Hollywood, Florida is located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Many of the city’s inhabitants use Hollywood as a sleeper community, commuting to one of these cities for work. Additionally, Hollywood, like many Florida communities, is home (or part time home) to a large number of retirees.
About Hollywood, Florida
Much of the economy of Hollywood comes from its access to major ports on the Atlantic Ocean. Although two major cruise lines that ran operations from Hollywood have closed operations, the cruse industry remains important to the local economy.
The climate in the Hollywood area is tropical, and the city has access to nearly six miles of beach on the Atlantic. Like most of Florida, tourism is important to the economy, and many of the jobs available reflect this.
Roughly 22% of Hollywood residents have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, which is in keeping with state and national averages. Twenty-one percent of the population lives with a disability, which is somewhat higher than the national average. In part, this reflects the fact that Hollywood has a fairly sizeable retired population and the disability rates tend to be higher amongst older people. More than 76% of the working age disabled persons are able to continue working in some form of meaningful, gainful employment.
Applying for Hollywood Social Security Disability Benefits
Those who are completely disabled and unable to continue working should consider consulting a Hollywood Social Security attorney. The Social Security disability system offers several programs, such as SSI, SSDI, Medicaid and Medicare for disabled persons, but qualifying for them is often difficult.
If you are in need of medical treatment in order to prove your disability, check out these free or reduced cost medical clinics in Hollywood, FL.
Not only does the SSA demand that you prove that you are incapable of performing the last job you held, they also insist that you demonstrate that you can’t reasonably be expected to do any job which you’ve ever done before, especially those jobs which you’ve held in the last 15 years. Having a Hollywood disability attorney in your corner can make all the difference when trying to establish that you are, in fact, disabled.
Most claimants are initially denied disability. In fact, a full 70% of disability claims are turned down at first, leaving claimants to face a long, drawn out appeals process. This process includes a number of steps. While your appeal can be approved during any of the steps, your best chance to have a denial of benefits overturned is during your hearing before an administrative law judge. Even if you don’t use the services of a Hollywood Social Security disability attorney for the other stages of the process (and you should), you will definitely want a Hollywood Social Security lawyer representing you during your hearing.
Some people make the claims and appeals process more difficult on themselves than it needs to be by trying to go through it alone. This is often because people fear the cost of hiring a Hollywood Social Security disability lawyer. However, a Hollywood Social Security attorney does not collect anything unless your claim is approved.
Hiring a Hollywood Disability Attorney
Hollywood Social Security lawyers are limited regarding how and how much they can charge for representing you in your disability claim. Their compensation comes as a percentage of the back pay awarded to you. This percentage cannot exceed 25%. Your ongoing benefit payments are not affected at all.
Most Hollywood disability attorneys are happy to give you a free evaluation of your claim. They know exactly what kind of information the SSA adjudicators need to see on your claim forms and in your medical documentation in order to approve your claim. Even if you are clearly disabled and there is no question you will qualify for disability benefits, it’s still a good idea to have a Hollywood Social Security attorney look over your claim to ensure that everything is filed correctly and in good order.
A Hollywood Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, Collier County, and Hendry County. Dania Beach, Hallandale, Aventura, Ojus, Sunny Isles Beach, Ives Estates, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Hialeah, Cooper City, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Plantation, Oakland Park, Lauderdale Lakes, Miami, and Coral Gables.
For more on qualifying for disability benefits in Florida, see How To Qualify For Disability In Florida.