Taking Advantage Of Social Security Legal Help
When a medical condition keeps you from working at your job, you might be qualified for Social Security benefits. Unfortunately, the time period between your application and the eventual approval (or denial) can last for months and months. If you've been turned down for benefits even though you felt you were qualified, you may have a solution. Read on to learn more.
It's not the end of your quest to get benefits
It's important that you not get discouraged when you get turned down for Social Security benefits. Many deserving applicants fail to get approved on their initial application, and often the reason is due to technicalities, missing information or incomplete submission of medical records. The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires that the information on your application be 100% accurate and correct, and it's incredibly easy to leave things out and get denied. It should cheer you up to learn that you are entitled to appeal the adversary ruling for your Social Security benefits, however.
Getting help with your SSA appeal
Legal fees can be expensive, and if you are too hurt to work you may not be considering legal help due to the prohibitive cost. The good news is that the SSA has formed a plan that helps you to pay for that much-needed legal help out of something called your back pay. Back pay is the monthly monetary benefit amount that you would be getting if you were approved. The time span between your application and the approval date is all time that accumulates to form your back pay amount.
Using your back pay to pay your legal fees
The SSA will allow you to seek legal help for appealing your claim and part of your back pay is used to pay the lawyer. The back pay would normally be provided to you in a lump sum fashion when your claim is approved, but instead, with a contingency fee arrangement, the lump sum will be reduced by the legal fee.
The contingency fee arrangement
The SSA monitors and approves these agreements between you and your lawyer and they must fall within certain guidelines. Like most of these types of agreements, the amount of money is based on a percentage point of your back pay. There are upper limits on what the lawyers can charge, but you are free to negotiate a lower fee if you wish.
If you have been turned down for benefits, speak to an SS disability lawyer to find out more about this contingency fee arrangement.
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