If you live and work in the Temple, Texas area, chances are that you pay Social Security taxes. The funds that you pay are managed by the Social Security Administration and they are intended to help you meet your living expenses when you retire or if you should ever become disabled. If you do face a long-term or permanent disability that prevents you from performing gainful work activity, you are entitled to these benefits that you have paid for. Unfortunately, getting disability payments is not always easy to do.
Oftentimes Social Security Disability applicants find that they need the services of a Temple Social Security Disability attorney in order to obtain the disability payments that they are rightfully entitled to. If you live in the Temple, Arizona area, you may want to consider the services of a Temple Social Security Disability lawyer prior to filing your disability claim with the Social Security Administration.
According to the Milken Institute, the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area is among the top-five best-performing metro areas in the United States for the second year running. The institute ranks the cities throughout the United States by how well they create and sustain jobs and economic growth.
It would appear, according to the rankings by the Milken Institute, that Temple’s economy is thriving. This is probably due to the fact that the city benefits from a diverse economic base with heavy influence from the distribution, healthcare, warehousing and manufacturing industries as well as its strategic location.
Applying for Temple Social Security Disability Benefits
Temple is home to approximately 54,514 Texas residents. In the State of Texas, approximately 3.4 percent of the population is currently receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. Each of these disabled workers receives an average disability payment of $1,050.30 per month. Unfortunately most Temple residents will have to wait two years or longer before seeing their first payment. This needless wait can result in significant financial hardship for the disabled applicant and his or her family.
Why does it take so long for a Temple Social Security Disability applicant to see their first disability payment and what can be done about it?
Many Temple disability applicants are surprised to hear that it takes so long to begin receiving Social Security Disability benefits. They understand that the initial application process takes three to six months to complete and they expect to begin receiving benefits after that time. Unfortunately, what these applicants do not understand is that nearly 70 percent of disability claims are denied by the SSA during the initial stage of the application process, which results in the need for a disability appeal.
The Social Security Disability appeal process will normal consist of two stages – a reconsideration request and a disability hearing. Since nearly 90 percent of reconsideration requests are also denied, it is safe to say that most disability applicants must attend a disability hearing in order to obtain Social Security Disability benefits from the SSA.
The office that is in charge of scheduling disability hearings for Temple-area residents is located in the Dallas ODAR Office. It takes this ODAR office, on average, approximately 339 days just to schedule a hearing before an administrative law judge. Once the hearing has been conducted, it takes another two to three months for a claimant to be notified regarding the outcome of their hearing.
For more on disability benefits in Texas, see our page on How To Qualify For Disability Benefits In Texas.
Hiring a Temple Disability Attorney
If you want to increase your chances of receiving Social Security Disability benefits during the initial stage of the application process or, if necessary, overturning the SSA’s decision to deny your disability claim, you need the services of a Temple Social Security attorney.
A Temple Social Security lawyer can help you prepare your Social Security Disability application, ensuring that your paperwork has been filled out properly and that no vital information is missing. Your Temple disability attorney can also help you gather the medical evidence that will be needed in order to prove the extent of your disabling condition to the SSA.
If your initial claim for Social Security Disability benefits is denied, your Temple Social Security Disability attorney can help you overturn the SSA’s decision to deny your disability benefits. Your attorney will file your appeal paperwork for you and will work with you to prepare for your disability hearing. Your lawyer will also help you gather any additional medical evidence that may be needed for the administrative law judge in form HA-4632.
If you are interested in obtaining a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case or to get more information about hiring a Temple Social Security Disability attorney to assist you in your disability claim, please fill out the free evaluation form on this site.
