Midland, Texas is home to thousands of hard-working American citizens. These people work faithfully, paying taxes out of each and every paycheck they receive. A portion of these taxes are paid to the Social Security Administration in return for retirement benefits and social security disability insurance.
Because of this, one would think that a long-term or permanent disability would easily qualify a disabled Midland worker for the disability benefits they need when an illness or injury occurs. Unfortunately, that is not usually the case. In fact, nearly 70 percent of the people who file claims with the SSA each year are denied disability during the initial application stage. How can you increase your chances of being approved for the disability benefits you may be entitled to? If you want the best chance of a successful claim outcome, you need to retain the services of a Midland Social Security Disability attorney.
The economy of Midland, Texas is mostly influenced by the oil industry, and the economy is most definitely flourishing. Due to the explosion of Midland's oil industry in recent years, a trickle effect has helped boost the tourism, real estate and manufacturing sectors as well. Some of the city's largest employers include the Midland Independent School District, Warren Equipment Companies, Patterson Drilling and Key Energy Services.
The median household income is estimated to be more than $54,000 per year with the average house costing approximately $130,000 and the median rent in the city being $861 per month.
Midland is home to nearly 110,000 Texas residents. In the State of Texas, approximately 3.4 percent of the population receives Social Security Disability benefits with an average monthly disability payment of $1,050.30 per month. Unfortunately, while this monthly disability benefit can help offset some of a disabled worker's financial burden, it will take a Midland disability applicant an average of 253 days to complete a claim for Social Security Disability benefits.
Applying for Midland Social Security Disability Benefits
Why is the average processing time for a Midland disability applicant 253 days if the initial claim process only takes three to four months to complete? The extensive processing times are due to the fact that the majority of Midland disability applicants are denied Social Security Disability benefits during the initial stage of the application process. This results in the need of a disability appeal, which will normally result in an appearance before an administrative law judge at a disability hearing.
For most Midland Social Security Disability applicants, a disability appeal will consist of two stages – a Request for Reconsideration and a hearing before an administrative law judge. The first stage, which is the reconsideration request, is almost always denied by the Social Security Administration. The second stage of appeals, which is the disability hearing, is what takes so long for Midland disability applicants to obtain an approval of their Social Security Disability benefits.
Disability hearings are scheduled by the SSA's Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, also known as ODAR. The ODAR office for Midland disability applicants is the Fort Worth hearing office and it takes this office an average of eight months just to schedule a disability hearing for a Social Security Disability applicant. If you want to avoid these wait times and increase your chances of being approved at the initial stage of the application process, you need to retain the services of a Midland Social Security Disability lawyer.
For more on disability benefits in Texas, see our page on How To Qualify For Disability Benefits In Texas.
Hiring a Midland Disability Attorney
When you hire a Midland Social Security attorney to represent you in your disability claim, he or she will go over your disability case with you. They will help you prepare your disability application and will gather the medical evidence that will be needed to prove your disability to the Social Security Administration. This will increase your chances of a favorable decision during the initial stage of the application process, but approval is not guaranteed. If your claim is denied, your Midland Social Security lawyer will represent you throughout each stage of your disability appeal.
If your claim for Social Security Disability benefits is denied, your Midland disability attorney will file the Request for Reconsideration with the Social Security Administration. In most cases, this request will not be granted and you will need to wait to have your case heard by an administrative law judge.
During this time, your Midland disability lawyer will begin gathering additional evidence to present to the administrative law judge and will begin preparing you for your disability hearing. Your lawyer will be explaining what you should expect at this hearing and how you should respond to the questions that are asked of you.
Once your hearing date arrives, your lawyer will be there to guide you and you will know what to expect thanks to the advice of your attorney. The good news is that nearly two-thirds of disability hearings are decided in the favor of the disability applicant, so the chances of receiving a favorable outcome and overturning the SSA's decision to deny your benefits are significantly higher at this time. Statistics also show that those who have proper legal representation at their disability hearing are much more likely to be awarded Social Security Disability benefits than those who do not.
A Midland Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in Midland County, Martin County, Glasscock County, Howard County, Andrews County, Ector County, and Upton County: Greenwood, Stanton, Odessa, Big Spring, Elbow, Andrews, Rankin, St. Lawrence, McCamey, Monahans, Thorntonville, Goldsmith, Lamesa, Lubbock, Klondike, Seminole, and Sweetwater.
