Gastonia Social Security Attorney
Applying for Gastonia Social Security Disability Benefits
When a Gastonia, North Carolina worker is paid by their employer a portion of their paycheck goes into the Social Security system. When these workers are faced with a long-term or permanent disability, they are no longer able to earn an income in order to pay for their living expenses. During times like this, Gastonia count on Social Security Disability benefits to help them make ends meet. What many of these individuals do not realize is that actually obtaining disability benefits from the Social Security Administration is not as simple as just applying for them. In fact, nearly 70 percent of the disability applicants who apply for such benefits are denied during the initial stage of the application process. If you want to increase your chances of obtaining disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, you may want to consider retaining the services of a Gastonia Social Security Disability attorney.
Gastonia’s economy is fueled by the education, health services, transportation, utility, professional services, manufacturing and hospitality sectors. Some of Gastonia’s top employers include Gastonia County Schools, Caromont Health Care, Wal-Mart, Freightliner and Gastonia College. The median household income in Gastonia is nearly $55,000, which is well above the national average of $48,753. Even though the median household income is higher than the U.S. average, the cost of living index is 7.8 percent lower than the national average.
Hiring a Gastonia Disability Attorney
Hiring a Gastonia Social Security Disability lawyer to represent you in your disability claim may increase your chances of obtaining a favorable decision during the initial stage of the disability claim process. This can result in the ability to avoid the need for a disability appeal. A Gastonia Social Security attorney will know how to best prove your case to the Social Security Administration, what medical evidence you will need to provide and how to properly present your application for the best chance of an approval. If, for some reason, your initial application disability benefits is still denied, even with the help of an attorney, your Gastonia Social Security lawyer will be able to represent you through each stage of the lengthy and complicated 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. Unfortunately, more than 80 percent of these requests are also denied by the Social Security Administration. When and if this request is denied, your Gastonia disability attorney will request a hearing before an administrative law judge. This is the stage of the appeal process where you will have the best chance of overturning the SSA’s decision to deny the disability benefits you have been fighting for.
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 a Gastonia Social Security attorney if you want to have the best chance of overturning the SSA's decision to deny your disability benefits. Statistics have shown that you are more likely to be awarded benefits as a result of your hearing if you are represented by a Gastonia disability attorney during the hearing process.
If your Social Security Disability hearing does not result in an approval of your disability benefits, your Gastonia 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 appeal, most applicants will not be granted benefits as a result of this appeal stage. 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 Gastonia Social Security Disability applicants worry that they will not be able to afford the services of a Gastonia Social Security attorney. The truth is that these legal services will not incur any up-front expense out of your own pocket. Gastonia disability attorneys work on a contingency basis, collecting either 25 percent of the back pay that you are awarded by the Social Security Administration or $6,000 (whichever is less). For example, if you are awarded $4,000 in back payments, your attorney would collect $1,000 and you would receive the remaining $3,000. If you were awarded $30,000, your attorney would collect only $6,000 instead of the full 25 percent. Not only does this mean the services of a lawyer are affordable, but it 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 a Gastonia Social Security Disability attorney.
