Claiming Social Security disability benefits is not easy; the rules, regulations and laws are difficult to comprehend and they change frequently. Although it does happen that an application will be approved shortly after it is received by the Social Security Administration, more often it ends up going through a tedious appeals process and if necessary a claimant can take it all the way to Federal Court. As one goes through the various stages the process becomes more convoluted and it becomes hard for a layperson to deal with it, this is especially true as the applicants are suffering from a debilitating disability.
Right from the outset a Social Security attorney in Michigan can be the difference between approval and denial of benefits. For the uninitiated the process is a minefield fraught with difficulties and ambiguity. Most people pay little attention to Social Security; to them it is a government department that will eventually give them money every month once they retire. As these people pay into it through payroll taxes during their working life they never stop to think how hard it can be to get money from the system if the issue is disability and not retirement. If the decision is made at the outset, the chances of being approved for benefits are better when you are being guided by an attorney. A seasoned Social Security attorney in Michigan knows the regulations and laws that govern the SSA, they are fully aware of the deadlines that are imposed for certain actions and they know how the penalties of missing these dates can negatively impact an applicant.
Although there is good reason to hire an attorney at the outset many applicants will wait until their initial application is denied. Approximately three quarters of all applications are rejected; very few are approved at once. Once an application has been denied the applicant must go through the appeals process. Although the right of appeal is granted to everyone it is far more demanding than the application. It is at this time that a Social Security attorney in Michigan can tip the scales in your favor.
Social Security attorneys begin the task of developing your appeal long before you head into the hearing. As these attorneys have been involved in numerous cases in the past they know what to expect, they know the questions that will be asked as well as the answers that are expected. A seasoned attorney knows how to push through the bureaucracy when necessary, often being able to win benefits for the client without having to wait the approximate one year’s wait for the hearing. If the attorney can present compelling evidence that his or her client is truly disabled and a delay in approval will seriously disadvantage them an on the record review may be possible, this will never happen unless the claimant is represented by an attorney.
