Resources

The final phase of your hearing is the closing argument of your Ocala Social Security disability attorney. If necessary, your attorney will summarize your case to the judge. This can be done either verbally or in writing. What Happens After the Hearing? As your Ocala Social Security disability lawyer will explain to you, once the disability hearing concludes, you must wait for the judge's decision. Some judges will render a decision from the bench at the conclusion of the hearing. However, this is rare. In most cases, a written decision is mailed to you and your Ocala Social Security disability attorney some time later. How Long Will I Have to Wait? There is really no way to predict how long a…Read More

During your disability hearing, your Ocala Social Security disability lawyer has an important role to play. Familiarizing yourself with this role is important in preparing for your hearing. Questions Your Ocala Social Security Disability Lawyer Will Ask Disability hearings usually take about one hour, although they can run as long as an hour and a half. During that time, your Ocala Social Security disability lawyers will ask many questions. You will likely already be prepared for these questions because of previous discussions with your Ocala Social Security disability attorney. However, your attorney will sometimes ask additional questions in order to clarify things for the judge, or to further explain issues affecting your case. Your Ocala Social Security Disability Lawyer and Witnesses Your…Read More

Following your testimony, any witnesses will be given the opportunity to testify and be questioned by your Ocala Social Security disability attorney and the judge. It is unlikely that you will get a decision at the completion of the hearing and should not expect one until several weeks later. Witnesses Your Ocala Social Security disability attorney will ask you to bring at least one witness to your hearing. This witness will be able to corroborate your account of your impairment and detail how he or she has seen it affect your life. In addition to your witnesses, your Ocala Social Security disability attorney will tell you to expect that a medical or vocational expert will testify as well. Closing Argument…Read More

You can prepare yourself for your disability hearing by learning exactly who will be present in the room. If you have someone you think should be there, discuss this in advance with your Ocala Social Security disability lawyer. Ocala Social Security disability attorneys know that hearings can seem intimidating, but that is not necessarily the case. Unlike in a courtroom, everyone present at the hearing will sit down informally at a conference table. The hearing is designed to help you be more relaxed and therefore more at ease being yourself. Sometimes, judges will call witnesses or doctors to offer testimony. If that happens, they will be at the table as well—along with you and your Ocala Social Security disability lawyer.…Read More

Disability determination depends on several important factors that the SSA will evaluate. Your Ocala disability lawyer will be an important resource to help you understand these factors and how they may affect your claim. Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) The SSA will evaluate your residual functional capacity (RFC) by assessing your ability to work with your impairment. SSA will then ask if, using your RFC, you are able to do any of the work you had done in the past 15 years. Your Ocala disability attorney will explain that if you cannot do any of this work, SSA will then label your work ability. This label comes from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Your work ability may be considered sedentary, light, or medium…Read More

What exactly is meant by the term "medically determinable impairment?" What does your physician's opinion of it mean to the Social Security Administration (SSA)? An Ocala disability attorney can answer these questions, as well as tell you how they affect your claim. Ocala Disability Attorneys Are Aware of How the Social Security Administration Views Impairment You may be happy to know that the SSA has a practical approach to what it considers impairment. If a physician can diagnose patients accurately by looking at more than just their symptoms, the SSA nearly always agrees that such a patient does indeed have a medically determinable impairment. In other cases, a patient simply explaining their symptoms is enough to warrant this determination. An Ocala…Read More

The term “disability” is specifically defined by the Social Security Administration (SSA). An Ocala disability attorney can help you as a claimant understand the process and determine if you are, in fact, disabled by SSA standards. An Ocala Disability Attorney Explains Disability A claimant may feel he or she is disabled, and even experienced treating doctors may believe they know whether their patient is unable to work, but if a claimant does not meet the established SSA guidelines for disability, no benefits will be awarded to that claimant. The Elements of Disability As your Ocala disability attorney can tell you, disability is found only when a claimant: Is found to have a medically determinable impairment, And that impairment can be…Read More

Frequently Asked Questions   Might I damage my patient’s case if I make a mistake, such as indicating unintentionally that the patient is not completely unable to work? A skilled Ocala disability lawyer will recommend that you speak to your patient’s lawyer concerning your testimony, and can remind you that the Social Security Administration (SSA), when determining disability, does not necessarily require that the claimant be completely incapacitated. When I fill in the paperwork for my patient’s disability case, what is the most damaging error I can make? If you indicate that your patient’s impairments are more serious than they actually are, you undermine the reliability of your own opinion, rendering it worthless to the SSA as a means of deciding your…Read More

Outside of the sequential evaluation process, there are a few ways an applicant can be found disabled, or disabled but not eligible for benefits. Your Ocala disability lawyer will go over these alternatives with you and explain how they may apply to you. Medical-Vocational Profiles If you are over 55 with a severe medically determinable impairment, you will automatically be found disabled if you have an 11th grade education or less with no past relevant work experience. The second set of circumstances for automatic disability is you have worked at least 35 years doing arduous unskilled labor, which you can no longer do, with at most a 6th grade education. Finally, the requirements for the third profile are that you are 60…Read More

One of the important steps in your disability evaluation is explaining your relevant work history. You can find out more about this step by talking to an Ocala disability attorney. An Ocala Disability Attorney Discusses Past Relevant Work Your Ocala disability lawyer knows that you will not be found disabled if you are still able to do "past relevant work." The definition of "past relevant work," according to the Social Security Administration (SSA) is any paid task you were able to do in the last 15 years or in the 15 years prior to the date your disability insured status began. Essentially, you need to look at your least-challenging job and determine why you cannot do such work any longer—this is…Read More