Do I Need an Attorney to Handle My Social Security Disability Claim?

Do I Need an attorney to handle my Social Security Disability claim? Hi, I'm Marc Whitehead, a board certified Social Security Disability Attorney. In a word, No You don't have to have an attorney to handle you SSD claim, but consider the following: In a conversation I recently had with several fellow lawyers, I mentioned that I regularly represent people before the Social Security Administration on disability claims. The consensus response from the group was it was almost impossible to win one of these claims. The comment was if you could pick up a pencil and fill out the application you weren't disabled. A recent survey by the Houston Chronicle partially confirms this notion, but at the same time reveals that good lawyering can go a long way towards helping the good and honest taxpayers get the disability payments that they deserve and have paid for through their years of payroll deductions. The Chronicle found that while less than a third of all non-represented claimants prevailed before the Social Security Administration, the survey found also that roughly two-thirds of attorney-represented claimants prevailed. My own conversations with Social Security Judges are also revealing. Without exception, the Social Security Judges who I talk to prefer claimants who are represented by experienced social security disability attorneys. The reason is simple: it makes their life easier. Experienced attorneys end up doing most of the work that the Judges would otherwise have to do if they were dealing with a claimant without an attorney. The Houston Chronicle's article speaks for itself. Here are a few tips One: Beware of Non-Attorney representatives. You don't have to be an attorney to represent someone before the SSA, but why would you want a non attorney representative? Social Security law is very complex. The fees set by the SSA are the same for both non attorneys and attorneys! Also, Non attorneys can't represent you in Federal Court if necessary. Believe it or not, there are non attorney representative that advertise on national TV. Always ask if they are attorneys before hiring anyone. Tip Number two: Look out for firms recommended by your Disability Insurance Company. Their purpose is to win your case and collect your back due benefits to reimburse your insurance company. This is an obvious conflict of interest. The most common firm used by the Disability Insurance Companies boasts on its Web site about how much money it collects for the insurance companies. They don't boast about how much money they recover for you! You want someone on your side. This topic is discussed more in Chapter 15 of my free ebook, The Social Security Disability Puzzle. Visit www.disabilitydenials.com for a free downloadable copy or call 1-800-562-9830 to discuss your particular SSD issue. I'm Marc Whitehead. Thank you for watching.