There are many things that an Ocala disability lawyer can do to help you present the strongest possible claim for benefits to the Social Security Administration. In addition to helping you with the tricky paperwork, gathering all your records, and enlisting your doctor to help, your Ocala disability lawyer can:
Suggest you undergo further medical analysis. Your Ocala disability attorney may determine that a specialist should evaluate you. This may be because you have symptoms that are not explained by your current diagnosis and that have never been evaluated by the right type of specialist or medical test. Additionally, if your symptoms are inconsistent with your medical records, further evaluation by a specialist may be required to explain the discrepancy. The determination that you may need to seek further medical analysis is significant because the Social Security Administration will not consider symptoms that cannot be explained by your medical condition.
Send you for a vocational evaluation. An experienced Ocala disability attorney can determine whether a vocational expert should assess you. This may be necessary to prove that you cannot do your former jobs or any other job that exists in significant numbers. A vocational report that details your ability to work and what jobs, if any, you can still do is valuable evidence of your disability.
Prepare you and your witnesses for your hearing. Like most applicants for Social Security disability benefits, it is likely that you will eventually have to appear at a hearing before an administrative law judge. An important role of your Ocala disability attorney will be to prepare you and your witnesses to testify at your hearing. You will be prepped on how to describe your pain and functional limitations in ways that will help the judge understand why it is hard or impossible for you to work. Your lawyer will tell you that precise, detailed and, most importantly, truthful testimony from you is essential. Additionally, testimony from family, friends and co-workers can also help the judge understand how your impairment affects your ability to work.
Advocate on your behalf at your hearing. Your best chance of being awarded benefits is at the disability hearing. Thus, having an Ocala disability attorney at your side during your hearing is essential to the success of your claim. At the hearing, your lawyer will make an opening statement summarizing why you should be entitled to benefits. Your attorney can question you and other witnesses, object to improper evidence, cross-examine medical and vocation experts presented by the Social Security Administration, and make written and oral arguments to the judge about how the law applies to the facts of your case.
The Social Security disability process can be very complicated. Having an experienced Ocala disability attorney on your side can be the difference between failure and success. For a free consultation, contact dedicated Ocala Social Security disability attorney Claudeth J. Henry today.
