How is My Social Security Disability Case Decided?


Or does any of this make sense?

It helps to know what the Social Security Judge is thinking when deciding your case.

If you are under 50 years of age, the Social Security rules say that if you can perform any work full time, then you are not disabled.

This is a pretty high standard for you to meet. There is usually some type of sit down job that a vocational expert or judge may think you can perform.

You have to convince the Administrative Law Judge that you cannot perform any job.

If you are 50 years of age or over you may be found disabled even though you can still perform certain jobs.

For instance, if you can only work a sit down job then you can still be found disabled. This is general statement because depending on your past relevant work and transferable skills you may be found not disabled.

As you can see it gets complicated. As are the arguments you must make.

Questions about your Social Security Disability case? Feel free to call Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney at 309-827-4371.

What will Happen to My Case Under the New Work Comp Law?


Great Question, for injured workers.

The most important result of the changes will be the perception of value.

What I mean is that Workers Compensation Insurance Companies believe the settlement value of cases should drop.

Work Comp companies will most likely make low settlement offers now.

This is because the new Illinois Work Comp law gives more power to the Employer, and many of the complaints have been about the cost of Workers’ Compensation cases.

This will mean that many injured workers will have to hire a lawyer to increase the value of their case.

The new Workmans Compensation law is more complicated and it will be more difficult to prove you have a permanent injury.

Questions about your work injury and what you need to do to protect yourself? Feel free to call Illinois Work Comp Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

Back Injury Settlements


Here are some tips for negotiating Work Comp back injury settlements.

Restrictions are important. Do you have weight restrictions? Did you have to change jobs as a result?
This makes your case more valuable.

Did you have surgery? What kind? Fusion? Disc repair? The more complicated, the more the value increases.

Do you have future surgery needs? This shows that your impairment will get worse.

Do you have future medication needs?

Did you herniate your disc?

Do you have radicular pain running down the leg? Does it affect standing and walking?

The more impairments you can show the better the settlement value.

Questions about your Work Comp case? Feel free to call Illinois Work Comp Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

What if You Lose Your Social Security Disability Case?


I know you do not want to think about losing your Social Security Disability case.

But it does happen. Only about 60 percent of the cases at the hearing level result in approvals.

If you do lose you have the option to appeal.

The appeal goes to the Appeals Council in Virginia.

The appeal is a paper appeal. You write an argument explaining why you think the Administrative Law Judge was wrong.

It takes anywhere from 2 to 12 months to get a response.

You can reapply while the appeal is pending.

You should do both. The reapplication usually takes less time than the original case because the case has already been worked up.

You may win on the new application while you wait for the appeal.

You must not give up. Keep trying. Social Security Disability is about medical treatment and persistence.

Questions about your Social Security case? Feel free to call Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.