Claims
Social Security disability and SSI
Two programs, one test of whether you can work. I help with both, from the first forms to a hearing before a judge.
SSDI is for people who paid into Social Security through their jobs and can no longer work. SSI is for people with a disability and little income or savings, whether or not they worked. Many people qualify for one, some for both.
Either way, Social Security asks the same hard question: can you still do any job, not just the one you had? The answer is in your medical records, your work history and the way your days actually go. My job is to put those three in front of the people deciding, in an order they can follow.
SSDI: based on the work you paid into Social Security
SSI: based on need, with or without a work record
Help from the first forms, or after a denial
What I do on an SSDI or SSI claim
The same steps on every claim, whether you come to me before you apply or after a denial.
- 01
Gather every record
I request your records from each doctor, clinic and hospital you name, and keep asking until they arrive.
- 02
Build a medical timeline
One page per year of your illness or injury, so a reviewer sees how it has gone, not a stack of visits.
- 03
Ask your doctors the right questions
A short form your doctor can fill in, about what you can lift, how long you can sit and how often you'd miss work.
- 04
Prepare you for the hearing
We meet before the hearing and go over the questions a judge usually asks. I sit beside you and question any expert who testifies.
SSDI and SSI questions
Can I work part time while my claim is pending?
Sometimes, but earnings over a monthly limit can end the claim. Tell me before you take any job, and we'll look at the numbers together.
How far back can benefits go?
SSDI can pay back to when you became disabled, with a five-month waiting period and up to a year before you applied. SSI starts from the month after you applied. Your back pay depends on those dates.
What if my condition is mental, not physical?
Depression, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions count. The records look different, and I'll help your counselor or doctor describe what a hard week looks like.
Applying, or already denied?
Either way, start with the letter or the forms you have. I'll tell you what I'd do next.
No fee unless you're awarded past-due benefits. On a Social Security claim the fee is a share of back pay, capped and approved by Social Security; on a VA claim it's set in a written agreement filed with the VA. You may still owe small costs, such as fees some doctors charge to copy records, and I'll tell you before any come up.