Hiring a Disability Lawyer or Representative

It is best to hire a Disability Lawyer at the beginning of the application process to assure your application is getting the attention it requires; however, it is not uncommon to obtain representation after attempting to apply on your own. You can hire a Disability Lawyer at any phase of the process to help ensure you are awarded benefits.  However, the sooner you hire a lawyer, the easier the process becomes as it could take several months to gather all the medical documentation that is required to prevail on a claim.

Should You Hire a Social Security Disability Lawyer or Go It Alone?
Statistically, the vast majority of Social Security Disability (SSDI/SSD) and SSI claims are denied after the initial application, and this typically happens regardless of whether or not a claimant is represented by an attorney.

For this reason, most SSD and SSI claims will need to go to a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ) before a claimant can hope to receive disability benefits. It is at the level of an ALJ hearing that having a disability attorney, can really help win a claim. While a disability attorney cannot guarantee that a claimant will be awarded Social Security Disability or SSI benefits, a Social Security lawyer can guarantee that a case will be properly “developed” prior to a hearing date.