College Station Social Security Attorney
Many of the hard-working Texas residents who live and work in College Station don't pay very close attention to the deductions that are taken out of their paychecks. They do know that a portion goes to the state and to the federal government. They also know that a portion goes to the Social Security system. Most individuals, however, don’t worry about getting the Social Security benefits that they have paid for until they are ready to retire.
Unfortunately, there are some individuals who need disability benefits from the Social Security Administration well before retirement age – disabled individuals whose conditions are so severe that they are no longer able to maintain full-time employment. Unfortunately, cashing in on these benefits isn't usually as easy one might hope it would be. In fact, before applying for disability benefits in the College Station area, you may want to consider speaking with a College Station Social Security Disability attorney.
The economy of College Station, Texas has been flourishing despite the tough economic times that have been felt by the majority of our nation's cities. The unemployment rate has consistently remained between 3 and 4 percent, which is among the lowest in the State of Texas. The city's economy is fostered by the educational, medical, technology, and retail sectors. Some of the College Station's top employers include the Texas A&M University System, St. Joseph Regional Health Center, Reynolds and Reynolds, H-E-B Grocery and Wal-Mart. The median household income in College Station is $33,604. While that is well below the average national median household income of $55,970, the annual cost of living in College Station is also lower, coming in at 11 percent lower than the national average.
College Station is home to nearly 90,000 Texas residents. In the State of Texas, approximately 3.4 percent of the population receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) with an average disability benefit of $1,050.30 per month. While an additional $1,000 or more per month can significantly offset some of the financial hardship that can be caused by a long-term or permanent disability, the truth is that it will take most College Station disability applicants over a year before seeing their first disability payment from the Social Security Administration.
Applying for College Station Social Security Disability Benefits
Why does it take so long for College Station Social Security Disability applicants to begin receiving disability payments when the initial application process should only take three to six months to complete? The extensive processing times are due to the fact that the majority of disability claims are denied by the Social Security Administration during the initial stage of the application process. These applicants must then add their appeal to the more than 750,000 disability cases that are already backlogged in the Social Security system.
When a College Station disability applicant appeals a denied disability claim, they usually have to attend a disability hearing in order to overturn the SSA's decision to deny their disability payments. The office that is in charge of scheduling these disability hearings is located in Houston. It takes this office an average of 338 days to schedule a disability hearing from the date that a request for such a hearing is filed. Once that hearing has been conducted, it takes a College Station disability applicant another two to three months to be notified regarding the outcome of that hearing.
If you want to avoid the need for a disability hearing and have your disability benefits approved in a matter of months, your best bet is to work with a College Station Social Security Disability lawyer. These professionals can help you in the preparation of your Social Security Disability claim, ensuring that you fill out all of your application paperwork properly and provide the SSA with the medical evidence that will be needed to prove your disability to the adjudicator who will be reviewing your file.
Hiring a College Station Disability Attorney
If, for some reason, your application for benefits is still denied (or if you were denied benefits because you failed to retain the services of a College Station Social Security attorney prior to filing your claim), there is still hope. A College Station Social Security lawyer can represent you through each stage of the disability appeal process, increasing your chances of successfully overturning the SSA's decision to deny your disability benefits.
The first stage of a disability appeal is called a Request for Reconsideration. Your attorney will have to file this request within 60 days of your denial of benefits. It is important to remember, however, that this request will more than likely be denied. In fact, fewer than 20 percent of reconsideration requests are granted by the Social Security Administration. Once this request has been denied by the SSA, you and your lawyer will be able to request a disability hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ).
The good news is that nearly two-thirds of disability cases are decided in favor of the disability applicant when heard by an ALJ. However, your chances of your particular case being won depend on your hearing strategy and the administrative law judge to whom your case is assigned. You will definitely want a College Station disability attorney working on this hearing for you. Statistics show that applicants who attend a hearing with proper legal representation are much more likely to be awarded benefits than applicants who choose to represent themselves.
A College Station disability lawyer can also help disability applicants in the areas of Angleton, Brenham, Bryan, Galveston, Houston, McAllen, and Pasadena.
If you are interested in obtaining a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case, or to get more information about hiring a College Station Social Security Disability attorney to assist you in your disability claim, click here.
