Disability Attorney Questions and Answers

The benefits of hiring a disability lawyer are many, and worth covering in some detail. Additionally, it is necessary to consider at what stage of the process a lawyer ought to get involved.

Why Employ A Disability Attorney?

The most crucial reason to hire a lawyer to help with your disability case is that your chances of being approved are greatly increased. While it's certainly true that some people who apply on their own are approved for benefits, statistics show that, everything else being equal, Social Security is more inclined to approve an applicant who is represented by legal counsel than one who isn't.

From the preliminary application to the hearing level and beyond, disability attorneys like Kassin and Carrow understand how to present a case in the light most favorable to their clients. On the preliminary application, your lawyer can offer advice on your "alleged onset date" of disability, argue that your condition meets one of the listed impairments in Social Security's "blue book," and enable you to concentrate on the facts which will be most compelling to Social Security. At the reconsideration and hearing levels (the first and second level of appeal in many states like Missouri and Illinois), your attorney can accumulate and submit relevant medical evidence, obtain an opinion from your physician, draft a detailed brief to the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), and get you prepared for the judge's questions at the hearing. Your lawyer will also raise helpful testimony from you at the hearing and may cross examine the Vocational Expert or Medical Expert to demonstrate that you are not able to work.

At the next stages of appeal, the Appeals Council and federal court, your attorney can create sophisticated legal arguments to show that Social Security wrongly denied your case.

When Should I Contact an Attorney?

The general rule of thumb is "the sooner, the better." If you are even thinking about filing for disability, you should call a disability attorney like those at Kassin and Carrow for a consultation. The law offices of Kassin and Carrow in St. Louis, MO can help you evaluate the strength of your case and assist you with your initial application. While some people choose to navigate this stage without legal representation, you're more likely to get approved if you have a lawyer helping you.

If having an attorney to help with your preliminary application is a good idea, employing a lawyer after you've received an initial denial ought to be a no-brainer. Along with improving the likelihood of success, a disability attorney can sometimes move your case more quickly through the system, especially if your medical condition is terminal or your financial situation is especially dire (for example, you're homeless or your home is being foreclosed on). Furthermore, your Arnold, St. Charles, Union, or Farmington, MO lawyer can send the judge a request for an "on-the-record" (OTR) decision, which means that you can be approved for benefits without a hearing.

If you're in the St. Louis, Missouri area and would like to explore your options with Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance, get a hold of the law offices of Kassin and Carrow. They're disability attorneys with years of experience that may be used to benefit you and your case.