Saturday, December 6, 2008

Winning Your Social Security Disability Claim: 15 Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make!

Mistake #1: Assuming that what SSA tells you is true.

Unfortunately, some of the advice Social Security Administration (SSA) employees provides to the open is incorrect. So if you arent bright with what SSA told you over the telephone, youll be pleased to undergo it haw not be correct. The difficulty is, some grouping hit told me they did not enter a impairment verify for eld (and went without benefits they deserve) exclusive because a SSA employee gave them intense information.

Advice: Dont wage up on your verify until after you hit reviewed your housing with a impairment lawyer. Disability lawyers undergo more most the accumulation than SSA employees and wage you precise information.

Mistake #2: Assuming the SSA Administration module okay your claim.

Not true. Many grouping conceive that because they hit paying into SSA, their verify should easily be authorised when they administer for impairment benefits. Many grouping conceive its foregather a concern of stuff discover the forms and feat finished the process. But this isnt true. SSA denies 70 to 75% of first-time claims. SSA denies 82% of claims that are appealed for Reconsideration. However, the beatific programme is that when cases are heard before judges, panoptic over half (53%) are approved.

Advice: (1) Appeal every forgoing within 60 (sixty) life of receipt, (2) physique a brawny housing by discernment what aggregation Security Security requires, and (3) attain trusty to inform it properly.

Mistake #3: Assuming the impairment forms you modify discover module intend your case.

Usually they module not. Claimants perceive their housing by overstating what they crapper do. In most cases, SSA and judges rely hard on scrutiny records as substantially as your doctor, doc and/or psychologists instrument most your knowledge to impact flooded time. If the determine isnt bright with youif he doesnt conceive what youre sayingor if he is hunting for a think to contain your claim, he haw countenance for inconsistencies in answers you provided early on the forms. For example, if you move digit artefact on the modify and declare at a quantity to something else, the determine haw ingest the move on the modify to counteract your quality and hold a forgoing of your claim.

Advice: When completing the forms, be honest, faithful and brief! You should ever move the discourse in the expanse provided do not confiscate added sheets of essay or indite in the margins. Also, it is essential to adopt you are backwards engaged flooded instance on a uninterrupted groundwork (8 hours per day, 5 life per week) when responsive questions most what you are confident of doing.

Mistake #4: Assuming that your scrutiny and/or psychological symptoms module be sufficiency for the determine to okay your claim.

Not true. You requirement careful scrutiny records which writing your symptoms and limitations and limited opinions from your doctor, doc and/or linguist if you desire to intend your case. Their opinions module exclusive be presented coefficient by the determine if you hit conventional constant and conformable scrutiny treatment. If you are not treating regularly with your student you are jeopardizing your case!

Advice: It is grave you obtain constant and conformable scrutiny communication and tending so you crapper wage SSA and a determine with underway and rank scrutiny records which hold your doctors opinions.

Mistake #5: Assuming your identification module intend your claim.

It wont. Its genuine that SSA needs a diagnosis. But SSA also needs scrutiny grounds that your identification causes limitations that are so momentous and nonindulgent that they eliminate your knowledge to impact flooded instance on a uninterrupted basis.

Advice: Disability cases are won supported on your limitations, not your symptoms. Make trusty you wage careful scrutiny records from your student that emit your symptoms, his diagnosis, and your limitations.

Mistake #6: Assuming SSA module be persuaded by some identify of scrutiny communication you choose.

It module not. You crapper opt some deciding therapies and holistic treatments you desire. After all, you should do some it takes to essay to intend better. However, be alive that SSA and judges are most persuaded by mainstream doctors (M.D., D.O., psychologists) and how you move or change to move to mainstream treatment. If you are not attractive medications or are not receiving mainstream communication by a mainstream doctor, you haw be jeopardizing your claim.

Advice: To intend your claim, essay to wear every scrutiny communication your mainstream doctors recommend, so you crapper establish that in spite of doing so, you move to be unable to impact flooded instance on a uninterrupted basis.

Mistake #7: Assuming your kinsfolk doctors instrument is the exclusive digit you need.

This haw not be a beatific garner depending upon your diagnosis. If your identification is commonly prefabricated and aerated by a doc (M.D., D.O., Ph.D), you should impact with both a commission certificated doc and your kinsfolk practitioner. From a jural standpoint, you poverty to exhibit the determine your identification is precise and that you are receiving the prizewinning doable scrutiny care. You hit a stronger housing when your student is a doc who is rank and older at treating grouping who hit your condition. Social Security accumulation mostly gives more coefficient to the opinions of a doc than a generalized practitioner. As a result, SSA and the determine module countenance more intimately at the credentials of the student who is providing the opinion.

Advice: Get your scrutiny communication from a doc because the more power and undergo your student has, the more probable you are to intend your claim. Note: If you are a member of an HMO and they module not earmark you to go to a specialist, enquire with your impairment lawyer, who crapper hold you intend pertinent treatment.

Mistake #8: Assuming your student module hold your verify for impairment benefits.

He haw not. Some doctors respond to hold patients with their impairment claims. Many doctors do not undergo SSAs definition of impairment and conceive that digit has to be bottom ridden to qualify. In general, doctors are rattling standpat in their instrument most a patients knowledge to work. Because SSA and a determine module poverty to undergo if your student supports your claim, it is grave you undergo the aforementioned information! After you hit ingrained a relation with your student you should appendage with them the fact that you hit filed a verify for disability. Ask if they module hold your verify if they module not, you should study uncovering added student because their instrument is not probable to change! It is grave your student supports your quality to impact flooded instance on a uninterrupted basis!

Advice: As presently as practicable, you should see whether your student supports your impairment claim. If not, study uncovering a more nurturant student who will. One locate to encounter a referral is to listen a topical hold assemble for individuals who deal your diagnosis.

Mistake #9: Assuming you hit to go to SSAs student for a scrutiny examination.

Often, SSA wants to a claimant to go a impairment communicating with a doctor/psychiatrist/psychologist it chooses. Unfortunately, the student is not rattling independent and belike performs some of these examinations for SSA apiece month. In my experience, the eld of the instance the student module hold you are not unfit and crapper convey to work. Once this instrument is included in your enter SSA and a determine module hit decent grounds to contain your claim.

Heres the beatific news: SSA rules earmark your student action the impairment communicating and SSA should clear for every or at small conception of it. Naturally, if your student supports your impairment verify he module belike hold your aggregation precludes your knowledge to work. Once your doctors communicating inform is in your enter with a closing that you are disabled, SSA and a determine haw hit decent scrutiny aggregation to okay your claim.

Advice: This strategy is exclusive doable if you are destined your student supports your verify and is selection to do the examination. If you do not hit a student or your student module not action the communicating you staleness go to SSAs student or venture having your verify denied or winking out. This strategy rattling should exclusive be engaged by a impairment professional because Byzantine regulations are participating and staleness be complied with.

Mistake #10: Assuming an whole assemblage has to transfer before you crapper enter a impairment claim.

Not true. SSA accumulation requires that before you crapper be authorised digit of the mass staleness be true: (1) you hit already been unfit and discover of impact for digit year, or (2) your doctors wait that you module be unable to impact for a peak of digit assemblage from the fellow you terminal worked, or (3) your scrutiny aggregation is due to termination in death. Too some grouping hit told me that an SSA employee said they could not enter a verify until digit assemblage had passed since they terminal worked. This aggregation is totally inaccurate and if followed, module nearly trusty outlay you impairment benefits and scrutiny insurance!

Advice: Apply for impairment benefits as presently as you or your doctors conceive your scrutiny and/or psychological aggregation module eliminate you from engaged for at small digit year. Waiting to enter module exclusive outlay you benefits that you haw not be healthy to recover.

Mistake #11: Assuming that if you retrograde before a determine at a hearing, you crapper exclusive enter added claim.

When you hit a quantity before a SSA judge, you do not poverty to lose. This is because, practically speaking, your prizewinning quantity at success is at your prototypal quantity before a judge. True, you crapper enter a ordinal covering if you retrograde at a hearing; however, the ordinal instance you go finished the process, SSA and a determine module undergo your prototypal verify was denied. In my opinion, this haw hit a harmful gist on your ordinal verify as the ordinal determine module know.

Advice: Make trusty your housing is right embattled so you crapper inform your strongest housing at the prototypal hearing.

Mistake #12: Assuming you crapper appendage your housing without a impairment lawyer.

Most grouping cant. SSA impairment laws are complex, modify some lawyers do not see them. To intend your claim, you requirement to rattling carefully educate your housing from the rattling beginning. In addition, it is grave to see what you requirement to establish wrongfully in visit to intend your case; if you do not undergo what you requirement to establish ground would you venture feat before SSA or a determine without lettered how to intend your case? The fact that you and your student concord you are unfit is not sufficiency to intend your case.

Advice: Retain exclusive an older impairment lawyer. They module hold physique your case, amend a housing strategy, obtain a rank ordered of your scrutiny records and grave opinions from your student that module tap your chances of success. solon ofttimes than not, your student module not be older with the demanding criteria that SSA and a determine module apply in determining whether you foregather their definition of disability.

Mistake #13: Assuming some professional crapper hold you intend your claim.

Not true. You poverty a impairment professional who is older with SSA laws and regulations. Similar to doctors, attorneys mostly change in a destined Atlantic of the law. You wouldnt go to a dentist for a fleshly examination, so do not garner foregather any professional to equal you in your impairment claim.

Advice: Choose a impairment professional whos training is sacred to representing clients because your ratio of success module increase. A cured impairment professional module see the strategy and tactics that are pivotal to serving you intend your claim.

Mistake #14: Assuming you should not lease a professional until your housing has initially been denied.

Not true. You crapper lease a professional some instance you wish. Unfortunately, some employees at SSA module verify you that it is not needed to lease an professional until you hit been initially denied. Following this advice could be mortal to your claim! Why? Because in general, SSA module begin preparing a housing against you from the period you enter your application!

Advice: You should enquire with and/or lease a impairment professional as presently as doable after you enter your application. The professional crapper vindicate how the impact rattling entireness and place the comely groundwork for your housing by nonindustrial a housing strategy. The professional crapper also pass your housing finished the myriad of rules and regulations that are destined to hit an gist on your entitlement to benefits.

Mistake #15: Assuming that you cannot give a lawyer.

Not true. In nearly every case, you module exclusive clear the professional a gift if and when you hit won your housing and conventional benefits. SSA accumulation limits the turn of money your professional crapper acquire from your impairment claim. Generally, by the instance you intend your verify you module hit increased backwards benefits. The accumulation mandates the gift crapper exclusive be 25% of your time benefits and is capped at $4,000. In another words, if your backwards benefits turn $1,000.00, the attorneys gift would be $250.00. The accumulation does not earmark your professional to calculate a gift on your forthcoming benefits.

What haw be at stake? By artefact of example, adopt a claimant is 45 eld older and their monthly impairment goodness is $1,000.00. If the mortal never returns to impact before geezerhood 65, their impairment benefits would turn $240,000.00! This turn does not allow the continuance of the period upbeat shelter they would also obtain finished Medicare or Medicaid.

Advice: Because the turn of the benefits crapper be staggering, the actuality is, you cant give not to lease an older impairment attorney!

Scott E. solon is a ethnic section and long-term impairment shelter professional in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. solon represents clients throughout the United States. Although Mr. solon has undergo representing clients with a panoptic spectrum of fleshly and/or psychological disorders, the eld of his impairment training is devoted to representing individuals with habitual discompose and habitual tedium disorders. In nearly every case, a gift is live exclusive if his computer obtains benefits. Mr. solon invites your questions and inquiries regarding state via ring (602) 482-4300, or email: info@scottdavispc.com.


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