They know how to avoid the problems that often occur, and what to do if they encounter them. In other words, an SSDI attorney, like an experienced guide, can greatly increase your chances of reaching your intended destination.
Buy a Plane Ticket or Build a Plane?
How treacherous is the Social Security disability system? According to the Social Security Administration (SSA) itself, over 2 million claims for disabled worker benefits were filed in 2013. Of those claims, only about 881,000, or 44 percent of them, were approved. And of those fortunate enough to get the green light, a measly 8,900 – or just over one percent – were receiving their monthly benefits by the end of the year.
Put simply, even if you beat the odds and get approved based on your initial application, you’re still likely to face a long, tedious, and very complex path to actually getting any money.
If you wanted to fly cross-country, would you book an airline ticket or try to design and build your own plane? Choosing to take on the SSA without hiring a SSDI attorney is a lot like going with the second option – many people become so overwhelmed and discouraged by the process that eventually they just give up.
Facing a Stacked Deck
Some people wonder why, when money is already tight, they would pay an SSDI attorney when their tax dollars entitle them to the help of a SSA employees who are supposed to help them navigate the system. While that’s a perfectly logical question, the reality is that the disability benefit award program is stacked against the applicant by design.
The Administration’s primary concern isn’t helping claimants access the money they have paid-in to Social Security. To the contrary, it’s to keep it unless you’re able to prove to them that you’re entitled to it.
In law, we say that the person or entity responsible for swaying the judge or jury’s opinion from where it starts to the opposite side bears the burden of proof. In criminal cases, the person being accused of the crime (the defendant) is considered innocent unless the government is able to prove that they are guilty. So in criminal court, the burden of proof lies with the government. But in Social Security disability cases, the burden of proof lies mostly on the shoulders of the applicant, who is essentially considered able to work unless they can prove to the SSA that illness or injury has rendered them unable to do any type of regular or full-time work.
Letting the Fox Guard the Henhouse
In the eyes of the Social Security Administration, being unable to do the same job you used to do does not entitle you to benefits. As a result, they will try to prove that you are capable of doing some other kind of work; and if they feel that’s been proven, you will be denied your benefits and the system can keep the money you have paid in.
If you choose to trust the SSA to ‘do the right thing’ rather than hiring a knowledgeable SSDI attorney, you are, in essence; trusting the fox to guard the henhouse.
Trust the Experts
The Social Security Administration did not design the road to approval to be easily to navigable. No matter how educated or intelligent an applicant is, they will be dogged by conditions and pitfalls that only an expert knows how to handle. A competent SSDI attorney spends years learning how to steer clients through the process as quickly and painlessly as possible.
You want to choose a SSDI attorney who specializes in representing clients before the Social Security Administration. Ideally, they devote all or most of their practice to Social Security cases. Law has become an increasingly complex field, with specialties, subspecialties and much to know and understand. The days of the general family lawyer who handles everything are for the most part gone.
Just as you would not see a brain surgeon for a for a broken ankle, you do not want a criminal or corporate attorney handling your Social Security case. Although some of these lawyers might be experienced and know just what to do, it simply makes more sense to look to a SSDI attorney who devotes his or herself to dealing with this complicated process.
Let a Lemoine Law SSDI Attorney Shoulder the Burden for You
Social Security cases can take years. When you are tired and sick, and your future income is on the line, you need an SSDI attorney with the time, energy and expertise to do everything necessary to give you the best possible chance of winning your benefits. Let Lemoine Law Firm do the hard work for you.
If you would like to speak to a staff member or an experienced SSDI attorney about your case, please call toll-free: 888-468-3741, send us a message or use our online chat to speak to a representative right now.
