Why should a person filing for SSD or SSI get a lawyer? People who are represented on disability claims in Virginia tend to have a higher rate of approval, a need for fewer appeals, and more favorable "dates of onset" (the date the disability is proven to have started) that lead to higher benefits.
An experienced disability attorney will have a knowledge of Social Security administrative law, particularly with regard to how claims are approved through the medical vocational grid rules and the Social Security listings. The listings are a collection of physical and mental impairments for which the approval criteria are clearly defined; not every impairment has a listing, however.
So, should you consider getting a disability lawyer if you live in Virginia and are filing for social security disability (SSD) or SSI benefits? Definitely, a disability attorney can make the process of filing for disability easier and more effective. A good disability lawyer will be of great help in gathering the medical records and other documentation necessary to prove the disabling nature of your medical condition (some doctors will respond quicker to a lawyer’s request for medical records than to a request made by a patient). A good disability lawyer will also be accomplished in the ability to obtain the most relevant case evidence, analyze it correctly, and incorporate it as part of a winning strategy for a claim.
If your initial application for disability is denied (state disability determination services agencies deny, on average, about seventy percent of all disability applications), your attorney will file an appeal of the disability examiner’s decision, or request for reconsideration, on your behalf within the designated 60-day time frame (if you miss this deadline you have to start over with a new claim).
However, most people don’t consider legal representation until their claim has been denied and a reconsideration appeal has failed as well. Many disability attorneys will not take on a case until all avenues of consideration within disability determination services have been exhausted, in part because they feel that their role is most useful at the final appeal, in which a disability claimant will appear at a hearing before an administrative law judge.
If you are filing for SSD or SSI in Virginia and your claim has been denied, you should strongly consider obtaining a disability lawyer to represent you at your hearing. Statistics are clearly state that people who are represented at their disability hearing are more likely to win their case than those who represent themselves.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition that affects your ability to work, you may be able to collect Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits to help cover the costs of treatment and lost wages. Norfolk Social Security lawyers at Kalfus & Nachman PC in Virginia know the laws surrounding this complicated subject and will work to help you in any way possible. For a free consultation, please fill out our online form or call (855) 880-8163 today.