El Paso Social Security Attorney
Each and every year, millions of Americans face disabling conditions that will prevent them from being able to work. The inability to work and the resulting lack of income can be financially devastating to an individual and his or her family. To make matters worse, only about 30 percent of Social Security Disability applications filed each year are approved at the initial stage of the application process. The remaining 70 percent of applicants must go through a lengthy and exhaustive appeal process in order to obtain the Social Security Disability benefits they so desperately need. If you are applying for disability benefits in the El Paso area and want to increase your chances of being awarded disability benefits, you may want to consider retaining the services of an El Paso Social Security attorney.
While El Paso's economy used to be centered around copper refining, the manufacturing industry currently plays the leading role in the city's economy. Food production, construction materials, clothing, medical equipment, electronics and plastics are the core of El Paso's manufactured products. Farming also contributes to the city's economy with cotton, fruit, vegetables, livestock and pecans being significant agricultural products. El Paso is home to more than 70 Fortune 500 companies including Boeing, Delphi and The Hoover Company. The city's economy is also significantly impacted by Fort Bliss, which is the site of the U.S. Army's Air Defense Artillery Center. The economic impact of Fort Bliss on the El Paso economy is estimated to be more than $1 billion.
Applying For El Paso Social Security Disability Benefits
There are approximately 233,000 individuals in El Paso's labor force. As of 2008, there were approximately 511,000 individuals in the State of Texas receiving Social Security Disability benefits (3.4 percent of the state population). The average monthly benefit amount was $1,050.30. The average time it takes to process an application for disability benefits in the State of Texas is 351 days. While that is much better than some areas of the country, it still means that many Social Security Disability applicants have to wait about a year before their disability benefits begin. When you are unable to work and have no source of income, having to wait a year or more for disability payments can wreak havoc on your family's finances. Hiring an El Paso Social Security lawyer may increase your chances of receiving disability benefits earlier in the application process.
If you have been denied at the initial stage of the Social Security Disability application process, hiring an El Paso Social Security Disability attorney should be your next step. A disability attorney will review your case and will help you determine for which disability benefits you qualify. He or she will then handle all of the paperwork necessary to file an appeal and will compile all of the proper medical documentation to prove your disability claim. If necessary, your El Paso Social Security Disability lawyer may also obtain expert medical opinions pertaining to your disability to help strengthen your claim for benefits.
Your El Paso disability attorney will also prepare you for a hearing before the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), if necessary. This is the stage of the appeal process where most disability applicants have benefits awarded to them. In fact, it is estimated that as many as two-thirds of disability applicants are awarded benefits at this stage of the appeal process. Your chances of having a hearing decided in your favor are greatly increased with proper legal representation. Your El Paso disability lawyer will help you prepare for the hearing, gathering all of the evidence the ALJ will need to award you benefits and providing you with expert advice on how you should answer questions and how you should respond to the ALJ. If, for some reason, you are not awarded benefits at this stage of the appeal process, your El Paso Social Security attorney can advise you of the next steps and can represent you through further appeals.
Hiring and El Paso Disability Attorney
Many people avoid hiring an El Paso Social Security lawyer due to cost. These individuals assume that it will be too expensive to hire proper legal representation. The fact of the matter is that hiring a Social Security Disability attorney does not require you to incur any up-front expense. Your attorney will be paid a percentage of the back pay you receive from the SSA. In fact, the SSA will pay your lawyer directly so the cost of hiring an El Paso Social Security Disability lawyer will not impact you directly. Your El Paso disability attorney will be paid either 25 percent of your back payment amount or $6,000 (whichever is less). This amount will be taken directly from your back pay benefit amount and will be sent to your lawyer on your behalf. If you do not win your claim for disability benefits, your lawyer will not be paid. Not only does this make it more affordable to hire an El Paso disability lawyer, but it also gives your El Paso Social Security attorney a personal interest in winning your disability case.
Click here if you would like to receive a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case or to learn more about hiring an El Paso Social Security lawyer.
An El Paso Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in El Paso County and Hudspeth County: Fort Bliss, Sunland Park, Santa Teresa, Prado Verde, Vinton, Westway, Anthony, Chaparral, Newman, Socorro, Sparks, and Horizon City.
