Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer

Stories, Word Pictures and Your Social Security Disability Case

Dirk May Help, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income

You should do anything legitimate you can to help your Social Security Disability case.

Because it is very tough to win these days.

Disability Judges work under heightened scrutiny and there are large number of cases coming before them.

You must stand out in some way.

Remember, Judges are human.

Making your situation pop, believable, understandable and deserving of compassion is vital.

Beyond making sure that you tell your doctor your major problems and limitations, you must tell a good story at the hearing.

Stories have stood out over the centuries. Great truths are wrapped in the stories that Homer, Jesus, and Shakespeare told and stick in our minds.

It is not enough to explain that you have chest pain. It is more memorable to testify that when you start cleaning the kitchen you have to rest after a couple minutes because of chest pain.

It is not enough to testify that you cannot stand or walk for very long. You should be able to tell the Judge that after you walk around the block your arthritis kicks in with shooting pain and you need to sit down and rest for 10 to 20 minutes.

Judges often equate daily activities with being able to work full time.

You must paint the picture of your day and how you are off task for over 20 percent of the day due to pain and why you need to miss more than 2 days per month.

It is important to do more than show up for your hearing.

Questions about the best way to tell your story? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.

Top Tips for Social Security Disability

Dirk May Help, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income

Social Security Disability cases are getting harder and harder to win.

Because of this you must do everything possible to make sure that your case is as strong as it can be.

The key to almost any Social Security Disability case is your medical treatment and medical records.

You must prove that you have limitations that keep you from working any job in most cases, and when you are over age 50 you have to prove you cannot do past work and are limited to at best to a sit down job.

As a result, it is very important that you tell your doctors about your serious problems and how they limit you around the house because you want this to show up in your medical records when the Administrative Law Judge reviews them.

For instance, you should explain any problems you have with walking, standing, lifting and sitting. Such as, I can only walk 1 block because of the arthritis in my legs.

Other areas to focus on are the need to elevate your legs because of swelling and pain. Problems with focus and concentration because of chronic pain or depression. Problems reaching, handling, fingering and gripping because of numbness, tingling, pain in the hands or arms.

Information like this in your medical records supports your testimony at the disability hearing and is crucial to winning your case.

Question about your case? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.

Work Comp and Social Security Disability- Can You Get Both?

Dirk May Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Illinois Work Comp Attorney, Illinois Work Comp Lawyer, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Workers Compensation

There are times when you may be able to file for Illinois Workers’ Compensation and apply for Social Security Disability at the same time.

With most work injuries you are able to get your medical treatment, get back to work, and get your settlement.

And sometimes the condition that prevents you from working has nothing to do with a work injury.

However, in some cases you suffer a work injury and are unable to return to your past work or any other type of work.

When this happens you have the option of filing for Workers’ Compensation and applying for Social Security Disability.

You must be careful that when you reach a settlement for your Workers’ Compensation claim that you include language to protect yourself to the fullest extent possible regarding Social Security’s offset against Work Comp payments and future medical needs. You should contact an experienced Workers’ Compensation lawyer to make sure that this is done correctly.

Filing a Workers’ Compensation claim must be done in a particular way. This should also be reviewed by an experienced Illinois Work Comp attorney.

You may file a Social Security Disability application online. It is recommended that you ask an experienced Illinois Social Security Disability lawyer to help file the application. You must be careful in the way you complete the disability application and when you answer questions Social Security asks you regarding your condition and your past work.

When you have a serious injury that is keeping you from working make sure that have an experienced lawyer help you with both applications.

Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney and Work Comp Lawyer Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371 to discuss these important matters.

Social Security Disability and the Application Process

Dirk May Help, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, Your questions

Social Security Disability is not a well known or easily understood process.

Not many people understand it because the government does not advertise that the benefits are available and some of the Social Security employees are not extremely helpful.

You can walk into a local Social Security office and apply for benefits or call and schedule a telephone appointment.

However, Social Security prefers you to file your disability application online.

You do this through the Social Security website.

The website is not easy to use and it is difficult to understand why certain questions are being asked and how the answers may fit in to deciding whether you found disabled or not.

The process is also very long.

In Central Illinois it is taking up to 6 months for Social Security to review your initial application.

If you are denied at the initial stage you must appeal if you want to move on. The second stage may also take up to 6 months.

If you are denied at the second stage, then you must appeal again to have a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.

It is taking approximately 12 months to get the hearing before a Judge in Illinois.

It is a frustrating and mysterious process to go through without someone to help you.

An experienced Social Security Attorney can help you from start to finish, including filing the application, helping you answer the written questions Social Security sends to you, and helping you prepare to answer the Judge’s questions.

Need help? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability lawyer Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.

When Should You Get a Lawyer for Your Disability Case?

Dirk May Help, Illinois, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income

You can hire a lawyer to help you in getting Social Security Disability at any stage of your case.

However, the earlier you get a lawyer the more help they can be in shaping your case toward a winning result.

For instance, I like to meet with a client right away and help them file the application for Social Security Disability online.

Then we can make sure all the relevant medical records, medications, treatments and work history are reported to Social Security.

Once an application is filed with Social Security, you will receive a series of questionnaires.

A lawyer can help you explain in response to the questions the major problems you have and how they limit your daily activities. It is also crucial to describe the relevant aspects of your past work.

Social Security will send you to see some of their doctors. You need to understand why they are doing this and what they are looking for.

You and your lawyer will also need to work together to file timely appeals to any denials you receive.

When you are scheduled for a disability hearing you need to prepare your case and be ready for the questions the Judge will ask you and the vocational expert.

You also need to understand what you have to prove to win your case.

The good thing about using a lawyer in a Social Security Disability case is that the lawyer only gets paid if you win your case.

The lawyer is limited to a fee of 25% of the back benefits with a cap of $6,000. Since benefits during your lifetime may amount to over several hundred of thousands of dollars this is a small price to pay to win your case.

Questions about your case? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.