Over 60 million people receive benefits from social security affiliated programs. If you’ve been the victim of an illness or an accident that has left you disabled to the point of not being able to work, becoming one of those 60 million people and receiving the financial support you need can be a lot harder than you think.
Paperwork. Hearings. Push back… All of those factors and more are hoops you can look forward to jumping through when trying to claim disability benefits.
If you’re worried about going through the process and getting a favorable result, hiring a good disability lawyer is paramount.
Below, we outline everything that you need to know about struggling with disabilities, the value a lawyer can bring to you, and when you should consider hiring one.
Why Disability Benefits Are Important
Whether your disability benefits are being serviced through an employer’s private insurance plan or through the government, getting your hands on the money that you’re entitled to is important.
Think about the condition you’re in and your ability to provide for yourself and your family because of it. Could you reasonably get by without assistance?
If you’re like a good portion of the 56 million people that struggle with a disability in this country, the answer is no.
Consequently, the steps that you take to claim your benefits can have a massive positive or negative impact on the rest of your life depending on your ability to do things correctly.
What a Disability Lawyer Does
Given the stakes that going through the disability claims process presents, many people hire SSI lawyers to help guide them. Doing so is a great decision for a variety of reasons, some of which include:
A Faster Claims Process
When you’re filing for benefits on your own, the process of getting everything approved can be slow. That slowness can be further exacerbated if you make any mistakes.
A good disability lawyer has been through the benefits filing process hundreds of times. That experience enables them to do everything in a way that’ll get you your desired result as quickly as possible.
Mistake-Free Paper Work
We’ve heard a number of stories where people applying for social security or private insurance benefits made a mistake on paperwork and were then denied their benefits.
Imagine, a lifetime of lost wages thanks to a clerical error.
With a disability lawyer by your side, that horror story will never become your reality. Your disability lawyer will handle all of your paperwork so none of it ever works to undermine your claim.
No Missed Deadlines
Even if your important disability documents are filled out correctly, missing a turn-in date or failing to show up for a hearing could be just as catastrophic to your claim efforts as errors.
We get that it can be hard to manage your time as you struggle to live with your disability. That’s why having an attorney to help keep you on track is so valuable.
Help With Legal Push Back
Not every disability case is a slam-dunk. Occasionally, you’ll run into push back from the government or private insurance entities.
This push back could lead to lengthy trials, phone calls from attorneys, and other intimidating barriers.
With an attorney to assist you, you won’t have to lose sleep over things if the going gets tough. Your lawyer will break down what’s happening and you’ll safely be able to navigate hurdles together.
Contingency Based Pay
One of the hardest parts of hiring an attorney are the fees that they charge. Thanks to strict legislation that protects disabled people from being preyed on by lawyers however, you’ll find that the way in which your legal team gets compensated will be more than manageable.
In general, disability lawyers will need to work on contingency. That means that they won’t ask you for any money until they get you a favorable result.
Contingency pay for disability lawyers will amount to a small percentage of the settlement that they’re able to earn for you.
When Should You Hire a Disability Lawyer?
Now that you understand the importance of bringing on a lawyer to help with your disability defense, the next question is when it’s appropriate to start engaging an attorney.
In our opinion, the sooner that you hire a disability lawyer the better. Every step of your claims process that you go through without the help of a lawyer is a step that could undermine your efforts.
As soon as you have a lawyer supporting you, you can feel confident filing paperwork and dealing with other legal barriers. Taking any of those actions without a lawyer could mean taking huge risk.
Wrapping Up Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Disability Lawyer
Getting a disability lawyer to advocate for you as you move through your claims process is always a good idea. This is true whether you’re trying to claim social security benefits or benefits from an employer’s private insurance plan.
If you need help finding a lawyer, consider looking through online legal directories or using tools like Yelp to find well-reviewed attorneys in your vicinity.
We hope that our information above has inspired you to find a lawyer before taking your claim any further. Our team wishes you the best in getting the compensation that you deserve.
For more information on hiring attorneys, getting disability benefits and more, check out additional content on Small Business Brief.
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