It is important to know that a denied disability claim can still be submitted for reconsideration. If your application was denied and you plan on having a disability hearing, it is best to check out attorneys that help with disability. You will have higher chances of winning with lawyers who are more knowledgeable of the process – they will be able to give you guidance and advice.
Upon setting up an appointment with a disability lawyer, someone from his or her staff will conduct an interview to get facts for your case. This may be done initially by phone before you meet the lawyer. This is where you will notice the difference between ordinary lawyers from specialized ones. Disability attorneys will ask you more specific questions related to your application denial. They are aware of the kind of evidence that are significant to winning such cases, so they focus more on this. Upon getting all the information they need, they will discuss whether there is potential for your claim to be approved. You will be called for either an appointment or to notify that they will not be able to represent you.
When A Long Term Disability Lawyer Accepts Your Case
You will meet the lawyer personally for an initial discussion about what they think of your case. Disability lawyers will also provide you a general outline of what they plan to do or what kind of angle they want to emphasize in order to win the hearing. Once you give a sign of agreement, they will continue to discuss the disability attorney fees you will be paying for the entire case. More details can be discussed depending on your chosen representative. Once you both arrive at an agreement, binding documents will then be signed.
Moving forward, you will be discussing how to push the case at hand. Some of these might apply:
- Your lawyer will again conduct a more detailed interview of your situation. This discussion will usually take time and you will end up having a list of documents that you need to submit for his review. Make sure that you listen very carefully during the discussion and confirm the list you have with him after the meeting. As soon as possible, send him the copies of the documents he requested.
*Your medical record is the life of the case. According to law, you cannot add more medical evidence to the case apart from the ones you have submitted during your claim application. However, your lawyer can include supporting medical documents within the allowed legal forms. Part of the documents you signed upon hiring your local disability attorney is the medical privacy release. This is so you are assured that nothing in your documents will be used in any other purpose aside from winning your case. - Someone from the law firm will ask for a specific list of medical records to be submitted to the Social Security Administration before your hearing. These are pertinent records your lawyer believes will greatly affect the verdict on your case. Make sure to process and secure the documents immediately so as not to delay the submission.
Getting Ready for the Hearing
Most hearings take months in between from your submission of documents to the first meeting. Most lawyers won’t meet you anytime between this until a month or two of the scheduled hearing date. Most of the communication you will receive for documents will be from the law firm staff.
Meetings can be done by phone due to convenience, but you can request for a personal meeting. The goal of the discussion is to go through the details of the case and for the attorney for the disabled to walk you through the process. It is a good way to relieve you from unnecessary stress over worrying on what you need to do during the actual date.
If there are certain things the lawyer wants to clarify, he will speak with you on this during the meeting. In fact, if there are several, you might receive an earlier message to bring along some documents that will help in the clarification. Apart from this, you might also practice how to answer common hearing questions like:
- Describe the symptoms you feel.
- Are you currently working?
- Are you undergoing any treatment?
- What treatments have you tried?
- Are you in medication?
- What medication are you taking?
In order to get the best results, you must answer the questions as accurately and as detailed as possible. Treat this as an actual simulation of the events that might occur in court. There might be lawyers who are less keen on questioning you for the hearing and will only give you a general idea about it. If you want this approach better, see to it that you discuss this with your lawyer beforehand.
How Can I Find Disability Attorneys Near Me?
You can start by asking your acquaintances. They might have dealt with a lawyer or know some people who have had the same situation as you. If this does not produce candidates, try looking at published references in the locality. It is a good idea to get a local firm since the proximity cuts a lot of travel time.
A more modern way is to search for legitimate firms online, such as TSF Law. There will be several; you can easily determine their background by looking into disability lawyer reviews. To schedule a consultation, please call today at (905) 218-3668. There are also independent forums that host discussions on lawyers with specializations. You will find candidates in your area if you filter the search results to those in your town or province.
