Asheville Social Security Attorney
Applying for Asheville Social Security Disability Benefits
Thousands of hard-working Asheville, North Carolina residents work hard and pay taxes into the Social Security system. When these individuals are suddenly faced with a long-term or permanent disability, they are under the impression that the disability benefits, which they have paid for, should be there for them in their time of need. Unfortunately, actually obtaining Social Security Disability benefits from the Social Security Administration is a lot easier said than done. If you want to increase your chances of receiving Social Security Disability benefits, you should consider retaining the services of an Asheville Social Security Disability attorney.
Asheville’s economy is influenced by the medical, educational, retail, scientific sectors. Some of the area’s largest employers include Mission Health System, Buncombe County Schools System, Asheville VA Medical Center, The Biltmore Company and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The median household income of Asheville is $34,457. The cost of living index in Asheville is approximately 6 percent lower than the national average.
The town of Asheville is home to nearly 84,000 North Carolina residents. In the State of North Carolina, approximately 5 percent of the population receives Social Security Disability benefits. The average monthly disability benefit in the State of North Carolina is $1,051.00 per month and it will take the average Asheville disability applicant more than a year to complete the Social Security Disability claim process. While the initial application process only takes three to four months to complete, the majority of Asheville disability applicants will be denied disability benefits during the initial stage of the claim process. This results in the need for a disability appeal. Because there are so many appeals backlogged in the Social Security system, Asheville residents will wait nearly a year to obtain a disability hearing in front of an administrative law judge.
Hiring an Asheville Social Security Disability lawyer to represent you in your disability claim can significantly increase your chances of obtaining a favorable decision during the initial stage of the disability claim process. As a result, you may be able to avoid the need for a disability appeal. An Asheville Social Security attorney will know how to best prove your case to the Social Security Administration, what medical evidence you will need to provide to the SSA and how to properly present your application for the best chance of an approval. If, for some reason, your initial application for Social Security Disability benefits is still denied, your Asheville Social Security lawyer will be able to represent you through the lengthy and complex disability appeal process.
If your initial claim for Social Security Disability benefits is denied, the first thing your lawyer will do is file a Request for Reconsideration. It is important to understand, however, that more than 80 percent of these requests are also denied by the Social Security Administration. When and if this request is denied, your Asheville disability attorney will request a hearing before an administrative law judge. It is during this stage of the appeal process that you will have the best chance of obtaining the disability benefits that you have been fighting for.
Hiring an Asheville Disability Attorney
The good news is that nearly two-thirds of disability hearings are decided in the favor of the disability applicant. This stage of appeals is very complicated, however, and you will need the services of an Asheville Social Security attorney if you want to have the best possible chance of overturning the SSA's decision to deny your disability benefits. Statistics have shown that applicants are more likely to be awarded benefits as a result of a disability hearing if they are represented by a disability lawyer.
If your Social Security Disability hearing does not result in an approval of your disability benefits, your Asheville Social Security lawyer may go on to request review from the Social Security Administration's Appeals Council. As with the Request for Reconsideration stage of appeals, most applicants will not be granted benefits as a result of this appeal process. It is, however, necessary to take this step if you and your attorney want to take your disability case before the Federal District Court.
Many Asheville Social Security Disability applicants worry that they will not be able to afford the services of an Asheville disability attorney. The truth is that these legal services will not incur any up-front expense. Asheville disability attorneys work on a contingency basis, collecting either 25 percent of the back pay that you are awarded from the Social Security Administration or $6,000 (whichever is less). For example, if you are awarded $20,000 in back payments, your attorney would collect $4,000 and you would receive the remaining $16,500. If you were awarded $40,000, your attorney would collect only $6,000 instead of the full 25 percent. Not only does this mean the services of a disability lawyer are affordable, but it also ensures that your attorney has a personal interest in winning your case for you.
Click here if you are interested in receiving a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case or to get more information about hiring an Asheville Social Security Disability attorney.
