Your odds of winning at a disability hearing before a judge are about 50%. If you have a lawyer with you, however, your odds increase to 62%, making your claim statistically more likely to be approved than be rejected. Disability Determination Services Could Be Blocking Your Claim
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Mar 15, 2016 · Nothing guarantees you will get disability benefits, but if you have been injured, working with a Social Security disability attorney can significantly improve your chances of securing the benefits you qualify for. An experienced Social Security disability lawyer can strengthen your chances in a few ways: 1. By Understanding the Law.
An attorney can take care of many of these details for you. Your attorney knows what to say to strengthen your case and can be a powerful voice for you. Sometimes seemingly minor pieces of evidence or innocuous statements mean the difference between a successful disability benefits claim and a denial.
SSI benefits provide cash to meet basic needs like food, clothing and housing. You can earn up to $750 a month on SSI benefits as an individual and up to $1,125 as a couple, but funds will be subtracted from your benefits if they meet the SSI definition of income.
There are some key differences in SSI benefits: 1 SSI benefits are paid out of general tax revenue and not out of Social Security taxes. 2 SSI benefits are designed to help individuals with a disability who have limited or no income and who have no assets above a certain level. 3 To be considered disabled for SSI benefits, you must meet the same conditions as SSDI benefits — you have not been able to work for the last 12 months or will be unable to work for the next 12 months or longer. 4 SSI benefits provide cash to meet basic needs like food, clothing and housing. 5 You can earn up to $750 a month on SSI benefits as an individual and up to $1,125 as a couple, but funds will be subtracted from your benefits if they meet the SSI definition of income. So if you were earning $200 a month in income as an individual, that amount would be subtracted from the $750 benefit total, and you would receive $550 in SSI benefits. 6 If you are eligible for SSI benefits, you may also be eligible for SSDI benefits. If you think you qualify for both benefits, this is an ideal situation where an attorney can help you determine how to proceed.
An attorney understands your rights and knows how to persuasively argue for the benefits you deserve after your injury. They can cite the exact rules and laws which may be relevant to your case.
Many applications for SSDI benefits or SSI benefits are denied because they do not have enough medical evidence to prove your disability claim. One of the main jobs of your attorney while preparing for the hearing with the ALJ is to gather all this necessary documentation.
There are some key differences in SSI benefits: SSI benefits are paid out of general tax revenue and not out of Social Security taxes. SSI benefits are designed to help individuals with a disability who have limited or no income and who have no assets above a certain level.
You need to prove that your disability or your illness has prevented you from working for either the past 12 months or will prevent you from working for 12 months or longer .
SSD hearings are decided by an administrative law judge (ALJ), not a jury. The hearing is less formal than traditional court proceedings, but you should treat it just as seriously.
Don’t provide more information than necessary. It goes without saying that when the ALJ (or the attorneys) asks a question, you must answer honestly. But when it comes to testifying, the adage “less is more” applies. Often a person’s nerves get the better of them and they begin rambling when answering questions.
If you’ve visited the doctor since you first filed your application, had more tests performed, undergone one or more treatments or procedures, been prescribed one or more medications – even if these treatments failed – make sure to submit those records to the hearing office at least 5 days before the hearing.
Although the current average wait time for an administrative hearing in Chicago is 14.9 months, it can sometimes take up to two years before a hearing is scheduled. After waiting this long, you’ll want to do everything possible to increase the chance that your application is approved.