Sunday 23 December 2012

Don't quit, stand up for your short term disability claims!

A mishap or illness can drastically change your life and your perspective towards it. But your responsibilities, bills, and requirements will not cease. As a matter of fact, in these circumstances, your expenses could be even more as you need to pay for medicines as well as doctor's fees. Receiving the short term disability claims that you're owed by your insurance agency or employer is vital to your recuperation and stability. And if you are over age of 65 years or if you were hurt on the job then you need to apply for social security disability or worker's compensation cell.However, filling for disability claims properly is important factor to receiving the coverage you may need.

Majority of claims are rejected because people make minor mistakes while applying and this can prove crucial. Following are some of the points your need to take care off to get the approval.
  • Take a note of pre-purchased disability policy paid by you
  • Never submit any fake document or information while claiming your rights
  • Thoroughly get the knowledge of rules laid by the state of your residence in the matters of disability
  • You must understand your employer's liability for short term disability
Moreover, there exists a group of people who are facing disability and aware of their rights yet they prefer not to claim for it as they don't want to go through tedious and lengthy legal process of disability claims. Their concern is obvious because of the very complicated procedure which can generally take a long duration to get settled. Also, to successfully get approval of disability claim you need thorough knowledge of the policies.

Hence, it is advisable to hire a professional and experienced disability lawyer. Disability lawyers are a great resource in such difficult times and their know-how of legal policies can help you to understand all existing rules so that you can sail through. Irrespective of the seriousness of your injury and recovery period, your attorney will assist you and you won't have to face any hassles.

Sunday 2 December 2012

Facing long term disability ? Take expert's help!

Doctors, dentists, attorneys, CEOs or any other professional with high income who unfortunately become disabled, have a lot to take into account apart from their medical condition and the prognosis. When the disability is diagnosed, it is common to feel depressed and think that everything has come to an abrupt halt. Irrespective of the economic status, the shock and trauma upon knowing about the disability is numbing for every individual.

While your doctors decide on the most suitable course of treatment for you, you tend to ponder on short and long term consequences. In some cases, when odds are in favor, the medical treatment does ensure complete recovery. But in other unfortunate situations, you might not have any way of knowing the future of your disability except waiting for the right time. And during the treatment and probably immediately after it, you even may not be able to work, at least for some period of time.

At this juncture you must consider filing disability claims for long term benefits. A high income professional like you also ought to carefully consider the most beneficial way to file long term disability claims as a lot is at stake for you like your constant flow of income, your lifestyle and the retirement plans etc. Thus, it becomes imperative to evaluate all options regarding disability claim and how and when to go ahead with the procedure.

The big question however is whether to proceed on your own or hire a specialist ? Experienced long term disability lawyers are an option you can consider. You might ponder, when you have paid premiums for around two decades, why engage another professional and pay them as well ? You might even even think that at this stage you legitimately can no longer work, so it should be a simple case of filing your claims and get the advantages you are entitled to by letting the insurance company know about it. The entire process can be as simple as it sounds if we were living in an ideal world. However, the world isn't perfect. Alas! The insurance firms carefully review claims especially those that involve long term and potentially large liability payments on their behalf.

Filing disability claims generally is a complex process. A lot of people facing disability understandably have no experience filing a claim, and at this point when they are not well, it is difficult to think intelligibly which they need to win the case. A simple mistake from your end can cost you a lot. Hence, first carefully understand what you have at risk, and wisely opt for the next step considering the options that make the most sense and are best for you.

Sunday 18 November 2012

A quick guide to disability claims

Disability sometimes happen suddenly or gradually, as the capability to perform occupational duties may diminish over the time. Becoming disabled affects your family's financial future and at stake is your job, your earnings stream, your medical benefits as well as your retirement benefits. At this juncture, applying for disability claims is usually a prudent move, if you are disable and not able to work any more.

A disability claim is the request you may make for income assistance filed with the Social Security Administration. This is usually filed in case when a person believes that a physical or mental disability has lead to his or her failure to find a job or live a normal life.

There are two categories of Social Security Disability program: The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and The Supplemental Security Income (SSI).There are generally 5 stages of process of disability claim filing. The process begins with the initial reconsideration stage followed by the hearing and later proceeds to appeals council hearing and finally, the federal district court appeal. After the initial filing of an SSDI or SSI application, representatives of Social Security claims will give their verdict within a space of 3 to 5 months.

If the verdict is not in favor of you, you still can file for reconsideration within 60 days of the decision. You can now take the help from experts in the field to gather additional documents and medical reports to support the claim. Your request for the reconsideration may take up to couple of weeks to 6 months. If again your request is denied, you can then proceed to next stage of appeals. Your case will now be brought before appeal judge were the services of a disability lawyer will help you to put your points in front of the judge. If for any unfortunate reason your disability claim is rejected at this level, you can then take it to the Social Security Administration Appeals Council and finally to Federal District Court.

Applications for disability benefits is more often a complicated process for an individual who's unfamiliar to their own individual disability income plan or employer benefits package. The policies that govern this type of programs are quite complex, which often ends in claimants' application getting rejected or denied. Hence, guidance from disability lawyers is very vital.

There are certain benefits of having a lawyer when claiming for either SSDI or SSI. Reviewal of the case - Many disability claims are rejected at the initial level because applicants are not properly aware of the procedure. By referring to a disability attorney, the claimant can learn whether he/she is indeed eligible for the benefits.
Evidence evaluation - Disability claim lawyers are qualified to help their clients with preparation and presentation of necessary evidence like medical records, financial records, and other related documents.

Acquainting the claimant for hearings - Many applicants are baffled during hearings resulting in denial of majority of the cases as the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is particular with the information and details of the claimant; therefore, consulting a legal professional is necessary.

Counseling the claimant regarding ALJ's questions - Lawyers are well-versed with the information ALJ seeks from the applicant. This helps to avoid spilling of unnecessary details that may compromise the claim.

To conclude, you need a Social Security attorney, not to speed up court decision, but to boost the odds of getting a favorable decision for your claim.

Thursday 8 November 2012

How can a disability claim lawyer help you get your rightful benefits?

When an employee is unable to work because of a physical or mental impairment or disability, the biggest question he / she faces is from where to obtain the needful income. In such difficult times, an employee can apply for either Social Security Disability benefits or Supplement Security Income. However, the application process of disability claims takes a long time and is quite time-consuming. Generally, an average case can take around 18 months to 2 years. It could take longer as not every application gets successfully processed. There is a possibility of a claim denial which could then result in the appeals process. This tedious procedure can prove exhaustive for the employee and his / her family who is already experiencing agony because of the disability.

Hence, at this juncture, having a qualified and specialized disability attorney can provide you representation and an advantage of reassurance to turnaround things effectively in your favor. Experienced Disability lawyers are well-versed with every intricate legal bylines regarding the disability claim program. They will analyze the circumstances of the case thoroughly and accordingly chalk out defense strategy in the interest of the claimant (applicant).

When you hire an attorney, he can facilitate you in the process of application and can help you to obtain your benefits. Your attorney will then handle the arduous paperwork of various forms and arrange all required medical details by co-ordinating with your doctors. This paperwork needs expert attention as they are very essential in order to prove you eligible for the claim.

If your claim is rejected on the reconsideration stage, you still can appeal again, this time before an Administrative Law Judge (AJL). A hearing before the AJL is similar to other legal hearings therefore, it is advisable to have a disability attorney once again at this stage. You may be nervous or not in the right frame of mind before your hearing which can prompt a mistake and any misstep from your end can cost you the benefits you deserve. But, your attorney will be very familiar with the proceedings and knows what to expect during the appeal to AJL.

As a matter of fact, statistics show that when disability claim lawyers represent a disability claimant, it is twice as likely to be approved than an unrepresented applicant.