When a Lake Forest, California resident works and pays taxes, a portion of those taxes are paid into the Social Security system. These hard-working Lake Forest residents pay these taxes assuming that the disability benefits that the Social Security Administration provides will be there for them if and when they need them.
Unfortunately, when these individuals are faced with a long-term or permanent disability that prevents them from performing gainful work activity, they often discover that actually obtaining Social Security Disability benefits from the Social Security Administration is a lot more difficult than they had anticipated. If you are considering an application for Social Security Disability benefits in the Lake Forest, California area, you should consider the services of a Lake Forest Social Security Disability attorney prior to filing your Social Security Disability claim.
Applying for Lake Forest Social Security Disability Benefits
Lake Forest’s economy is stronger than many other areas in the nation. With an unemployment rate of only 6.3 percent (compared to a national average of 9.1 percent) it is apparent that job growth is steady in the area. Future job growth is anticipated to come in at 31.98 percent. The median household income in Lake Forest is more than $94,000. That is more than $60,000 more than the average median household income in the United States. The cost of living in Lake Forest California, however, is also 22.9 percent higher than the U.S. average.
According to the United States census bureau, California has a population of approximately 37,253,956. According to the Social Security Administration, approximately 908,442 of these residents receive Social Security Disability benefits. While the initial application process only takes three to four months to complete, the fact is that the average Lake Forest Social Security Disability applicant will wait well more than a year before seeing their first disability payment from the Social Security Administration.
This is largely due to the fact that the majority of disability claims are denied during the initial stage of the application process. As a result, most Lake Forest Social Security Disability applicants must pursue the disability appeal process, which (more often than not) includes a hearing before an administrative law judge. It can take nearly a year from the date of a hearing request for an applicant to actually receive their day in court. This is due to the number of backlogged Social Security Disability appeals in the Social Security system.
Fortunately, if you retain the services of a Lake Forest Social Security Disability lawyer, you may be able to avoid the need for a disability appeal. A Lake Forest Social Security attorney can help you prepare your disability application, ensuring that all of your forms are filled out properly and that you have enough medical evidence to support your claim for benefits from the Social Security Administration.
If your disability claim is denied, even with the help of a Lake Forest Social Security lawyer, your attorney can represent you through each stage of the Social Security Disability appeal process.
For more on disability benefits in California, see How To Qualify For Disability In California.
Hiring a Lake Forest Disability Attorney
While you can technically represent yourself during your Social Security Disability appeal, it is highly recommended that you seek out proper legal representation. Statistics have shown that applicants who obtain proper legal representation for the disability appeal process are more likely to be awarded benefits than applicants who choose to represent themselves.
A Lake Forest Social Security lawyer will know exactly what is required in order to provide you with the best chances of a successful Social Security Disability appeal. These professionals work on these cases on a daily basis and they have an in-depth understanding of the Social Security Disability hearing process and the laws that can be utilized to strengthen your disability case.
Your Lake Forest disability attorney will also be able to prepare you for your disability hearing, helping you understand how to best handle yourself at the hearing and how to answer the questions that will be asked by the administrative law judge.
Fortunately, hiring a Lake Forest disability lawyer does not have to be cost prohibitive. These professionals work on a contingency basis, collecting 25 percent of the back pay that you are awarded by the Social Security Administration (up to a maximum amount of $6,000). If you do not win your case, your attorney does not collect a fee. This ensures that you do not lose any money when pursuing your Social Security Disability case.
