Social Security Disability Claim Attorneys
We Know What It Takes to Succeed
A huge bureaucracy with more than 60,000 employees nationwide and annual expenditures that account for more than 20 percent of the federal government’s total budget, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is in charge of administering the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
On its own, the SSA has done much to try to simplify the disability claims process. Lawyers are not required. Initial applications can be completed online or by phone. At the same time, the SSA is what it is — a gigantic-sized arm of the government where rules abound and where clear, helpful answers for single individuals are always in short supply.
At Ross, Quinn and Ploppert, we understand “The System” the SSA has established for disability claims and have developed our own methodical and very thorough system to help individuals avoid mistakes and navigate the disability claims process successfully.
Experienced Legal Help at a Cost You Can Afford
Although you don’t have to have an attorney to make an SSD or SSI claim, it does help to have one. A lawyer can help you avoid potential pitfalls when filling out your application and help you maximize your benefits. Additionally, attorney fees are limited to $6,000 or 25 percent of the benefits that have accrued since you filed your application … whichever is less.
Denied? Don’t Give Up
Most initial claims for disability benefits are denied. Unfortunately, many people with very real disabilities but no legal representation misinterpret that initial denial to mean that they are not eligible for benefits. This is not true. Appeals just add another step or two to the process.
Making a Strong Case
Disability claims depend on medical documentation. That said, the SSA has very specific definitions for most types of impairments and very specific preferences for the type of documentation it wants. When individuals submit medical records, physician notes and other medical evidence that doesn’t meet its standards almost to the letter, the SSA denies the claims. Our lawyers know what they look for and can help your doctor understand what that means.
How Our Office Will Help You Get Social Security
Our office staffs professionally trained attorneys and paralegals who will work tirelessly to make sure the judge has all of evidence needed to make the correct decision. Our office spends the months leading up to your hearing working with you and your doctor to make sure that the judge will be able to see exactly why you cannot work. Beyond just collecting medical records, our office creates personalized questionnaires for your doctors to complete and uses advanced legal techniques to question your doctor on exactly what limitations you have.
While only your doctor can explain exactly how your medical conditions effect your ability to do certain things, our attorneys are trained to show judges exactly how these limitations create an inability to work.
Personalized Plan
Our attorneys will take all of the medical evidence and create a specialized and personalized case theory for your specific case. No two cases are exactly alike, and that is why we treat no two cases exactly alike. Unlike many other law firms, who have generic questions and arguments that they will use in every hearing, our office makes a personalized case strategy for every hearing we go to. Our case strategy is worked on by attorneys and paralegals, and ties together medical evidence, work history, and your explanations of why you cannot work.
We Only Send Professionally Trained Attorneys to Hearings
The Social Security Act allows for certain non-attorney representatives to represent Claimants in Social Security Disability hearings, and it also allows for these non-attorney representatives to charge the same fee as attorneys. Many law firms have found that it is cheaper for them to send non-attorney representatives to Social Security Disability hearings. However, our office refuses to send anyone except professionally trained attorneys to your hearing.
If you want the best representation, you want someone who is professionally trained in both the law and litigation. While it may be less expensive for us to send non-attorney representatives for you, we are not looking for less expensive, we are looking for most effective.
Our attorneys handle SSD and SSI claims for people throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida. Call 800-488-4775 or contact us online to talk to an experienced and compassionate Social Security Disability claim attorney about your case.