Social Security Disability Law: News and Facts

Some of the information that your lawyer needs won’t be found on the documents you provide. For example, your lawyer may ask you: -United States birth certificate (if applicable) -Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States -W-2s or self-employment tax returns for the most recent filing year -Medical evidence that you have in your possession, such as your medical records or test results -Workers’ compensation awards, if applicable -Your Social Security Card -For the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all of your doctors and other medical providers -How your medical condition affects your activities of daily living and ability to work -The date you became unable to work -About your education and work experience -Whether you’ve previously applied for Social Security benefits, Medicare, or Supplemental -Security Income -About your marital status -Whether you have dependent children or parents -If you’ve ever worked in a foreign country -I...

If you receive long-term disability insurance, your long-term disability insurance carrier will frequently make you apply for Social Security Disability. I frequently get calls asking about letters people have received from their insurance carriers threatening to cut off their benefits if they don’t apply for Social Security Disability. I  will explain how these policies typically work and what your rights are. In short, you should probably file for disability and you should definitely hire your own lawyer to help—not the insurance company’s “lawyer” or “advocate.” These “advocates” are disability mills and do not care about you, your family, or your case. They enter into contracts with insurance companies and do mass volume work. You won’t meet your “lawyer” until the day of the hearing and you’ll never speak to the same person twice (in fact, you’ll spend most of your time navigating phone menus and waiting “on hold”). When these companies lose your case, they’ll cut you loose an...

 Services your Social Security attorney can provide:  Social Security recognizes the need for individuals to have representation. In fact, they encourage you to seek a lawyer. Navigating the process and regulations of Social Security can be confusing to the lay person. Hiring an attorney will not only relieve a significant amount of stress,  but will also put you one step ahead of the disability process. Hiring an attorney doesn’t cost you anything out of pocket. The Social Security Administration regulates all fees an attorney is allowed to collect for disability claims. These fees are contingency-based, meaning your attorney will only get paid if they can secure your disability benefits. Deciding on an attorney to represent you in your Social Security Disability case is a scary proposition. You have to be able to trust someone to represent your interest. I think it is important to interview a few lawyers and find one that you are comfortable talking with. Discussing you...