Alameda Social Security Attorney
Each time an Alameda, California resident receives a paycheck a portion of that check goes into the Social Security system. These taxes are meant to pay for the benefits that the Social Security Administration offers, such as retirement benefits and benefits for disabled American workers. Because these citizens pay these taxes, it is reasonable for them to assume that the benefits they pay for will be there for them if they should ever need them. Unfortunately, actually obtaining disability benefits is not as easy as one would hope. Statistics show that there are more disability applicants who are denied benefits during the initial stage of the application process than there are applicants who are awarded benefits. This means that most disability applicants must pursue a disability appeal in order to obtain the benefits they need in order to make ends meet. If you are applying for Social Security Disability benefits in the Alameda, California area, your best chance of obtaining benefits without the need for an appeal is to obtain the services of a qualified Alameda Social Security Disability attorney.
The economy of Alameda benefits from diversity. The military, education, medical and government sectors play a leading role in the city’s economic well-being. Some of Alameda’s top employers include the United States Coast Guard, Alameda Unified School District, Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda Hospital, the City of Alameda and the College of Alameda. The median household income in Alameda is nearly $70,000 per year. While this is higher than the national average, the cost of living in Alameda is also higher. The cost of living index in Alameda comes in at 66 above the United States average.
Applying for Alameda Social Security Disability Benefits
Alameda is home to more than 72,000 California residents. In the State of California, approximately 2.9 percent of the population receives Social Security Disability benefits. The average disability payment that is given to a disabled worker in California is approximately $1,083.80 per month. While this monthly benefit can help offset some of the financial stress that can be caused by a disability, the fact is that the majority of California Social Security Disability applicants will wait more than two years before seeing their first payment from the Social Security Administration.
Why does it take an Alameda, California Social Security Disability applicant so long to receive their first disability payment from the Social Security Administration? The long wait times can be attributed to the fact that the Social Security Administration denies approximately 60 percent of the initial disability claims that it receives each year. The applicants who are denied benefits during the initial stage of the application process are then forced to pursue a long and complicated Social Security Disability appeal if they hope to receive disability benefits at some point in the future. This appeal process usually consists of two stages which include a Request for Reconsideration and a disability hearing. Because there are a limited number of administrative law judges working for the Social Security Administration and because these judges can only hear so many disability cases each day, it takes the ODAR office that is in charge of scheduling hearings for Alameda residents an average of 426 days to provide a hearing for an Alameda disability applicant.
Hiring a Alameda Disability Attorney
The office that is in charge of scheduling the hearings for Alameda, California Social Security Disability applicants is located in Downey, California. As stated, on average, it takes this office approximately 426 days to schedule a disability hearing. It is important to remember that this time frame does not include the amount of time that it takes the applicant to file his or her initial disability application or to pursue the Request for Reconsideration stage of appeals. To make matters worse, once the hearing date has been scheduled and the hearing has been conducted, it still takes the disability applicant another two to three months before being notified regarding the outcome of the disability hearing.
If you want to avoid the frustration of pursing a disability appeal, you will want to consider retaining the services of a qualified Alameda Social Security Disability lawyer. An Alameda Social Security attorney can help you prepare your disability claim properly and help you gather all of the objective medical evidence that you will need in order to prove the severity of your condition to the Social Security Administration. These measures will increase your chances of receiving an approval from the SSA during the initial stage of the application process.
If you do need to pursue a Social Security Disability appeal, an Alameda Social Security lawyer is your best chance of success. While nearly two-thirds of disability hearings are decided in favor of the disability applicant, your chances of actually winning your appeal will vary depending on a number of different factors. These factors can include the medical evidence that you are able to gather and any expert testimony that your lawyer is able to obtain. The laws that pertain to your case and the administrative law judge who is assigned to your disability hearing will also have an impact on your likelihood of success. Some administrative law judges have higher award ratios than others. Because the appeal process is very complex and a disability hearing involves issues of law that an attorney is experienced in, you should not try to represent yourself during this stage of the appeal process.
Click here. if you would like to request a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability claim and to learn more about hiring an Alameda disability attorney to represent you in your Social Security Disability case.
