Social Security Disability In New York City

When New Yorkers are filing for disability, they often do not have the money or resources to pay out of pocket for an attorney. The Social Security Disability system takes care of this issue for you. The experienced attorneys at O’Connor Law, like all Social Security Disability attorneys, do not charge based on an hourly rate, nor a retainer. In fact, you never have to pay out of pocket for your social security disability lawyer to fight for you. Social Security Disability Attorneys work on a contingency basis. What this means is, if we are successful in getting you benefits, and those benefits include a lump-sum of back pay, we are paid a portion of those back-pay benefits. You never pay out of pocket, and we never take anything from your future benefits.

This is a question we get asked a lot and the answer is not one that you want to hear: it depends. If your claim is approved on the initial application, which few are, it can be a few months from beginning the process until you receive your first social security check. If the claim is denied and you have to file for reconsideration, a hearing, an appeal, etc. it will take longer.

We will take care of your Social Security Disability Initial Application for you, giving you a better chance of success at the initial application stage. While most of our clients find us after they have been denied at the initial application stage, attorneys across the country find that claimants have a better chance of success if they’re represented by an experienced social security lawyer during the entire process.

Yes, you can and should hire a New York City Social Security Lawyer if your initial application is denied. This is the hardest stage of the process to get through on your own and you can and should hire an experienced social security disability lawyer for this part of the process. You will need to gather medical evidence, other information about your work history and treatment for your conditions, and submit it to the judge before your hearing. A good social security lawyer will also review the questions a judge is likely to ask you at your hearing so that you understand what information the judge is looking for in order to make a decision on your claim.

This is the most common question we are asked as social security attorneys is: what are my chances of winning? This is a tough question to answer. The way a judge determines if a claimant qualifies for disability is using the 5-step process.

Ultimately, you need to have enough work credits to qualify for disability. You need to then prove that you have not worked, or will not be able to work for at least a year. Then you need to prove that according to the age bracket you fall in, you qualify as “disabled” under the social security laws. This is a complex decision that varies for every person.

The two ways a person qualifies as “medically disabled” is they either meet a listing in step 3, or they are found unable to work under step 5.

A social security listing is a specific condition that can qualify you for disability if you meet the exact requirements of the listing. For example, if you are diagnosed with anxiety, and you have medical documentation of 5 of the 9 symptoms listed, and these symptoms cause either a marked or severe limitation on 2 of the 4 areas of your life listed in the second part, you qualify for disability under the listing. While this is a very simplified explanation, it illustrates how narrow these listing can be. Many of the listings require specific tests to have ben performed, and everything needs to be documented by your doctor.

This causes problems for many clients as they may not have been able to afford to have those tests performed, the doctor may simply just not have ordered them, or the doctor may not have taken enough detailed notes on that specific issue.

This is why more of our clients who are successful in getting social security disability benefits are found disabled under steps 4 and 5 because there is no available work they can do in the economy.