Spokane Social Security Attorney
Spokane, WA, a city of about 205,000, is located on the Spokane River in eastern Washington, about one hundred miles south of the Canadian border. A trading post in the area was the first non-native settlement, becoming the center of the fur trade between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Mountains. In the late 1800s, gold and silver were discovered nearby, and the region continues to be mined today. The town of Spokane Falls was established in 1871, being officially incorporated ten years later as “Spokane”. The population grew rapidly once the Northern Pacific Railway was completed in 1881. Today Spokane is the second largest city in the state of Washington.
Spokane’s economy has traditionally been based on abundant natural resources, including produce, timber, and mining. Over the course of the twentieth century, Spokane’s economy grew and declined based on the demand for these products. The city began to slowly diversify, finally uprooting the railway lines, depots, and warehouses that were located downtown and hosting the 1974 world’s fair, Expo ’74. After the fair closed, the fairgrounds were turned into Riverfront Park. After yet another economic decline in the recession of the early 1980s, Spokane blossomed again as high-tech and biotech companies began to migrate to the city. Now Spokane is also home to a number of technology companies. Top employers in the city are found in the areas of health, education, and social services as well as in the mining, construction, and manufacturing sectors. A number of large corporations such as Cisco and Kaiser Aluminum are found in the area as well.
Citizens of Spokane enjoy many natural attractions close to the city, from Glacier National Park to the Columbia River Gorge. Nearby lakes and rivers give locals plenty of places to fish, swim, and kayak, and many enjoy skiing, hiking, and biking in the mountains. Spokane has a lively arts culture, and also offers residents a theater company, a symphony orchestra, an opera house and a jazz orchestra.
Most of Spokane’s population is Caucasian and a quarter of its citizens holds a bachelor’s degree or higher. Over 34% of Spokane’s residents are age 45 or older. 19% of the city’s children and 10% of its seniors live below the poverty line. 16% of those receiving Social Security benefits in Spokane are disabled.
Applying for Spokane Social Security Disability Benefits
You could be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits if you have been disabled for at least 12 months or if your disability is expected to last at least 12 months and if it is severe enough to prevent you from working. Some disability applicants qualify for benefits because their disabilities meet the requirements of Social Security’s disability listings. Others have disabilities that do not meet the listings, but are still entitled to benefits distributed as a vocational allowance. In order to find out if your disability qualifies for federal assistance, and to determine what sort and how much assistance you can receive, it is a good idea to contact a Spokane Social Security Disability lawyer.
Your Spokane Social Security attorney can also talk to you about your work situation and about whether to continue to see your doctors once your application is filed. A Spokane disability lawyer can also help you complete the initial application and obtain the medical documentation you will need to attach to that application. He or she can keep track of filing deadlines and, if your case is denied, can help you appeal the decision. If you have already applied and been denied, it is possible that your Spokane Social Security lawyer can ask for your case to be reconsidered.
Hiring a Spokane Disability Attorney
Most Social Security Disability claims are denied initially. At the appeals level many of these denials are reversed. If your case is appealed, your Spokane Social Security Disability attorney can give you advice concerning the best way to present your case. As your representative, your Spokane Social Security Disability lawyer can do the following on your behalf: call witnesses, present evidence, and give a statement explaining your situation to the judge. Applicants who use a Social Security attorney are more likely to have their disability benefits approved than those who choose to represent themselves.
A Spokane Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in Spokane County, Pend Oreille County, Stevens County, Ferry County, Lincoln County, Adams County, and Whitman County: Town And Country, Fairwood, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Reardan, TumTum, Country Homes, Millwood, Green Acres, Liberty Lake, Otis Orchards-East Farms, Mica, Spangle, and Deer Park.
