Pawtucket Social Security Attorney
In 2012 the Social Security Administration will receive millions of claims for Social Security Disability benefits. In the State of Rhode Island, more than five percent of the population receives monthly disability payments from the Social Security Administration and thousands more are expected to apply this year. Unfortunately, most of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island applications who apply for benefits will be denied during the initial stage of the disability claim process. Statistics have shown that the Social Security Administration denies approximately 60 to 70 percent of the initial claims that it receives each year. These denied applicants must then go on to file an appeal in order to obtain the disability benefits they are rightfully entitled to. If you hope to successfully obtain the Social Security Disability benefits you need in order to make ends meet, the services of a Pawtucket Social Security Disability attorney may be in order.
The economy of Pawtucket has not been without its challenges. The unemployment rate of the city is at 12 percent as opposed to the national average of 9.10 percent. Job growth has also declined, with a rate of negative 1.39 percent as opposed to the national average of negative 0.12 percent. The future is looking up, however, with job growth expected to increase 25 percent over the next ten years. The median household income in Pawtucket is approximately $39,000 while the cost of living index is 21 percent higher than the national average.
Applying for Cranston Social Security Disability Benefits
It will take the average Pawtucket disability applicant approximately two years to obtain Social Security Disability benefits. This is due to the fact that the majority of Pawtucket applicants are denied during the initial stage of the application process, which can take up to six months to complete. Once an applicant is denied benefits at this stage, they must file a Request for Reconsideration. This, again, can take up to six months to complete and fewer than 20 percent of these requests are granted by the Social Security Administration.
Once a Pawtucket applicant has completed the initial application process and the Request for Reconsideration stage of appeals, they are six months to one year into the disability claim process. They must then file for a disability hearing before an administrative law judge. The offices that are in charge of scheduling hearings for disability applicants are known as Offices of Disability Adjudication and Review (or ODAR). The ODAR office that schedules disability hearings for Pawtucket disability applicants is located in Providence. It takes this office an average of 342 days to schedule a hearing before an administrative law judge. The lengthy wait time is due to the fact that there are a number of appeals currently backlogged in the Social Security system. Once the hearing has been conducted, it will take an applicant another two to three months to be notified regarding the decision the judge has made.
Hiring a Cranston Disability Attorney
If you want to increase your chances of being awarded benefits during the initial stage of the application process, thereby avoiding the need for a Social Security Disability appeal, your best bet is to retain the services of a Pawtucket Social Security Disability lawyer. These professionals will best know how to prepare your application and will help you gather the evidence that the SSA will need in order to approve your claim for the disability benefits you need. If you are denied benefits, your Pawtucket Social Security attorney can represent you through each stage of the disability appeal process, increasing your chances of overturning the SSA’s decision to deny your disability benefits. The laws pertaining to Social Security Disability claims can be complex and are constantly changing. Statistics have shown that applicants who obtain legal representation are more likely to be awarded benefits than applicants who try to represent themselves through this complicated process.
Fortunately, the services of a Pawtucket Social Security lawyer do not have to be cost prohibitive. These lawyers work on a contingency basis, collecting either 25 percent of the back pay you are awarded by the Social Security Administration or $6,000 (whichever is less). For example, if you were awarded $20,000 in back pay, your Pawtucket disability attorney would receive $5,000 of that amount. If you were awarded $40,000 in back pay, the attorney would only receive $6,000 rather than the full 25 percent. If you do not win your disability case, your attorney does not get paid.
Click here if you would like to learn more about hiring a Pawtucket Social Security Disability lawyer and to receive a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case.
