There are a few dozen categories of law in the United States. Each one is very complex and has thousands, sometimes even millions of pages of code. This is why you will usually see attorneys specialize in just a couple areas of law. And these will usually overlap in some way.
For example, a family attorney may handle trusts, estate planning, and elder law. A personal injury attorney may also be a licensed mediator and so on.
Most attorneys charge fees based on an hourly rate or case. However, some attorneys, like personal injury and disability attorneys, only bill you if you win your case or are approved for disability. In the case of personal injury, they usually get a % of the total award. This can range from 20% – 40%. A disability attorney’s fees is a different ball of wax though. They get a small % of each payment until their bill is paid off. And, by law, they can never bill more than $9800.
“Capping the amount injury attorneys can bill helps protect the client.” said Maria, a disability attorney in Melbourne, FL. She went onto say “Disability attorneys don’t choose this type of law to practice to get rich. They usually do it because they care about people.”
And the results speak for themselves. People who hire disability attorney are twice as likely to be approved for payments. They are also twice as likely to win an appeal should they be denied. 90% of people asked admitted that they were happy they hired a disability attorney to handle their case instead of going at it alone. That is a pretty good success rate.
Approximately 2 million people will file for disability in the United States this year. Only about 1/4 of them will be approved on the first try. Less than that will win on appeal. With only 50,000 case workers, SSA agents don’t have time to do a great deal of “hands on” follow up. They simply approve or reject the case depending on what they see in front of them.
An attorney gathers all of the medical records, puts them in order, and files the application using best practices. This basically streamlines the process and improves the overall odds of approval by double. Once the payments start coming in, the attorney takes a small percentage until their bill is satisfied. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Stats and Figures for Disability in the United States
Approximately 8 million disabled workers in the United States currently receive monthly disability payments through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. Including dependent spouses and children, the total number of people receiving financial support through SSDI rises to well over 10 million.
Beyond SSDI, millions of Americans rely on the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which provides financial assistance to adults and children with disabilities who have limited income and resources. Because many individuals qualify for and receive both SSDI and SSI, total government disability rolls can vary. The Social Security Administration publishes detailed data and reports on the exact number of people receiving federal benefits.
Bottom Line
If you are looking for the best opportunity to win your legal case, of any kind, an attorney makes the outcome much more productive. This goes for disability applications as well.
No one in their right mind would go to trial to defend themselves in a criminal case or to prosecute a serious injury case, would they? Why would you trust yourself to handle something which you plan on relying upon for the rest of your life?
Disability payments can often times mean the difference between being able to stay housed, clothed and fed or not. An attorney simply gives you the best shot at ensuring that this doesn’t happen to you.
SSDI and SSI exist so that you find yourself going hungry or unsheltered. They are the safety net programs built into to law to ensure that you have the best chance of not ending up destitute because of an injury or ailment.
You essentially double your chances of becoming approved by the Social Security Administration when you retain the services of a professional licensed attorney who specializes in disability law. This same attorney can oftentimes help you set up a financial plan so that there is a steady stream of money coming in every month. The idea is that no disabled person should be left behind. An SSI or SSDI attorney’s job is to make sure that this doesn’t happen. Look into it today if you are considering filing for disability.
