Social Security Claims in Colorado

SSDI compensates disabled workers that no longer can earn a living by working a full-time job. The disability can either be an illness or injury, with one applicant suffering from late-stage cancer while a second applicant filing a claim for a severe spinal cord injury. Disability benefit recipients typically receive compensation once a month, which allows them to budget for monthly expenses such as housing payments and utility bills.

The SSA calculates the value of SSDI benefits based on a specified amount of earnings over consecutive years. In addition to meeting the SSA income requirement, an applicant also must meet the medical criteria listed in the Blue Book. The Blue Book lists every qualifying medical condition for receiving Social Security disability benefits, as well as the symptoms that are associated with each qualifying medical condition. Applicants also must present documentation that proves they have missed 12 consecutive months of work. 

There is too much at stake for you to go through the disability benefits process without the legal support of a Social Security lawyer in Colorado. An experienced attorney from Morgan and Morgan offers several types of legal support.

Reviews Your Case

During a free case evaluation with a Social Security lawyer in Colorado from Morgan and Morgan, the attorney assigned to your case conducts a comprehensive review. The review includes determining the strength of the medical evidence that shows you live with a disability, including the results of diagnostic tests and a conclusion presented by your healthcare provider that states how long you can expect to live with the diagnosed disability

Provides Support for Filing a Claim

Just one mistake or empty section on a disability claim form can lead to the denial of your claim for financial assistance. Because of the severe consequences of making a mistake during the claim filing process, working with a Social Security lawyer in Colorado ensures you file a claim with 100 percent accurate information. Filing a claim also involves collecting and organizing the medical evidence you need to convince the SSA to approve you for financial assistance.

Your attorney also monitors your claim to ensure it receives consideration in a timely manner.

Represents You During the Appeals Process

With a vast majority of disability claims denied by the SSA, you should prepare for the possibility that you might have to go through the appeals process. Your Morgan and Morgan attorney explains the appeals process, which consists of four stages that can take a considerable amount of time to unfold. The appeals process starts with a reconsideration of your original claim before it moves on to more complex stages.

You have four opportunities to reverse a denied claim decision issued by the SSA. The best chance of overturning a denied claim occurs during the second phase of the appeals process.

Reconsideration

Reconsideration consists of the SSA reviewing your original claim to determine if the team of medical examiners missed something during the first review. A different team of medical examiners conducts the first step of the appeals process to minimize any biases.  Your attorney can submit additional medical evidence, such as the status of your disability after several rounds of physical therapy sessions. Receiving approval for a claim during reconsideration is about as likely as receiving approval of your original claim, which means you should expect to reach the second step of the appeals process.

Hearing Conducted by an Administrative Law Judge

The second stage of the disability claim appeals process represents your best chance of getting approved for a denied claim. Your Social Security lawyer in Colorado from Morgan and Morgan presents your case in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ), who considers the medical evidence submitted, as well as the testimony provided by expert witnesses. The second stage of the appeals process is the only stage in which your attorney interacts with a judge or another lawyer. An ALJ has the power to overturn a denied claim or send your original claim back to the SSA for more consideration, with recommendations on how to regard your medical condition.

You must request a hearing in front of an ALJ no more than 60 days after the SSA denies your request for reconsideration.

Appeals Council

As the third stage of the disability claim appeals process, an Appeals Council reviews your case without the participation of attorneys and medical examiners. The Appeals Council’s primary focus is to determine whether the ALJ committed one or more abuse of discretion during your hearing. If the ALJ hearing your case committed at least one abuse of discretion, the Appeals Council can overturn the unfavorable ruling issued by the ALJ. However, most claims that reach the third stage of the appeals process move on to the fourth stage. 

Review by a Federal Court

A federal judge represents the last option that you have to get your denied claim approved for financial assistance. The federal judge assigned to your case does not review evidence, but instead, examines your case to discover whether any procedural mistakes might have diminished the strength of your claim. Some reviews conducted by a federal judge uncover disputed facts that diminished the strength of your claim as well. The two most common disputed facts concern the review of your medical condition, as well as an incorrect assessment made by the team of medical examiners from the SSA that processed your claim.

Hiring the right Social Security lawyer in Colorado involves considering several criteria.

Experience With the Appeals Process

Since the SSA denies a vast majority of disability claims, you should consider a Social Security lawyer in Colorado who has amassed several years of experience participating in the appeals process. In addition, you should consider an attorney who has established a proven record of success getting denied claims approved by an ALJ.

An experienced Social Security lawyer in Colorado understands the types of convincing medical evidence to submit, as well as which expert witnesses should provide testimony during an ALJ hearing.

Extensive Knowledge Concerning Your Medical Condition

Each medical condition listed in the SSA Blue Book is associated with unique disabling symptoms. The attorney that you hire to represent you during the claim filing process must possess a deep understanding of your medical condition, especially how it negatively impacts your daily activities that include work. The Social Security lawyer in Colorado representing you should know what types of medical records to submit as evidence. Your attorney also should be able to determine whether an RFC assessment can help boost the strength of your case.

Because the SSA updates the Blue Book once a year, your attorney should stay current with the qualifying medical conditions and associated symptoms.

Responsive Communicator

Receiving a diagnosis of a disabling illness or injury can put you under a tremendous amount of stress. The last thing you need is to hire a Social Security lawyer in Colorado who does a poor job of communicating with you. You should hire an attorney who promptly returns emails, phone calls, and text messages. This is a particularly important attribute because you must meet certain filing deadlines for the original claim, as well as during the appeals process.

Handles Your Case From Start to Finish

When you meet with a Social Security lawyer in Colorado from Morgan and Morgan for a free case evaluation, you can expect the same attorney to represent you during the entire claim filing process. Many law firms assign an experienced attorney to meet a client for a free case evaluation, only for the attorney to disappear for the remainder of the case. With your financial future at stake, you cannot afford to have a paralegal or a less experienced attorney representing you during the disability claim-filing process.

Schedule a free case evaluation with Morgan and Morgan to learn more about a social security lawyer in Colorado for your case.