There is no requirement that Social Security disability claimants secure representation on a claim, but many people decide to do so because the Social Security disability process can be confusing and difficult to navigate. Not only is the process confusing, but it usually is extremely long, with the average claim taking two years or longer to conclude.
Although there is no guarantee a claimant is going to win their claim if they do hire a representative, there are some parts of the process where a representative might become extremely useful. We will examine the steps of the process where a representative’s assistance might be quite helpful for a successful claim.
The Paper Work
The first step in filing a claim is to complete the initial application. This can be done online, in person at a local Social Security office, or over the phone. No matter which way a claimant files an application, they are going to need in-depth information about their doctors, conditions and work history. After the application is filed, Social Security will send the claimant questionnaires to complete and possibly schedule an exam for the claimant to attend for more medical information about their impairments. Additionally, if the claimant is medically denied, which occurs more than 50 percent of the time, they will have to file an appeal. All of this will result in a lot of important paperwork that has to be handled correctly and in a timely manner.
Medical Opinions
A representative is a likely, depending on the impairments a claimant suffers from, to seek specialized opinions from the claimant’s medical providers. These options ask the providers to document a claimant’s limitations related to work activities and these opinions are directly related to Social Security’s rules related to finding someone disabled.
The Hearing
If a claimant is denied medically eventually they will have to request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). In preparation for the hearing, the claimant will need to provide all their medical records from all of their providers. Many times this can be thousands of pages of documents, which can become expensive to obtain. A representative will take over this responsibility as well as represent the claimant at the hearing and take the lead of trying to prove a disability exists to the ALJ and other experts that are scheduled to attend the hearing.
