Supplemental Security Income - Williams & Swee, Ltd.

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 November 13, 2014November 17, 2014

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.

The State of Social Security Disability

Dirk May Help, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, In the news, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income November 6, 2014

Trying to get Social Security Disability can be incredibly frustrating at times.

The tide is turning against people who have filed claims in the last few years.

From 1999 to 2003 disability applications ranged from 1.2 million to 1.8 million.

After 2004 disability applications shot up to over 2 million to a high of 2.9 million applications.

Awards on the applications dropped from 51 percent in 1999 to around 33 percent in 2013.

What all this means for people trying to get Social Security Disability is that it is getting harder and harder to win.

The people at Social Security office who are reviewing the applications are taking longer because there are more cases and not enough workers to keep up. So they do not have time to review cases as thoroughly. If you are denied make sure that you appeal because they may have missed something.

If you are denied and appeal, then you may ultimately end up in a hearing before an administrative law judge.

Approval ratings from judges have also dropped over the years.

Congress and the Media have been looking at the Social Security Disability program closely over the last few years and this has resulted in more cases being denied.

This makes it all the more important to be prepared to explain to the Judge why you cannot work.

This means telling the doctor at each visit your problems and how it bothers your activities of daily living such as sitting, standing, lifting and walking, and how it interferes with your concentration, or using your hands and arms.

You also need to be ready for the questions the Judge will ask you and know what to expect from the Vocational Consultant.

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