An attorney representative will help you win your case. A study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office showed that people who had an attorney representing them were three times more likely to win their case than people who did not. The Social Security Disability appeals process can be long and complicated. When dealing with these appeals, it is helpful to be represented by an attorney, and can in fact improve the odds of approval.
An individual applying for Social Security Disability benefits has a condition that prevents them from full-time work. Oftentimes, a legitimate claim for disability benefits will be denied, and it will take a subsequent appeal before the case is approved.
Though the approval statistics vary by state, nationwide, a majority of all disability claims are denied at the first application stage of the process. If your case is denied at the application, you can file the first appeal, called the request for reconsideration. At this first appeal stage, more than three-quarters of claims are denied. If your case is denied again, you can file a second appeal, called the request for a hearing. At the hearing level, you will have the opportunity to present your case to an Administrative Law Judge. At the hearing level stage, there is a higher approval rate. At this stage of the case, a majority of cases are approved.
An attorney can review your medical record, collect all missing records, and submit them to the Social Security Administration. The representative is familiar with SSA’s rules and procedures and will be your advocate and explain to SSA why you are disabled. If your case reaches the hearing level, attorneys have experience appearing before judges and will prepare you and advocate for you at the hearing before the administrative law judge. The representative will be there to explain all relevant issues in your case and keep you informed at each step of the process.
At the LaPorte Law firm, we solely specialize in Social Security disability cases and know the Social Security system inside and out. We have experience representing thousands of people at all stages of the Social Security disability process. If you’d like to talk through your case with one of our attorneys, please give us a call for your free consultation.
