What is the Benefit of Hiring a Disability Representative?

The chances of winning a disability claim are vastly improved with the assistance of a qualified disability representative who understands Social Security law. The Social Security Disability process is not straightforward. The rules involved are often convoluted and complicated and it is critical to have a representative in one’s corner who thoroughly knows the process and can act as an advocate for the individual.

Moreover, most individuals who apply for disability are not in a position to pay a lawyer or qualified representative up front. Social Security understands this and has created a system where the representative does not get paid unless the applicant wins their case. It is free to obtain representation and the applicant never has to pay any money out of pocket. The representative is only paid if the case is WON and Social Security owes the applicant past due benefits, meaning payment back to the date they determine the applicant is eligible. By the time an individual wins their case, there can be months to years of backpay owed. The representative is then paid a one-time, lump sum percentage of the backpay amount.

What Jenny specifically does for her clients is multifaceted and invaluable to the process. The beginning stages of the disability process can be daunting due to a large amount of paperwork that Social Security requests at the outset. Jenny understands that this can be overwhelming to navigate on one’s own. She helps her clients weed through the various forms and further assists by gathering and submitting all relevant paperwork to Social Security. Once Jenny is retained, she handles all communication between Social Security and the client. Receiving calls from Social Security can be stressful; however, when that person has a representative, the applicant never has to talk to Social Security directly.

Jenny builds the individual’s case by gathering evidence, thoroughly reviewing the medical records, reaching out to supportive medical providers for their professional opinions, and building a theory of the case that she presents to the disability evaluator(s). She knows Social Security law and what it takes to build a winning case.

An unfortunate reality in this process is that Social Security denies more than 66% of applicants in the first couple of stages: Initial Application and Request for Reconsideration. If an individual is denied at the Initial Application level, an appeal is filed requesting that Social Security reconsider their unfavorable determination; that next stage is called “Request for Reconsideration.” Again, the majority of folks are denied at this stage as well, despite strong and supportive evidence. If denied at the Request for Reconsideration level, an appeal is filed asking Social Security for a Disability Hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge. If going to a hearing is necessary, having a knowledgeable representative is absolutely critical at this stage. Jenny will present the facts of the case to the Administrative Law Judge and focus on how the evidence supports a finding of disability under Social Security’s regulations.

Outside of working on the individual’s disability case, Jenny further assists her clients by working closely with social service agencies and nonprofits in an effort to gauge what other resources may exist while waiting for a decision.

Get in Touch

Again, it is free to obtain representation and no payment is collected directly from the applicant. Don’t go through this process alone. Take the next step and reach out to Jenny for a free consultation.