How a Disability Attorney in NJ Can Help With Your Disability Claim
If you have applied or are considering applying for disability, our disability lawyers in NJ may be able to help you obtain benefits by working with your treating doctor. When someone attempts to earn disability benefits, the Social Security Administration often asks the treating doctor to provide opinions and information about the claimant’s impairments. This helps the Social Security Administration ensure that the claimant is truly disabled. The opinions of a treating doctor may make or break a disability claim.
What Is a Treating Doctor?
The Social Security Administration states that the treating doctor is the medical professional who is most able to provide a thorough picture of the claimant’s impairments. A unique perspective may be offered by the treating doctor, who may provide a better picture than the evidence obtained from individual examinations and medical findings. Examinations and brief hospitalizations may not be accurate without the opinions of a treating doctor.
The Information the Social Security Administration (SSA) Needs From the Treating Doctor
A treating doctor may be asked for information related to the nature and severity of a claimant’s medical impairments. The doctor may also need to provide information about the extent and duration of the impairments. This information may include observations and opinions about the claimant’s ability to function, the effects of treatment, and if those treatments had side effects. The treating doctor may also be asked about how the impairments affect the claimant’s ability to perform daily living activities. These opinions are an important part of the Social Security Administration’s attempt to draw accurate conclusions about the claimant’s capacity for work.
Consult about Your Disability Claim, Contact a Disability Attorney in NJ
Whether you are still considering applying for disability or have already put in your claim, an attorney may prove to be an important ally in the process of obtaining benefits. Contact Hermann Law Group, PLLC at (914) 286-3030 for a consultation about your claim. Obtaining benefits can be a difficult process, but a disability attorney in NJ may be able to help you.
Hermann Law Group: New York Disability Attorneys
If you have a question about a Social Security disability, long term disability, veterans’ disability or railroad retirement benefits, you will want to work with an experienced New York disability attorney at Hermann Law Group. It can be very difficult and challenging to recover benefits from the government or insurance company. One of our attorneys can help fight for your rights to ensure that you get the benefits that you deserve.
Social Security Disability: New York Disability Attorney
Millions of individuals apply for Social Security disability benefits every year due to disability and inability to work. However, most of these individuals are rejected by the federal government because they do not properly file their claim. Additionally, many more individuals never even bother to file a claim because they do not understand the claims process. A New York disability lawyer can help you understand your claim and help ensure that you submit a successful claim.
Long Term Disability: New York Disability Attorney
Long term disability plans may be covered by a private policy or federal ERISA law. Either way, insurance carriers are usually very reluctant to pay out claims. An experienced lattorney at Hermann Law Group, PLLC can help shepherd you through this difficult process.
Veterans Disability: New York Disability Attorney
To receive veterans’ disability benefits, a veteran must submit a claim to the Veterans’ Administration. A New York disability lawyer can explain to you that this process can be an extremely complicated morass of paperwork and medical documentation. An experienced attorney can help guide you through this process and collect all the documentation you need to have a successful claim.
Railroad Retirement Disability: New York Disability Claim
Disabled individuals who retired from service in the railroad may be entitled to special benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board. Railroad retirement law is very specific and very different from other disability benefits law. Our attorneys at Hermann Law Group have many years experience dealing with this very difficult area of law and helping ensure that disabled railroad workers get the benefits they deserve.
Contact a New York Disability Attorney
If you have any questions about a disability claim, you will want to work with an experienced New York disability lawyer. To learn more about how an attorney at Hermann Law Group, PLLC can help your case, schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys by calling 1-877-773-3030.
It’s a Give and Take Relationship with Our Clients
I’d like to share with you one of the things I find most frustrating about being a Social Security Disability and SSI lawyer. Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely LOVE my job. But to be honest, some clients are much more difficult to work with than others, and it all has to do with the give and take in the lawyer-client relationship.
The clients I’m referring to are the ones who fail to do the follow-up things we ask of them. Despite how important their claims and the potential payments are to them, many clients just don’t follow our instructions, and this inevitably causes delays in their claim. At worst, it can cause us to lose the case as a result.
While we do the hard stuff (like filing the SSD or SSI claim and obtaining medical evidence), once we are retained, it doesn’t mean that a claimant can just sit back and wait for his or her checks! When we are first retained we go over with every client when we need to hear from them, and how we need them to follow up.
We may need things like tax returns or Workers’ Compensation notices. Sometimes we ask the client to “remind” the doctor that we are waiting for a report. Not getting these things can cause the case to grind to a halt, and sometimes can even lead to an unfavorable decision.
To make a play on John F. Kennedy’s most famous quote, “ask not what your lawyer can do for you; ask what you can do for your lawyer.” We often need some help from our clients in order to win their cases.
Unlike many other Social Security Disability Advocates or Attorneys, we never ask our clients to file their own claims or get their own records. The things that we ask our clients to help us with are those things that may not be within our control. When we don’t get the cooperation we need from a client, our job becomes infinitely more difficult and sometimes impossible.
Working with Your Attorney on Social Security in Danbury CT
If you are seeking Social Security in Danbury CT for your disability, you will likely have to go through a lengthy process that involves a hearing. It is recommended that you contact a disability attorney to help you through this process. When hiring an attorney for your disability case, you may be wondering what they will do for you. While not all attorneys are exactly the same, many follow the same procedures when it comes to a Social Security disability case. The following information is what you can expect when you hire an attorney to help with your Social Security in Danbury CT.
First Contact with the Attorney
During the first contact with your disability attorney, you may only speak to a member of their staff. This staff member will want to go over some personal information and gather the facts of your case. The reason they will do this is to qualify your case and make sure that the attorney will be able to help you. Often times this interview will take place over the phone, but some attorneys prefer that it is done in person. After gathering your information, the attorney will review it. If they feel that there is not a good possibility of winning your case, they will likely decline representing you.
Access to Medical Records
In disability cases, it is typical for the attorney to ask you for access to your medical records. In order to have access to your medical records, you will need to give consent. In most cases, this will require that you fill out a form allowing your private records to be released to that party. If there is a cost for this your attorney will take care of it and will expect to be reimbursed after your settlement. Allowing your attorney to have access to your medical records will only benefit your case. Your attorney will review your records and may notice that your condition requires additional testing in order to receive disability. Your attorney will also be able to note down who your medical providers are in case they have any questions for them. Your attorney is the party who is responsible for sending these records to the judge for your hearing. They will determine which records need to be sent over.
Preparing for Your Hearing on Disability Claim
It is likely that you will need to attend a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge presiding before you are approved for Social Security disability benefits. While you may not have had much contact with your attorney before this process, rest assured that they are working behind the scenes to get everything prepared for your hearing. They are working to secure a date for your hearing and to submit all forms by the requested date. Before your hearing takes place, your attorney may ask you for additional documents such as employment records. Providing your attorney with these requested documents will only strengthen your case. Your attorney will also go over what you should expect during the hearing. They will prepare you for questions you will likely be asked and the most concise way to answer those questions. You will need to be prepared to provide detailed information about your condition, your symptoms, how your symptoms affect your well-being, both physical and mental. You will also be expected to discuss what medications your are taking for your condition and how you handle your symptoms daily. During your hearing the judge will want to hear about the type of work you did in the past and what positions you held over the past decade or so. You will be asked about what sort of work activities you are able to perform with your limitations. You will also be expected to discuss your education and literacy levels.
Witnesses for Your Disability Claim Case
You will be able to have witnesses speak on your behalf at your hearing. Witnesses can include medical professionals, or people who see you on a regular basis like friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or anyone else your attorney thinks will help. Your attorney will first speak with the witness to find out what they know. Then they determine if they will be help or hinder your case before allowing them to speak at your hearing.
Contact Our Attorneys for Social Security in Danbury CT
For an attorney with experience in Social Security in Danbury CT, contact Hermann Law Group, PLLC at (914) 286-3030. Hermann Law Group, PLLC have disability attorneys who have experience with Social Security in Danbury CT. They will help you fight for your rights and for the best possible outcome in your disability claim case.
Information Your New York Social Security Disability Attorney Needs
When you schedule a consultation with a New York Social Security disability attorney, there are many things that your lawyer may ask you to bring with you to the meeting. Here is a brief list of information to take with you.
Medical Records
One of the most important pieces of evidence for your New York Social Security disability attorney is your medical records. These records can show how your impairment has been documented and how it has progressed throughout time. Include a list of all doctors that you have visited and the approximate dates when you visited each one. Include contact information for these doctors.
Medication Information
Create a table for your New York Social Security disability attorney that includes all medications that you have taken for your impairments. Include the name of the medication, dosage, frequency in which you took the medication, the prescribing doctor, any side effects of taking the medication, and the effect the medication had on your condition.
Employment Information
Include documents regarding your previous and current employment information. Include dates of employment, the name of the employer, your rate of pay, and your job title. Include a list of duties that you performed at each job.
Social Security Paperwork
Bring with you any documents that you have received from the Social Security Administration. Include copies of documents that you completed as part of your application. Also, include letters regarding any denials.
Workers’ Compensation Information
If you filed a workers’ compensation claim after your illness or injury, bring any information related to your workers’ compensation claim with you to your consultation.
Legal Assistance from a New York Social Security Disability Attorney
If you would like to know what other information you should bring with you to your initial consultation, contact a New York Social Security disability attorney from Hermann Law Group, PLLC by calling (914) 286-3030.
Social Security Disability: It’s Never Too Early to Hire an Attorney….But Sometimes it Can Be Too Late
I have already mentioned that the earlier in the process we are retained, the better the chance we have of winning.
This morning I received a call from someone who wanted us to take over her Social Security Disability case from a large national firm. She had just lost at her hearing, and this large firm that represented her was now filing an appeal to the Appeals Council. Her biggest complaint with this firm was that she had never met her attorney until the morning of her hearing, after only a brief phone conversation some time before.
I must admit that while I know this is how many other firms work, I am disappointed every time I hear of how it has negatively impacted the outcome of someone’s claim. Gabe and I work on our relationship with each of our clients in a much more personal way.
At Hermann Law Group, you meet an attorney when you first come to see us, and he is your attorney for the entire time we represent you. Even before we meet you, it is our policy to have an attorney get on the phone the first time that you call the office. If no attorney is available, one will call you back even if we have already scheduled an appointment with you. The more contact we have with you, the better we can understand your claim and what we need to do to win it.
Unfortunately, I had to explain to the caller this morning that it really is too late for us to be able to have a significant effect on her claim at this point.
I did tell her that if she loses her appeal, we could start a new application for her, or if she is granted a new hearing, we could become involved at that point.
So while it is never too early to get a lawyer, unfortunately sometimes it can be too late.
Lew Insler
What Can an Attorney do When the Client is too Disabled to Attend Her Hearing?
At a Brooklyn Social Security Disability hearing a few days ago, I represented a young woman who had a number of medical conditions which prevented her from working – most notably, an inner ear condition which made it impossible for her to ride in elevators due to the rapid changes in pressure. Unfortunately, her hearing was scheduled for an office located on the 18th floor of the Brooklyn Hearing Office. Proper documentation was presented to the Administrative Law Judge to confirm her inability to take the elevator to her scheduled hearing. However, I asked her to nevertheless be present at the building, but to remain on the first floor as evidence to the ALJ that our client was most certainly interested in pursuing her claim – even if it meant taking her testimony telephonically. As a result of the evidence I submitted on her behalf, and statements to the ALJ, I was successfully able to obtain a fully favorable decision for her without the need for her testimony.
Needless to say, she was extremely thankful that (1) I was successful, and (2) that she would not have to subject herself to a great deal of discomfort at the prospect of taking the elevator to the 18th floor. It’s these seemingly small things which mean a lot to our clients that makes me proud of what I do.
Brian Anson, Esq.
It’s takes more than just hiring a skilled attorney, it takes an All Star team and attention to the “little things” to win your claim
Why Local Social Security Disability Attorneys Are Just Plain Better
Why Local Social Security Disability Attorneys Are Just Plain Better & Help You Win. Attitude (Part 2 of a 3 part series)
Importance of Attorney Representation
Importance of Attorney Representation
Here is a video provided by the Hermann Law Group explaining the importance of attorney representation. If you have filed for disability claim benefits in New York, it is imperative to have a disability attorney from Hermann Law Group assist you. Call 877-773-3030
