Applying for East Orange Social Security Disability Benefits
As with other U.S. cities, East Orange, New Jersey citizens who are disabled have the best chance of winning their Social Security Disability case when they hire an East Orange disability attorney to help them file and represent them at all levels of the application and appeals process.
Because of the difficulties of living in a poor neighborhood without many opportunities for self-advancement, an already bleak financial situation may become even worse without an East Orange Social Security Disability attorney to help you get the disability benefits you need.
About East Orange, New Jersey
The city of East Orange, New Jersey is home to 64,000 people and is located about two miles from the city of Newark, New Jersey. It is also part of the greater New York Metropolitan area. One distinguishing demographic feature of East Orange is that 89% of its population is Black or African American.
This represents the second largest city population percentage of Caribbean American and African American citizens in the state of New Jersey, and among the highest in the United States. Over 2,800 people in East Orange also identify themselves as Haitian Americans.
East Orange’s unemployment rate is high at 13%. Parts of the city are included in an Urban Enterprise Zone, an area which grants tax-free status to businesses who move into the area as an incentive to the development of an economically depressed or very poor area. Currently, most of the jobs in East Orange are located in sales and office settings, and education, health, and services are the top industries.
East Orange’s population of 64,000 people includes 10,800 from ages 21 to 64 who are disabled. Over 30% of 10,800 people who are disabled are unemployed, most likely a result of their disability. However, only 3,840 people are receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of their disabling condition.
One of the reasons for this is the statistically high rate of initial claims which are rejected by the SSA. The Social Security system has faced staffing and budget cutbacks in recent years while at the same time dealing with a staggering increase in the volume of claims needing to be evaluated, largely due to the Baby Boomer phenomenon.
This and other factors require the SSA to very carefully evaluate which claims are accepted for benefits. If your medical and vocational evidence does not present strong and conclusive proof that you not only have a disabling condition but are unable to perform any work because of it for at least 12 months, yours will likely be among the 70% of rejected claims.
Hiring an East Orange Disability Attorney
Having an East Orange Social Security lawyer to represent you is not only the best assurance of your benefits claim being accepted; it is highly affordable, a factor which is particularly important to residents of East Orange who may already be facing financial hardships. Your East Orange Social Security attorney will not collect any fees until you are awarded SSDI. Many attorneys also employ a no-fee policy if they are unable to help you win your disability claim.
If you are physically or mentally disabled and can no longer work because of it, you should file for Social Security Disability to get the help you need and qualify for. You can make the process faster, smoother, and more fail-safe by also hiring an East Orange disability lawyer. Your attorney will be able to get experts to testify at your hearing to prove how your condition has affected your ability to perform both skilled and unskilled work.
Even if you have already applied for SSDI and have been denied at the first level, contacting an East Orange Social Security Disability lawyer will help you correct mistakes and improve your case before you reach your appeals court hearing, further ensuring your receipt of disability benefits.