A Disability Associates

Information may not be reliable

If you have been or are going to be disabled for twelve (12) or more months, you may qualify for benefits from Social Security. It does not matter if your disability is the result of injury, illness, or a job-related accident covered by workers compensation.

The key is whether you can do a job according to the complex rules of the Social Security Administration. Many people do qualify under the rules. You can collect benefits from workers compensation, private insurance, and Social Security. There may be an offset for these benefits. To determine your disability, the government will consider your age, education, work experience, and y our medical conditions.

The process to obtain benefits may be long and complicated.

You must fill out an extensive application and submit it to the government. More than sixty percent (60%) of these applications are initially rejected...many because they are improperly completed.

If your application is denied, you may appeal. This first appeal is called a Reconsideration. You can respond to the government's objections in writing citing both medical and legal facts.

This is the first time in the entire process that you go before an impartial judge and tell your story. Until now, all of the decisions have been on a review of your file. Now, the Administrative Law Judge will see you and hear your evidence in person.
This is a very important part of the process. The judge is not part of Social Security. The judges work for a totally independent organization called the Office of Hearings and Appeals.
After hearing all the evidence, the judge makes a decision.
It is either in your favor or against you. If it is against you, you have the right to appeal to the Appeals Council.

This is the last administrative step before Federal Court. Here, the Appeals Council not only reviews your file, but also reviews your legal motions concerning the law of Social Security and the record made at the Hearing.
IS A LAWYER NEEDED?
A lawyer can represent you at any time during the process. Statistics show those represented by a lawyer are more successful than those without counsel. You should also know that more than sixty percent (60%) of applicants fail on the initial application. However, many of those cases can result in a favorable decision for the claimant when represented.
You should contact a lawyer as soon as possible. You may wish to go through some of the initial steps alone. However, remember that what you write on your initial application stays in your file and is reviewed at every step of the process.