Don’t Lose Your Appeal for SSD in Chicago By Being Unprepared

If you have gone through all the trouble of apply for SSD in Chicago or SSI in Illinois, you don’t want to have your claim denied because you weren’t well prepared. When your claim is denied, you must begin the lengthy appeals process. This happens to many applicants for SSD in Chicago and SSI in Illinois. You mustn’t be discouraged; now you need to have your wits about you.

The first step is requesting a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). This hearing is very important, and a significant number of applicants for SSD and SSI ruin their chances of success by not carefully preparing for this hearing. To improve your chances of being approved for SSD or SSI, you should take the following steps. Even though doing these things won’t guarantee success, it will give you a better chance of approval.

Documentation is everything. When you apply for SSD in Chicago and SSI in Illinois, you must be able to prove that you are disabled and eligible for benefits. Medical records, your entire medical history, dates of doctor’s visits, medication lists, increasing or diminishing disability…all these things are vital to your claims for SSD in Chicago and SSI in Illinois. Get support statements from your physicians testifying to your disability.

Most importantly, hire a disability attorney in Chicago who has experience with SSD cases. While it is possible to do the appeal on your own, it is not advisable. Administrative law is very complicated, and there are often any procedures that must be followed perfectly to ensure you get legal relief. Not hiring an attorney may cost you your SSD or SSI. You need an advocate to not only help you prepare your documentation, but to stand up for your right to receive disability compensation today.

Additions to the Fast-Track Approval Process Keeps Disability Attorneys Busy

Disability attorneys across the United States are gearing up for an additional workload in anticipation of taking on more clients seeking disability benefits. In July of 2011, the Commissioner for the Social Security Administration, Michael Astrue, released an announcement that 12 additional Compassionate Allowances conditions were added to the list. Many conditions that involve severe heart diseases once took months to qualify, are now placed on the expedited disability-processing list.

Typically, a disability attorney will use the list of Compassionate Allowances as a quick way to identify their client's disease/condition to see if their medical issue meets the standards for benefits. The Social Security Administration provides this extensive condition/disease list as a quick source for individuals seeking available disability benefits. Many of these conditions include specific cancers, rare childhood disorders, and adult brain disorders.

Expanded Fast-Track System

Disability attorneys have long had to deal with the slow application process, waiting many months for an approval or denial determination from the SSA. Now, with many more conditions listed on the fast track system, their clients can begin receiving benefits quicker.

Increased Approved Claims

With the Compassionate Allowances list firmly in place, the quick disability determination process is now finalizing and approving cases in less than two weeks. Already approving over 100,000 cases each year, the SSA knows it will be receiving many more applications due to the recent additions to the Compassionate Allowances list. The SSA is now gearing up for an annual addition of 50,000 more cases.

Constantly seeking ways to improve the system, the Social Security Administration held numerous public hearings that involved experts interested in expanding the condition/disease list. Disability attorneys were eager to hear all the ways the SSA is working to improve the disability benefit process.

Because of the SSA changes, disability attorneys can now quickly help their clients. Now that the SSA is willing to agree there are disabilities severe enough to quickly move to a resolution with the application process, many more deserving disabled workers can receive the benefits they need.

An SSA and DoD Collaboration Improves Disability Records File-Sharing

Knowledgeable Social Security lawyers are continually keeping up with improvements, changes and adjustments of benefit programs for the disabled. Recently, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) came together to cut through bureaucratic red tape. Their action simplified the application process to receive disability benefits for veterans, service members and dependents.

The two branches of the federal government had decided to simplify the application and benefits appropriation process. In the initial phase, processing sites that handle Social Security disability cases can now receive medical records directly from the military through a centralized Department of Defense site. This action is designed to significantly shorten the determination time to either approve or deny an application.

Minimizing the Delay

A pilot program was initiated in five states, and dozens of military treatment facilities, to improve the efficiency, accuracy and speed of the disability program. These states (Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado and Washington) can now access medical records electronically and have the results within three days. This is a significant improvement over traditional methods that returned information within five weeks.

The collaborative efforts of the DoD and SSA consolidated the medical records requests. All valuable information now comes from a central electronic repository that has complete access to DoD medical records.

Improving Efficiency

The results of this collaborative effort will assist social security disability lawyers in helping their clients quickly move through the application process. Other benefits include a more efficient record keeping, and a lessening of consultative examinations requested by the Social Security Administration.

This initial step in achieving a long-term goal of providing a fully automated solution to distributing medical information will dramatically help disabled veterans and their families. Social Security lawyers will now have quick access to all pertinent information concerning the service member or veteran's disability, to find a quick resolution for their client. This will result in the client receiving all the disability benefits he or she deserves.

How to Find the Best Social Security Disability Lawyer in Your Area

Finding the best Social Security disability lawyer is the ideal way to work your benefit application through the Social Security disability process. On average, it takes 1 to 2 years for an application to run through the entire process, and be approved or denied for benefits. Often times, the process is extremely complicated and confusing to the claimant. Because most applications are not approved, a denied claim can create excessive stress and anxiety on you. It often comes when you are unable to make ends meet, or do not have the ability to receive the medical treatments you require.

Locating Lawyers

A simple blueprint for locating the best Social Security disability lawyers involves asking any potential attorney if they have experience in representing a claimant suffering from your medical condition. Additionally, you can seek the advice from experienced organizations involved with attorneys. They will help you locate lawyers experienced in applying for disability benefits to the Social Security Administration.

Rate of Success

Every case is personalized and unique to the claimant. When discussing your case with a Social Security disability lawyer, you need to ask if they have the knowledge in gathering all the pertinent medical records and evidence needed to handle the application or appeal. Finally, you need to understand their success rate in handling cases just like yours, and the outcome of every case. Although even the best and most knowledgeable Social Security disability lawyers cannot win every case, you need to understand the rate of their success in dealing with Social Security disability benefits.

Following this simple blueprint should direct you to highly qualified Social Security disability lawyers in your area. Scheduling a one-on-one consultation with a qualified Social Security disability lawyer will help ensure you are selecting the best attorney available for you and your case. Turning the responsibilities of your claim over to your Social Security disability lawyer will remove the tension and anxiety you experience by dealing with the process on your own.

Your Social Security Disability Attorney Might Ask Your Friends to Lend a Hand with Your Claim

Your Social Security disability attorney will most likely ask for assistance from your family and friends to lend a supporting hand in providing evidence for your case. The Social Security Administration uses a Function Report – Adult – Third Party form that gathers information from individuals other than you that have evidence on your disability. The SSA wants information regarding the activities you perform in your daily life, along with any other additional supportive information.

Gathering Supporting Information
 
Your Social Security disability attorney will ask that your family and friends provide all the necessary supporting information that needs to be entered as evidence at your formal hearing. Specific individuals in your life will most likely have validating information on your limitations in living with your condition.

If you live with a spouse or parents, your Social Security disability attorney will secure vital information from any of those individuals that might have useful testimony. Their swore evidence might include your ability to care for yourself, clean or cook in your home, or take your prescribed medication. This information is important because someone directly involved with you in your home usually witnesses the limitations of your abilities and performing your daily activities.

Recently, the Ninth Circuit Federal Court reprimanded an Administrative Law Judge in their failing when limiting testimony from the complainant’s friends and family members. The Administrative Law Judge had felt there was a bias due to a communal relationship between the parties.

Valuable Supportive Evidence

Like the Ninth Circuit federal court rebuke, your Social Security disability attorney understands that the testimony of family and friends serves as a key to the process in determining your benefits. Though this testimony might be biased for your gain or benefit, it still provides additional necessary evidence to prove your inability to work.
You need to discuss with your Social Security attorney how any of your potential witnesses or representatives might help support your claim.

Two Distinctly Different Federally Funded Programs for the Disabled

Social Security lawyers can help disabled workers take advantage of government programs to cover their monthly financial obligations. These programs are designed to provide significant benefits, even though qualifying for disability can sometimes be an uphill battle. Disability benefits are available for workers that have been diagnosed with conditions or illnesses that make it impossible for them to perform the required duties of a job.

Social Security lawyers can assist qualified workers in determining which of the two separate SSA disability programs are best suited for their individual case. Both Social Security Administration programs for disability (SSDI and SSI) differ significantly in their economic eligibility factors.

Two Federally Funded Programs

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is an SSA benefit program structured on how much an individual has worked over the course of their lifetime. Alternatively, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is an economically challenged program for individuals living at, or below, the poverty level.

For any disabled individual seeking benefits through SSDI, he or she must qualify for the insurance by showing they have worked enough quarters in the past. The total number of employed quarters the worker has accumulated will help formulate the size of their monthly benefit. Recent verifiable employment of the disabled worker is part of the requirement for qualifying for SSDI.

To receive SSI benefits, poverty-stricken children, and adults under the age of 65, will need to meet the minimum disability criteria, or be legally blind. Their economic qualifications will be determined on their low income and limited assets. Individuals 65 years and above must meet the qualifying standards of limited assets and low income.

Experienced Social Security Lawyers

Any person suffering from obvious disabilities, and not so obvious, should use the services of experienced Social Security lawyers knowledgeable in disability law. A skilled attorney can provide assistance at every stage of the application, and the appeal, if the application is initially denied.

Your Social Security Disability Attorney Can Stop the Termination of Your Disability Benefits

Your Social Security Disability Attorney Can Stop the Termination of Your Disability Benefits Your Social Security disability attorney understands that many individuals receiving disability become highly concerned with the possibility of losing their benefits. The process of applying for benefits from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Program is long and complex. It can sometimes take a year or more for the initial application to be approved. Individuals that were initially denied have an even longer wait to receive the benefits they rightly deserve.

Defining Disability

Your Social Security attorney understands that there are conditions that can happen to terminate your SSDI benefits. To continue to be eligible, your medical condition must meet the definition of disability as defined by the SSA. Additionally, you must have been unable to work for at least a year or more, due to your disability.  Finally, the condition of your original acceptance was that you had previously worked in jobs that were covered by Social Security. Your Social Security disability attorney understands that keeping and receiving these SSDI benefits hinge upon the first two conditions.

Reasons for Review

If there is dramatic improvement in your medical condition, the SSA has the right to rule that, according to them, you are no longer disabled. Typically, this information is gathered during a Medical Continuing Disability Review. Anytime the SSA believes your medical condition will improve, they will schedule a review every three years, or seven years if they believe your issues will not improve. The findings of that review will help determine if you can continue to receive all of your disability benefits. Your Social Security disability attorney should be present in every review hearing to ensure you are fully represented and that your rights are protected.

It is imperative that you use the skillful knowledge of an experience Social Security disability attorney anytime you interact with the SSA, concerning legal matters on the approval or continuation of your disability benefits.