If you’ve suffered a debilitating injury that leaves you unable to work, you may be eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits, and you deserve to know your legal rights. The Social Security lawyers at Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC are ready to review the details of your case, advise you of your options, and guide you through the process of applying for and receiving Social Security disability benefits.
The Social Security attorneys of Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC have represented numerous Social Security disability benefit applicants throughout the Cincinnati area and before judges in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. We protect the rights of our Social Security clients. Our team helps them get the disability benefits they need to live comfortably and independently. If you’ve suffered a disability and can’t return to work, contact Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC for a consultation with a Social Security attorney. You pay nothing out of pocket to hire us to work on your case.
Do I Need a Social Security Disability Lawyer?
The Social Security disability benefits application process can be long and confusing. You’ll be asked to send in numerous documents, submit to medical examinations, and prove to a hearing officer or administrative law judge that you are disabled from performing work that exists in substantial numbers in the national economy.
Many applicants who proceed without a Social Security disability lawyer often fail to qualify for benefits. As part of your application process, you’ll be asked to attend a clinical evaluation or disability evaluation. Social Security uses this evaluation as a justification for granting or denying your application for benefits. An experienced Social Security disability lawyer will advise you on how to make the most of your evaluation. This will be to benefit rather than hurt your application.
Additionally, Social Security will retain a vocational expert who will review your evaluation and determine whether jobs exist in significant numbers in the local and national economy that you could perform despite your limitations. If the vocational expert finds such jobs, you will be found not to be disabled. An experienced Social Security disability attorney knows the typical testimony the vocational experts rely on and can vigorously cross-examine them, pointing out the unreasonable jobs they propose as suitable for you. When vocational experts are not effectively cross-examined, administrative law judges typically rely on their testimony to deny applications for disability benefits.
Why Choose Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC to Handle My Social Security Disability Case?
If you’re applying for Social Security disability benefits, you have a choice of many Cincinnati law firms. How can you know which firm will be best for you? Not all law firms are created equal. Having the right lawyer representing you during your application process can mean the difference between approval and denial. You need Social Security lawyers with the right experience, track record, and client focus.
The Social Security disability lawyers of Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC have those factors that set us apart from other law firms. Our Social Security disability attorneys have represented disability benefit applications in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. We’ve seen all the arguments that disability evaluation doctors and vocational experts make to claim that you don’t have limitations or that jobs exist within your limitations. We have the experience to refute those standard arguments, and we’ve helped numerous clients secure the disability benefits they need to afford life’s expenses.
Types of Social Security Disability Cases We Handle
At Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC, our focus is on providing exceptional customer service. Our attorneys and staff are responsive to your questions and concerns, making sure that you are always kept up to date on the status of your case and that you understand your options and the next steps to take. We work closely with experts and medical professionals to get you the benefits you need, including:
- Disabled Worker Benefits – The most common type of Social Security benefit to requires an attorney’s services is the Disabled Worker Benefit, also known as SSDI, RSDI, or DIB.
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – This is needs-based income for the aged, blind, or disabled. In order to get SSI, a single individual cannot have more than $2,000 in resources, and a married individual cannot have more than $3,000 in resources. The amount of income an applicant can earn is similarly restricted.
- Childhood Benefits – If a child is disabled, they may qualify for SSI benefits if they are under the age of 18 and have a physical or mental condition, or combination of conditions, that meets Social Security’s definition of disability for children.
- Retired Worker Benefits – The Social Security Administration pays retired worker benefits to citizens who worked for long enough to be covered by Social Security and who have reached at least age 62 (for partial benefits) or age 70 (for full benefits).
- Survivor Benefits – The Social Security Administration also pays survivor benefits to citizens who are the child, widow(er), or parent of a dead worker.
Types of Qualifying Disabling Conditions
Conditions that qualify as a disability for Social Security eligibility are numerous. The most common conditions that lead to disability benefits include the following:
- Back and spinal injuries
- Vision loss/blindness
- Diabetes-related conditions
- Loss of use of arms or legs
- Arthritis
- Depression
However, you are ineligible for Social Security disability benefits if you are working full-time. This is true even when working in a limited capacity or with work restrictions.
Our Social Security attorneys have had success in getting applications approved for clients with the following conditions:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Cancer
- Meniere’s disease
- Spinal stenosis
- Tertiary syphilis
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
- Seizures
- Schizophrenia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Mosaic Down syndrome
- Crohn’s disease
- Autism
- Kienbock’s disease
- Edema
- Stroke
- Complex regional pain syndrome
If you have any physical or psychological condition that keeps you from working, call the Social Security attorneys at Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC today.
We can also help with these aspects of SSD cases:
- The SSD Application Process
- Listing of Impairments
- Work Credits
- Substantial Gainful Activity
- Residual Functional Capacity
Reach out to our disability attorneys at (513) 351-5997 to learn more about how we can help you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Social Security Disability
If you have questions about Social Security disability benefits or the applications or appeals process, we have answers. Call our knowledgeable team at (513) 351-5997 for help, and read some frequently asked questions and their answers below:
- Is the applicant performing a substantial gainful activity?
- Is the applicant’s health problem or problems “severe”?
- Does the applicant’s impairment meet or equal one listed in the regulations?
- Can the applicant perform his or her “past relevant work”?
- Can the applicant perform any other work in the local and national economy?
- If I have a disability will I be entitled to Social Security?
Federal law requires attorney fees to be set at 25 percent of your back pay from your Social Security disability award, up to a maximum of $6,000. That means you do not have to pay out of pocket to hire a Social Security attorney and will not have to pay anything if your claim is unsuccessful. Your attorney can petition for more than $6,000 if your claim involves multiple hearings or appeals, although this is a rare occurrence.
Once you apply for benefits, it typically takes four to six months to receive an initial determination. Reconsideration can take another four to six months. If you ultimately seek a hearing before an administrative law judge, it can take approximately 20 months to receive a hearing. And if you decide to take a denial all the way to federal court, it can take many months more to finally resolve your claim. The Social Security attorneys at Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC will work as diligently and efficiently as the Social Security and court systems allow.
Social Security Disability Statistics
As of December 2021, the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported there were 322,274 workers claiming disability benefits in Ohio. On average, each person receives about $1,303 per month in benefits.
In Hamilton County, where Cincinnati is located, there are 20,210 disabled workers receiving Social Security benefits. Each disabled worker in Hamilton County receives an average of about $1,265 per month in benefits, putting them slightly below the state average.
Other notable Ohio disability statistics include:
- Nationally, the number of new disability benefit awards has decreased sharply in recent years. The SSA awarded disability benefits to about 1 million workers nationwide in 2010, while in 2021, they awarded benefits to about 540,000 workers.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 2.6 million adults in Ohio have a disability. That’s about 28 percent of all adults statewide.
- CDC research shows that 13 percent of Ohio adults have a movement disability, while 14 percent have a cognitive disability. They found 6 percent have a hearing disability, and 4 percent have a vision disability. Nationally, the three most common self-reported disorders among people who only receive Social Security disability benefits (meaning they don’t also receive retirement benefits) are musculoskeletal disorders (49.2 percent), psychiatric disorders (30 percent), and diseases of the nervous system (19.1 percent).
The Cincinnati Social Security Disability Lawyers of Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC Will Fight for You
The Cincinnati Social Security disability attorneys of Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC understand the worry our clients feel when they are disabled from work and are counting on Social Security to make ends meet. This is why our attorneys work nonstop to ensure that our clients get the disability benefits they need.
If you are disabled from work in Cincinnati, don’t wait another day to begin the process of applying for Social Security disability benefits. Contact Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC at (513) 351-5997 today for a free evaluation of your case.
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