Trenton Social Security Attorney
Applying for Trenton Social Security Disability Benefits
Each year, thousands of New Jersey residents apply for Social Security Disability benefits, including many from the state’s capital city of Trenton. Government is by far the city’s most prominent industry, with a large number of Trenton’s nearly 85,000 residents being employed by the State of New Jersey. Capital Health System and MJM Insurance Company also provide jobs for many of those residing in Trenton. According to the Social Security Administration, approximately 3.7% of New Jersey residents are disabled and currently receiving Social Security Disability benefits, with an average monthly payment of $1,254.60. The median household income in Trenton is $31,074, and the cost-of-living is just slightly higher than the national average.
Unfortunately, a large percentage of Trenton residents who apply for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income will have their claim denied. An average of 70% of Social Security Disability applicants nationwide receive a denial, which usually comes three to four months after the initial benefit application is filed. Although it can be discouraging to receive this, New Jersey Social Security Disability applicants can decrease the chances that their application will be denied by retaining the services of a Trenton Social Security Disability attorney. Although the Social Security Administration will usually obtain a claimant’s medical records on their own, each claims adjudicator (the Social Security Administration employees who make disability determinations) has a caseload of many, and they don’t always catch every important bit of evidence within a claim. A skilled Trenton disability lawyer can review your medical records and other evidence to be sure that it is all accounted for and being properly evaluated.
If a Trenton disability applicant receives a second denial (denial upon Reconsideration,) it can be even more essential to hire a competent Trenton Social Security lawyer. That’s because the third stage in the appeals process entails appearing for a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge. Although there are two additional appeals level that can be pursued if a claimant is again denied following an ALJ hearing, it is still the level at which the highest percentage of claims are approved. You will have significant time to prepare for this hearing, as the average wait out of the Pennsauken, NJ, office that schedules hearings for Trenton disability applicants is 343 days.
Although it can be a struggle to survive on little or no income for this long, the good news is that there is a fair amount that a New Jersey disability lawyer can do to prepare in the meantime. This includes preparing the claimant for the hearing, gathering updated medical records, obtaining written statements from their client’s doctors and family members, and drafting pre-hearing correspondence to the judge. At the hearing, you’ll appreciate having a helpful Trenton disability lawyer by your side as you answer the judge’s questions, and so that they can cross-examine any witnesses that the SSA may hire to appear.
Hiring a Trenton Disability Attorney
No matter the result of your hearing, you’ll still benefit from the services of a Trenton Social Security attorney. If the judge grants your disability application, you’ll appreciate having a professional look over your award letter to be sure that all calculations were done correctly. If the judge did not find in your favor, you’ll definitely need representation to proceed to Appeals Council, which is the next level in the process.
Hiring a Trenton Social Security Disability lawyer is relatively risk-free, because they work on a contingent fee basis. This means that your Trenton Social Security attorney will only receive a fee if your claim for benefits is granted, in which case they’ll be awarded 25% of your back benefits, up to a maximum of $6,000. There is no upfront cost to hire a Trenton disability attorney, and if your claim for benefits isn’t approved, you pay them nothing.
A Trenton Social Security Disability attorney will handle other Mercer County claims as well as those in Hunterdon, Somerset, and Middlesex counties, and nearby cities such as Ewing, Fort Dix, Trenton Gardens, Warner Village, Chewalla Park, Prospect Park, Croydon, Pennsylvania, and Bristol, Pennsylvania.
