Can Getting Help From an SSDI Expert Speed Up Your Case?

Hiring an advocate to represent you during the Social Security disability application and appeals process might speed up the process. While having an advocate doesn’t put you on a special fast track, disability advocates know a thing or two that can get a faster decision on your claim.

Getting Approved at the Application Stage

The fastest way to receive benefits is to get an approval from Social Security on your original application for disability benefits. If you miss this chance, you’ll have to appeal the decision, which can take more than a year. When you have an advocate’s expertise in knowing what Social Security is looking for, you have a better chance of winning benefits during the initial application process.

If you can find an advocate to represent you at this stage, they can:

• fill out your application so that it clearly demonstrates how you “meet a listing” (or equal a listing) or are not able to perform any work
• remove or explain any inconsistencies that might hurt your claim
• gather the right medical evidence to show that you have the impairments you claim to have, and
• request help from your doctor in a way that will help your case (using the terminology Social Security is looking for).

Without help, applicants often make mistakes that are hard to correct, from overestimating what they can still do to overstating past job skills.

An advocate, however, will likely only take your case at this early stage if they think you have a good chance of winning.

Getting You Approved Without a Hearing

If your original application is denied, the next fastest way to receive benefits is to have an “on the record” (OTR) decision. Instead of waiting for a hearing, an advocate or attorney who specializes in Social Security disability can:

• write a clear and concise brief that explains why you should receive benefits
• try to obtain information from your doctor that’s been requested by Social Security
• write and submit a proposed decision for the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), and
• speak to the Attorney Adjudicator about the merits of your case.

Is Getting an Expert’s Help Worth It?

While there are few magic ways to speed up your Social Security disability application, hiring an advocate or attorney can help increase your likelihood of being approved for benefits at each stage, which means less time waiting to receive your benefits.

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