf, keep track of correspondence, and file all necessary documents. They will also ensure that information and paperwork are filed correctly and on time.
They will know how your area’s ALJs (administrative law judges) operate and what evidence they prefer. This will help them build a strong case with the best chance of success if your application is rejected at the reconsideration and hearing levels. This will save you a lot of time and stress.
Experience
From the beginning to the end of your case, a lawyer for disability will use their experience and expertise to improve your chances of winning. They understand the SSA rules and regulations. They also know which arguments work best in a given case.
They will help you gather the proper medical evidence and documentation for your claim. They can also help you get better responses from your doctors when they are reluctant to provide the SSA with needed information.
If your application is denied at the initial or reconsideration level, a disability attorney will know how to ask the SSA’s Appeals Council for review. They can also coax the vocational expert to provide testimony supporting your disability claim.
Knowledge
A disability lawyer knows the Social Security Administration (SSA) and can help you gather the information the SSA needs to review your case. They also know how to work with medical experts.
They can help you determine exactly what evidence is critical for your case and how to get it quickly from your doctors. They can also help you avoid submitting irrelevant information.
They will also be familiar with the ALJs who hear disability hearings in your district and may know what information they like or don’t like. They can even motion to have your case heard by a different ALJ, improving your chances of winning.
Access to Medical Records
Your disability attorney can get access to your medical records, even without your consent, for purposes of gathering evidence. They can ask for detailed physician notes, surgical notes if applicable, the residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment that shows your limitations and restrictions, and more.
They also know the ALJs that hear disability appeals, so they can anticipate how they want to build your case and work with you on developing the evidence you need. They can also request that a different ALJ review your case if they think the current one has a bias against certain types of cases, such as mental health conditions like PTSD.
Time
A disability lawyer manages the legal complexities of your case from beginning to end. They will ensure that all paperwork is filed correctly, timely, and in the correct format.
A reasonable disability attorney can help you gather the medical evidence to prove your limitations. They can contact your treating doctors to get written statements and complete a residual functional capacity (RFC) evaluation, which will show how you are limited in the types of tasks that you can perform at work.
An experienced disability lawyer will also be familiar with the ALJs who handle disability hearings. They know their tendencies and preferences to build a strong case in your hearing.
Money
From the initial application to the reconsideration and hearing levels, disability attorneys work on a contingency basis, meaning you won’t pay them unless they win your case. If they do incur expenses, such as copying documents, they typically submit fee petitions to Social Security for reimbursement.
They know how to build a case that demonstrates your condition prevents you from working and meets the criteria for approval in Social Security’s Blue Book of impairments. They also know how to sift through evidence and ensure irrelevant information isn’t submitted. This is crucial because ALJs can become aggravated by the sheer volume of irrelevant medical records they have to review.
