Monday, November 19, 2018

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY IN ALABAMA: WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Most Alabama workers are covered by Social Security disability because they pay FICA withholding tax out of every paycheck.  This provides coverage against long term disability and loss of income.

However, Social Security can be difficult to deal with and there are complex rules that must be met before they will part with any money.  It can take anywhere from 4 months to 4 years to get approved.

Here is the sticky part.  Social Security will often agree that you cannot perform the work you once did.  However, they will say that you can still perform some jobs which exist in the national economy.  These jobs are often unskilled minimum wage jobs, such as hand packager, inspector or copy colater.  It doesn't matter that you can't actually find one of these jobs.

If you file an application and are denied (as up to 75% are), you have 60 days to file an appeal.  The appeal puts you in line for a hearing before a US administrative law judge (ALJ), who can review your case and give you a new decision.  Your odds before the judge are much better, especially if you are represented by counsel who understands the system and how to navigate it.

HOW CAN YOU PAY FOR EXPENSIVE LEGAL COUNSEL?

You don't have to.  Social Security forbids an attorney or representative to charge you any fee unless your case is decided in your favor and results in back payments.  In that case, Social Security will withhold a small portion of your back pay and pay the legal fee directly.  You keep most of your back pay and 100 percent of your monthly benefits.

If you need help with a Social Security disability application or appeal, please invest 15 minutes in a phone call to our firm for a free initial consultation.  We never ask you for money and our experienced disability advocates have been handling cases like yours for over a decade. 
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THE FORSYTHE FIRM
7027 Old Madison Pike - Suite 108
Huntsville, AL 35806
"Across from Bridge Street"
CALL (256) 799-0297

SOCIAL SECURITY JUSTICE WEBSITE