It is true to say that an applicant for Social Security disability is free to pursue his or her claim at all levels of the approval process. The Social Security Administration neither states nor intimates that a claimant must be represented, even when the case reaches the point of a hearing in the presence of an Administrative Law Judge.
Only a small percentage of claims are approved on the first submission, the greatest majority of applications are denied. The first step in the appeals process is to simply ask that your application be reconsidered. As long as you make this request within the appeal period which is 60 days. The big problem is; many applicants miss the deadline for the appeal. If the applicant can show the Administration that there was a very good reason for this; perhaps there was a medical emergency or maybe the recipient didn’t get the notice of denial at all then the request for reconsideration is usually accepted. However, this is no valid reason for missing the deadline the applicant will be forced to start the process all over again.
The main reason for having a disability lawyer:
Assuming your application for reconsideration was also denied, and in about three quarters of the time it will be, this is when you should have a lawyer. The next stage is a hearing in the presence of an Administrative Law Judge; this is the first and perhaps only time when you will be able to present substantiating evidence to support your claim. As the system is terribly backlogged you might not get an opportunity to attend this hearing for well over a year.
Maintaining your case after the request for hearing:
Although it may take a considerable amount of time to get to the hearing that does not mean that the case grinds to a halt, it does not. While you are waiting for your hearing to be scheduled your disability lawyers in Burlington will monitor the status of the claim and ensure that any and all correspondence to and from the Administration is attended to. As the hearing date gets closer your lawyer will receive an exhibit list from the SSA, this is a list of everything that is currently on file that can be used during the hearing.
At this stage you can expect your disability lawyers in Burlington to gather current information that supports your condition; one-year-old reports and medical results will do little to support your current condition.
When applying for Social Security disability benefits the chances of success are far greater when you are represented by seasoned disability lawyers in Burlington. You are invited to discuss your claim with the Law Office of Elizabeth A. Patterson.
