How to Prepare for Your Social Security Disability Hearing

• July 12, 2012
• Personal injury Blog

The Social Security Disability Hearing is conducted before a United States administrative law judge. This step affords applicants the best opportunity of getting an approval for their disability claim, after having been previously denied. It sometimes takes a year after the first application and, in many cases, is probably the most stressful part of the process. Since it is often the applicant’s best chance of getting his or her claim granted, he or she needs to be well prepared for the hearing.

Here isa quick guide on what you may want to do, and what you should consider bringing with you when you go to your social security disability hearing:

1. Get a Competent RI Social Security Disability Attorney.

You may want to hire a competent lawyer to represent you in your claim. A competent social security disability lawyer knows how to gather evidence and speed up the process by making use of his or her available resources.

2. Tell the Lawyer About Your Case.

Tell the attorney (if you choose to hire one) about your claim and the reasons you were denied (the reasons should be in the letter denying your claim) with your initial application and appeals. Be honest with the facts and do not leave out any detail, even those that seem immaterial for you.

3. Be Ready to Tell the Judge About Yourself

The first few questions are personal information, your family and other relevant things about your role and responsibilities, that gives the judge an idea about your responsibilities and your general capacity to perform such responsibilities under normal circumstances.

4. Be Prepared to Talk About Your Past Work.

The administrative law judge will need to know about your past jobs and how you accomplished each of these jobs. The court needs to know how long you worked at each job, what the job entailed, how much physical labor or capacity was needed, the skills required, and other questions that will give an idea as to the requirements that your past relevant work involved. Prepare all the materials that you will need, including contracts, licenses and other certificates that serve as proof of your current job.

5. Be Prepared to Talk About Your Medical Condition.

You may need to prepare all the medical records, documents, reports, bills, and doctor’s assessment about your current and future medical state. You may need to show the treatments that you are getting and the procedures that are planned for you in the future. You may have to state why, or how, medications, treatment, or your condition limit your ability to work.

Have You or a Loved One Been Denied Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?

If you or a loved one feel you have been wrongly denied Social Security Disability insurance after a work-related injury, you may want to speak with Rhode Island attorney regarding a potential claim. d’Oliveira & Associates, RI Social Security Disability lawyers can help you make important personal and legal decisions.

Please contact the law offices of d’Oliveira & Associates at 1-800-992-6878 or fill out a contact form for a free legal consultation.

Paul d’Oliveira

Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.

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