Does Hiring A Disability Attorney Improved Your Chances of Success?

Yes, hiring a disability attorney or lawyer dramatically improves your chances of getting the Social Security/SSI disability benefits you paid for ... at least according to the federal government.

Frankly, I was amazed when I came across a 2004 study by the federal government's General Accounting Office (GAO). They found that:

“the odds of getting benefits for . . . claimants with attorney representation were three times higher than the odds of being allowed benefits for . . . claimants with no representation.”

The GAO advanced several reasons for the success of appplicants with attorneys:

• “Social Security staff lack the time to sufficiently explain program rules and procedures so that applicants can understand what ... information they need to document their case.”
• “Attorneys provide assistance with the development of evidence over and above SSA’s efforts to develop evidence”
• “Attorneys prepare their clients to improve their effectiveness and credibility as witnesses.”

Other reasons: Attorneys find evidence that is missing from Social Security’s files. Local lawyers often appear frequently before local SSA judges and know the judges' styles and preferences.