Every now and then we like to checkout Social Security’s blog that deals with different topics and programs Social Security offers. One feature these blogs offer is a place to comment about the content of the blog. Typically, if you read most stories on the internet that offer a place to comment you will get some nasty comments about politics, but also some really misinformed comments. The Social Security blog is no different.
After a recent blog post related to Social Security’s disability program a number of people commented with thoughts on the disability program, of course many of these comments provided wrong information about the programs.
One poster suggested that attorneys who assist clients with cases receive “35 percent of the total award.” This claim is false, Social Security rules mandate that attorneys and other representatives are limited to a set 25 percent fee on past-due benefits only.
Another person posted a comment that stated “SSDI/SSI will only pay you from the date you applied for benefits,” which is also not true, although it is partly true. Social Security will only pay SSI claims going back as far as the date of the application, but will pay SSDI claims up to a year prior to the filing of an application. One of my favorite posts suggested that Social Security was working with attorneys in a manner that would benefit both. The poster said “they (Social Security) have a fix with attorneys.” This could not be further from the truth. Social Security and attorneys are on opposite sides of things most times. In general, Social Security says you are not disabled and the attorney claims you are disabled. An attorney collects a 25 percent fee when most contingency-based attorneys charge more than this. Additionally most Social Security disability attorneys incur costs related to representing clients like time worked on a case and collecting records that is typically not passed on to the client.
