St. Charles Social Security Attorney
There are thousands of people who live and work in St. Charles, Missouri. These people work hard to make ends meet, often living from paycheck to paycheck. If these paychecks stop, the bills begin to pile up out of control and it can be nearly impossible to make ends meet. Unfortunately, it is sometimes out of a worker’s control whether or not they are able to continue earning a paycheck, as is the case when a disability arises. In these situations, Social Security Disability benefits are supposed to help, but that is not always the case. Oftentimes a St. Charles disability applicant has to fight for the disability benefits that he or she is entitled to. That is why it is important to consult with a St. Charles Social Security Disability attorney prior to filing your Social Security Disability application.
St. Charles is the third-oldest city located west of the Mississippi River and for a time the city served as the State Capitol. The city benefits from a diverse economy with the entertainment, medical, government and education sectors playing a vital role in St. Charles’ economic well being. Some of the area’s top employers include Ameristar Casinos, SSM St. Joseph Health Center, St. Charles County, Boeing and Lindenwood University. The median household income in St. Charles is approximately $51,000 while the cost of living index is nearly ten percent lower than the national average.
Applying for St. Charles Social Security Disability Benefits
Many St. Charles Social Security Disability applicants wonder why it takes so long to be approved for Social Security Disability benefits. The fact of the matter is that only about 30 percent of the initial applications that are received by the Social Security Administration are actually approved. The remaining 70 percent of applicants must endure a long and stressful disability appeal in order to obtain the benefits they are entitled to.
A Social Security Disability appeal usually consists of two stages including a request for reconsideration and a disability hearing. A disability hearing is usually necessary due to the fact that nearly 90 percent of reconsideration requests are also denied by the Social Security Administration. Unfortunately, the office that is in charge of scheduling disability hearings for St. Charles disability applicants is experiencing a significant backlog. Because of this backlog, it takes a St. Charles disability applicant approximately 475 days to be scheduled for a hearing from the date of their request. Once the hearing has been conducted, it takes another two to three months before an applicant is notified regarding the outcome of that hearing.
Hiring a St. Charles Disability Attorney
When you hire a St. Charles Social Security Disability lawyer, your lawyer can help ensure that your initial disability claim is presented to the Social Security Administration in the best light possible by helping you complete your application paperwork and reviewing the objective medical evidence that you have acquired. This will increase your chances of receiving an approval during the initial stage of the application process.
If your application for Social Security Disability benefits is denied, even with the help of a St. Charles Social Security attorney, you can still benefit from your attorney’s representation during the appeal process. It may take some time, but you may be able to appeal the SSA's decision to deny your claim, eventually obtaining the disability benefits you need.
If your initial disability claim is denied, the first thing your St. Charles Social Security lawyer will do is file a request for reconsideration. Unfortunately, chances are that this request is going to be denied as well and serves little more than to add another three to six months of waiting for benefits to arrive. Once your request has been denied, your attorney can request a disability hearing before an administrative law judge. The good news is that with proper legal representation, your chances of being awarded benefits as a result of this hearing are greater than not being awarded benefits.
Your St. Charles disability attorney will help prepare you for your hearing on both a medical and personal level. He or she will make sure that the judge who will be overseeing your case is presented with all of the evidence that will be needed to approve your disability claim and your lawyer will advise you in regards to what you should expect at this hearing and how you should respond to the questions that are asked by the administrative law judge. While you are technically allowed to represent yourself before the administrative law judge, statistics have proven that your chances of being awarded benefits are greater with proper legal representation.
If you are interested in obtaining an evaluation of your Social Security Disability case, click here for your free Social Security Disability evaluation and to get more information about hiring a St. Charles Social Security Disability lawyer.
