Social Security Disability

Claimants who have legal representation are typically more likely to get their claims approved than those who do not. A disability attorney will also deal with the representatives from the Social Security Administration (SSA) on your behalf, allowing you to focus on your medical treatments. An attorney can also explore options to give your claim the best chance of success, including:

• Identifying all injuries. Disability applicants will often make a claim for one single injury when they suffer from many separate conditions. Claimants may apply for benefits for a physical impairment, but neglect to seek benefits for anxiety or depression, while others downplay the seriousness of their disabilities because they have made so many allowances to cope with the strain. We can help you seek proper payment for all of your disabling conditions and clearly demonstrate your inability to work.
• Gathering medical records. Disability claims rely on hard medical evidence for approval or denial. We can track down all of your paperwork dating back to the onset of your injury, including work incident reports and hospital records. We can even speak with your doctors if they have been unsupportive to your claim, and ask for a second opinion on your work limitations, pain management, and mobility.
• Examining your work history. Some people attempt to work while they are waiting to receive their Social Security disability benefits. This can hurt your claim, even if you are working part time. However, claimants who require special accommodations to perform their jobs, have to leave often due to pain, fatigue, or doctor’s appointments, or who are earning far less than they did before they were disabled are still eligible for benefits.
• Making the appeal deadline. Once a claim has been denied, a claimant has only 60 days to request a disability hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ). Once this deadline passes, the claimant will have to begin the disability process over from the beginning. Our firm can examine whether you had good cause for missing the deadline, file the request for a hearing on your behalf, and represent you at the hearing in front of the ALJ to make your case.

Approval for your Social Security disability claim does not just grant you the benefits you need, it is also essential to securing other forms of financial support. Filing for these benefits may be the most important thing you do for your future, so you should seek an attorney’s help no matter where you are in the process. For your convenience, Rodney Shepherd is available via email, phone, or in person—whatever works best for you. Simply fill out our convenient online contact form to set up your free consultation.