Having the right disability attorney on your side is crucial to the success of your Social Security disability benefits claim or appeal. It all comes down to whether your disability lawyer has experience winning the type of claim that you have. Remember, no two claims are alike. The Social Security Administration (SSA) apply different criteria for different medical conditions, and it would help immensely if your lawyer has prior experience in recovering benefits for disability applicants with conditions similar to yours.
Looking for a Social Security Disability Lawyer
You can shortlist lawyers by searching on Google, or visiting your local legal aid clinic. Contact your local state bar association’s referral service to locate qualified lawyers. Once you have shortlisted Social Security disability lawyers, schedule an interview to determine whether an attorney is the right fit for you.
Questions to Ask a Lawyer
Once you meet with a lawyer, determine whether s/he is a good fit for you by addressing a series of issues.
- The interview could include the following samples.
- What kind of experience do you have representing clients with my medical condition?
- How long have you been practicing Social Security disability law?
- What is your claim success rate? In other words, how successful are you in recovering benefits for clients?
- What is your average response time? Do you primarily use email or telephone?
- Who will I deal with at your firm? Will I deal with you, an associate, or a staff member?
- How many people will you dedicate to my case?
- Who will attend any Social Security disability appointments or reviews with me?
- How frequently will you update me on the progress of my case?
- Do you have references from former clients with whom I can speak?
Remember, Social Security disability lawyers typically are fairly busy, and at any given point in time, may have large numbers of cases in various stages of processing. It’s important that your lawyer is busy enough to have the kind of experience necessary to help you recover benefits for your condition. But it is also critical that s/he is not so busy that s/he will fail to treat your claim with the seriousness that it deserves.
For more information about how you can expedite the approval of your claims processing, or for assistance filing a claim, speak to a Social Security disability benefits lawyer at LaVan & Neidenberg®: (888) 234-5758.
