O'Fallon Social Security Attorney
With approximately 80,000 residents who enjoy a cost-of-living slightly lower than the national average, O’Fallon, Missouri is the state’s fifth-largest city and was named one of Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live” in 2010. O’Fallon sits within St. Charles county and its economy has a strong technical and scientific-industry presence. The median household income in O’Fallon is $60,179, and many of those who live in O’Fallon are employed by Citi Mortgage, MasterCard International, Inc., WingHaven Fuel, MEMC Electronic Materials, and True Manufacturing.
Applying for O'Fallon Social Security Disability Benefits
However, according to Social Security Administration (SSA) statistics, there are approximately 4,600 O’Fallon residents who are unable to work due to a serious illness or injury and are currently receiving Social Security disability benefits. They receive an average monthly payment of $1,112. Unfortunately, there are likely many more O’Fallon disabled workers who have had their applications for Social Security disability benefits denied and who are now struggling through the SSA’s lengthy and stressful appeals process. Those who are applying for Social Security disability benefits in O’Fallon may be able to decrease the chances that they’ll fall within this group by hiring a O’Fallon Social Security disability attorney.
Nationwide, around 70% of Social Security disability applications are denied. When this happens, the next step is to file a “Request for Reconsideration.” After waiting 3-4 months for the first decision, it will take another 2-4 months for the claim to be reconsidered. Unfortunately, only around 10% of claims are approved upon reconsideration. When an O’Fallon resident who is applying for disability benefits receives a second denial, they will then file a “Request for Administrative Law Judge Hearing.” While a claim has the best chance of being approved at this level, the wait for a hearing can be long. The Social Security office that schedules these hearings for O’Fallon disability claimants is located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and the average wait for a hearing is 312 days. It can be very stressful and difficult for someone who’s applying for disability benefits in O’Fallon to support themselves and their family while their case is progressing through the appeals process.
It’s very beneficial to hire a skilled O’Fallon Social Security lawyer at any stage in the application process. However, it can be particularly helpful to be represented by an O’Fallon disability attorney at your administrative law judge hearing. These hearings can be intimidating – the judge will directly question the claimant, and the SSA sometimes hires expert witnesses to testify. A helpful O’Fallon Social Security attorney can prepare you for your hearing and can also provide additional testimony and cross-examine expert witnesses at the hearing.
It usually takes approximately a month to receive a decision following your hearing. These decisions usually come in the form of a lengthy, legal document, so it can be very helpful to have an experienced Edmond disability lawyer available to help you understand your decision. If your decision is favorable, your Edmond disability attorney can also review the ensuing Notice of Award to verify that your payment amounts are correct. If your decision is unfavorable, they can assist you with proceeding to the next step in the process, the Appeals Council review.
Hiring an O'Fallon Disability Attorney
Many disabled O’Fallon residents may understandably think that they can’t afford to hire a competent Social Security disability lawyer. However, this isn’t true. O’Fallon disability attorneys work on a contingent fee basis. This means that there’s no upfront cost, and they will only be paid in the event you are awarded benefits. If this happens, their fee will be equal to 25% of your retroactive benefit payments (if the SSA finds that you were disabled as of a date in the past.) This is up to a maximum of $6,000. If you do not receive benefits, they don’t receive a fee.
An O’Fallon Social Security attorney will also handle claims for other St. Charles county residents as well as those living in neighboring Saint Louis, Lincoln, Warren and Franklin counties. They will also represent disabled workers in nearby towns such as Saint Peters, Saint Charles, Chesterfield, Bridgeton, Wildwood, Ellsville, Ballwin, Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, Manchester, and Creve Coeur.
