Richmond Social Security Attorney
Richmond was established in 1737 and is a city filled with history. The site now occupied by Richmond was settled by English colonists from the colony of Jamestown in 1609-1611. During the Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech in Richmond. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in Richmond. This document was the basis for the doctrine of the separation of church and state and for freedom of religion in the United States. Jefferson and Charles-Louis Clerisseau designed the Virginia State Capitol Building. During the Civil War, Richmond was the capital city of the Confederacy, but fell to the Union forces of General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865.
The Richmond metropolitan area has a population of over one million, while the city itself has almost 200,000 residents. Law, finance, and government drive the economy. Richmond is home to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Many federal, state, and local governmental agencies are also located in Richmond. Advertising has been a major contributor to the city’s economy since the 1960s. Several Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Richmond or nearby, and many visitors come to the area to see the city’s historic landmarks.
Richmond is home to a number of colleges and universities, including Virginia Commonwealth University, Stratford University, the University of Richmond, Virginia Union University, and Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education. The city also has several community colleges and technical schools, and two other large universities located in the metropolitan area.
Over half of Richmond’s residents are African-American. The next largest ethnic group is Caucasian. A third of residents are over the age of 45. Of the city’s children, a third live below the poverty line. 16% of the city’s senior citizens also live below the poverty line. 14.5% of those who receive Social Security benefits in Richmond are disabled.
Applying for Richmond Social Security Disability Benefits
Those who qualify for Social Security Disability benefits have disabilities that have lasted or are expected to last at least 12 months and which prevent them from working. The application for benefits is tedious, requiring applicants to submit a 15-year work history and complete medical documentation of their disability, including their response to treatment. Once filed, applicants face a months-long wait for their cases to be considered. At the end of this process, most disability cases are denied, requiring the applicant to appeal the decision and face yet another long wait.
Richmond residents who get help from a Richmond Social Security Disability attorney find the process much less onerous. A Richmond Social Security lawyer can help with every step of the disability application process, from preparing the initial application and its attachments to shepherding your case through the appeals process.
Your Richmond Social Security lawyer can give you valuable advice regarding whether or not to try to work while you wait for a decision and whether or not to continue medical treatment, even if that treatment does not appear to be helping you. Your Richmond Social Security lawyer can also give you an idea of the benefits you may be eligible for and will be able to answer your questions and concerns.
Hiring a Richmond Disability Attorney
Although most applications are denied at the initial stage, many of these denials are overturned when appealed. If you appeal, your Richmond disability attorney will be able to present your case effectively to the Administrative Law Judge. Your Richmond Social Security lawyer may give an opening statement, interview witnesses, and present additional evidence on your behalf.
If you have already applied for disability benefits and have been denied, your Richmond Social Security attorney can look into the feasibility of asking the SSA to reopen your case.
It has been shown repeatedly that your case will have a better chance of approval if you are represented by a Richmond Social Security lawyer rather than trying to represent yourself.
Click here to find out more about working with a Richmond disability attorney or to receive a free disability claim evaluation.
A Richmond Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in Richmond, Chesterfield County, Powhalan County, and Amelia County: Tuckahoe, Mechanicsville, Lakeside, Laurel, Glen Allen, Bensley, Bellwood, Chesterfield, Chester, Bon Air, East Highland Park, Highland Springs, Ashland, and Hopewell.
