Des Moines Social Security Attorney
Des Moines is the largest city in Iowa, with a population of 203,433 according to the 2010 U.S. census. The surrounding metropolitan area has approximately 600,000 inhabitants. Des Moines began as a U.S. army fort, constructed at the convergence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, its mission being to oversee the Sauk and Meskwaki Indians who had been relocated to the area in 1843. Ft. Des Moines was later abandoned but settlement continued. In the spring of 1851, most of the town’s buildings were swept away in a great flood. The city was incorporated in the fall of 1851 as Ft. Des Moines. The city’s name was later shortened to Des Moines and it became the state capital shortly thereafter.
The city prospered once the railroad came through in 1866. Mining became the mainstay of the town’s economy. After mining and industry declined in the 1950s, Des Moines struggled to survive. However, the city’s economy gradually began to recover and white collar professions took the place of the closed factories and mines. Today, Des Moines is home to the insurance, finance, and publishing industries, with companies such as Principal Financial Group, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Wells Fargo, and Monsanto having major operations or headquarters there.
Des Moines is home to the Iowa caucuses, which are the first electoral event in the presidential nominating process. Des Moines also has an active cultural life, with several museums, professional theater venues, an opera, a symphony orchestra, and a ballet being located in the city. Each summer Des Moine’s Metro Arts Alliance produces Jazz in July, an event that features free jazz shows daily during the month of July.
Applying for Des Moines Social Security Disability Benefits
Des Moines’ population is overwhelmingly Caucasian, with a sprinkling of other ethnic groups. 33% of residents are age 45 or older. 15% of its children and 7.5% of its elders live below the poverty line. Disabled residents of Des Moines account for 13.5% of those who receive Social Security benefits.
Preparing an application for disability benefits requires a lot more detail than you might think. One of the attachments is a 15-year work history. Another is a complete medical history of your disability, including not only your diagnosis and your prognosis, but also your treatment and response to that treatment. To help you and your doctors assemble the correct medical documents, the SSA’s Blue Book has “listings” for each disability which detail the reports and medicals tests required to be recognized. Obtaining these records can be time consuming, confusing, and frustrating, especially if you have difficulty understanding the medical and technical terminology used in the SSA listings.
Hiring a Des Moines Disability Attorney
One good reason to get help from a Des Moines Social Security lawyer is being able to rely on your lawyer’s expertise in ordering the required medical records and in ensuring that you receive a correct and complete medical history. A disability claim can be delayed or denied due to incorrect or incomplete medical records.
Another good reason to enlist the aid of a Des Moines Social Security attorney is that your lawyer will be very helpful if your claim is taken to the appeals level, as many are. It is a fact that most initial disability claims are denied and therefore must be appealed. Your Des Moines disability lawyer will help you file your appeal in a timely fashion, explain the appeals process to you, and present your case to the Administrative Law Judge in the most effective way. Your Des Moines disability attorney will speak for you at the hearing, call and question witnesses, and present any new evidence to the ALJ.
Statistics show that securing representation from a Des Moines Social Security attorney will improve your chances of winning your disability claim. Federal law regulates legal fees charged by your Des Moines Social Security disability lawyer, limiting them to 25% of your back claims or $6,000 (whichever is less), but you will not owe your lawyer any fees unless your disability claim is approved.
To learn more about hiring a Des Moines disability attorney or to receive a free case evaluation, click here.
A Des Moines Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in Polk County, Warren County, Marion County, Jasper County, Story County, Boone County, Dallas County, and Madison County: Urbandale, Pleasant Hill, Altoona, Saylorville, Johnston, Grimes, Clive, Waukee, Cumming, Norwalk, Carlisle, Ankeny, Bondurant, Polk City, Indianola, Madrid, and Huxley.
