If you have suffered from a severe disability and are unable to work due to your condition, the financial ramifications can become overwhelming to say the least. Without any means of income, the bills begin to pile up and the light at the end of the tunnel slowly disappears. To compound matters, disability-related medical expenses add to the financial burden.
Fortunately, Social Security Disability benefits may be able to help. The only problem is that approximately 70 percent of initial disability claims are denied by the Social Security Administration. If you would like to increase your chances of obtaining disability benefits from the SSA, you should consider retaining the services of a Garland Social Security attorney.
Garland, Texas is home to approximately 222,000 residents with a median household income of about $50,000. Garland is a suburb of the Dallas-metro area and many of the area residents commute to Dallas for work opportunities. The area's economy is heavily influenced by technology industries, financial services, telecommunications and transportation. The manufacturing industry also provides a number of job opportunities to Garland-area residents.
Applying for Garland Social Security Disability Benefits
The State of Texas has a population of approximately 15 million. Of these, about 3.4 percent receive Social Security Disability benefits. The average monthly disability payment in the State of Texas is $1,050.30. Unfortunately, it takes Garland-area disability applicants an average of 310 days to be approved for disability benefits.
This is due to the fact that the majority of disability applications are denied during the initial stage of the application process, which only takes three to four months to complete. The appeal process is much longer and involves significant wait times for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. While the 310-day average in Garland is lower than many areas of the nation, it is still too long for some applicants to wait for disability benefits. Working with a Garland Social Security Disability lawyer may increase your chances of being approved for benefits during the initial stage of the application process and may reduce the amount of time it takes to receive disability benefits from the SSA.
Working with a Garland Social Security attorney can increase your chances of a successful Social Security Disability application. Your attorney will work with you to help gather the medical evidence needed to support your disability claim by making you aware of the medical resources available in Garland.
He or she will also ensure that all of the information is presented properly to the SSA, increasing your chances of an approval at the initial application stage. If, for some reason, your application for disability benefits is denied, your Garland Social Security lawyer can help you file a successful disability appeal.
The disability appeal process is often stressful, overwhelming and lengthy. Statistics show that individuals who have legal representation during this process are more likely to receive benefits than those who choose to represent themselves. In the Garland area, less than twenty percent of applicants will win an appeal at the initial stage of the appeal process. This stage is called a Request for Reconsideration. The majority of applicants must pursue the hearing stage of the appeal process in order to obtain disability benefits. Fortunately, nearly two-thirds of claimants will win the appeal at the hearing stage.
While you can represent yourself at your disability hearing, statistics show that you are more likely to be awarded benefits if you have proper legal representation. Your attorney will gather the evidence that the Administrative Law Judge will need to overturn the SSA's decision to deny your disability claim. He or she may also retain expert witnesses to help you in your case.
Your Garland disability attorney will also help you prepare for your hearing on a personal level. He or she will explain what to expect at your hearing and how you should respond to the questions posed by the Administrative Law Judge. Your hearing is likely to go more smoothly if you have a Garland disability lawyer representing you during the process.
For more on disability benefits in Texas, see our page on How To Qualify For Disability Benefits In Texas.
Hiring a Garland Disability Attorney
Fortunately, hiring a Garland Social Security Disability attorney does not have to be cost prohibitive. Many of the individuals who are appealing a denied disability claim are already in a financial bind. The good news is that disability attorneys work on a contingency basis, collecting 25 percent of your disability back payment.
This amount will never exceed $6,000, no matter how much your back payment amount is. For example, if you are awarded $20,000 in back payments from the SSA, your attorney will receive $5,000 of that amount. If your back payment award is $40,000, then your attorney would only receive $6,000 and not the full 25 percent. If you do not win your disability claim, your lawyer does not get paid. This means that your Garland Social Security Disability lawyer has a personal interest in representing you to the best of his or her ability.
A Garland Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in Dallas County, Collin County, Denton County, Rockwall County, Kaufman County, Johnson County, Tarrant County, and Ellis County: Rockwall, Mesquite, Garland, Plano, Arlington, Fort Worth, Murphy, Carrollton, Grapevine, Rowlett, Irving, Grand Prairie, Lewisville, Wylie, Mckinney, Farmers Branch, Sachse, Flower Mound, Lucas, and Desoto.
