Social security disability: Should I get a lawyer?

Generally, if a person has a physical or psychological condition that causes him/her to be unable to do any kind of work for which he/she is suited and the disability is expected either to last for at least one year or to result in death, then that person will be considered disabled for Social Security purposes. And the person under this state is most likely to file a claim for his disability.

Under social security, four separate benefit programs for individuals with disabilities are administered namely Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Disabled Widows and Widowers benefits (DWB), and Disabled Adult Child Benefits (DAC). Wherein for all these programs, medical requirements to prove disability, as well as the process for making disability determinations, the same for each program.

For a quite reason many people get confuse on the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. To draw a differences between the two programs let us consider the following informations:

First, SSDI pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you are "insured" and only if you have worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes, which fund this program. In addition the  person who is eligible to receive SSDI will automatically be enrolled in Medicare after receiving 24 months of benefits. On the contrary SSI pays you benefits based on financial need, whether or not you have ever worked. SSI is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes). A person who is eligible to receive SSI automatically qualified for Medicare (without a waiting period).

If you filed for any of the programs  and  was denied from your Initial Claim, you should get an attorney to provide representation and help you with your claim for continuing and past due benefits. The reason you need a lawyer is because a claimant will, typically, either be approved on an initial application. If the claim is denied, the claimant will basically be forced to follow the appeal route, at least to the point where their case is brought before an Administrative Law Judge at a social security disability hearing. Fact is initial claims are typically denied by 60 to 70 percent of the time, so chances are you'll end up in the hearing. And, you never want to end up in a hearing with no attorney representation.