How to Deal with Insurance for a Personal Injury Claim
If you are injured in an accident that was not your fault, it is important to know how to deal with insurance for a personal injury claim so that you...
4 min read
RMDLG Staff
:
April 20, 2020
Whether you’ve already applied for Social Security disability or you’ve only just suffered an injury or illness that has prevented you from work, it can be extremely helpful to consult with a disability attorney. A disability attorney can help you through the claim process and all communications with the Social Security Administration along the way. The application process can be time-consuming and a little confusing for some, so working with a social security disability lawyer can take some of the stress out of the equation.
When you first reach out to a disability attorney, they will conduct an initial interview to assess the merits of your case and to decide whether or not they’ll take your case. This is usually done over the phone, although it is possible to do so in person.
They will ask a series of questions to gather basic facts about your disability, work history, etc. If he/she or one of their trained staff members determines that your case has a high chance of success, they’ll then schedule an appointment for you to meet with the attorney and discuss matters further.
It’s important to be prepared for your initial meeting with a social security disability lawyer. The following is a step-by-step guide for what you can expect in that meeting.
When meeting with Social Security Disability Advocates, you’ll want to be concise and have all of the relevant information for them to properly discuss your case with you. You should write down all of the information below to bring with you to your first meeting:
If you’ve already applied for a Social Security disability attorney, a lot of the information above will be in the application, adult disability report, and work history report. Be sure to bring those documents with you if that is the case.
With the information listed above, you can go into your meeting with confidence and leave with the answers you need to move forward. A social security disability lawyer is more likely to take your case if you come in prepared. However, the information and documents described above aren’t required and you shouldn’t hesitate to consult an attorney if you can’t locate everything in the list above, as sometimes it is difficult or impossible for you to find everything. The attorney may have suggestions for further methods of obtaining required and or helpful information and documents.
Your first meeting with a Social Security Disability Advocates will essentially be a chance for them to learn more about your situation, assess the strength of your claim, and decide whether or not they will be able to help. This will be based on the medical evidence they can gather from your information and whether they feel it is strong enough to win your case.
A disability attorney will ask you to sign a medical privacy release so that they are able to access your medical records to use in your case. Some attorneys may pay for the upfront costs of obtaining these records until your case is over. You’ll be billed for these costs at the end of your case. Other times, you will be responsible for covering the costs.
It’s also important to know that social security lawyers do not require any payment upfront for their services. They get paid when your case is won (known by attorneys as a contingency case).
As mentioned above, the initial consultation with aSocial Security Disability Advocates is not only about them learning about your situation and deciding whether they want to work on your case. It is also your chance to get a feel for whether or not you want to work with them.
The following is a list of helpful questions for you to ask in order to decide if an attorney is right for you:
You want to work with a social security lawyer that is experienced and dedicated to disability law. You also want one that has a good reputation and a high success rate. Keep in mind, that the average approval rate for most disability attorneys runs around 60%.
An SSD lawyer may have reservations about your specific claim for a few reasons. If you haven’t seen a doctor regularly, you haven’t worked recently enough, or you’re already receiving unemployment benefits, they might choose to not represent you.
Filing a claim for social security disability insurance can be complicated and stressful. It doesn’t have to be, however. Working with a social security lawyer can give you guidance and clarity throughout the process.
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