DO I NEED A REPRESENTATIVE?

You do not need a representative to file a Social Security disability or SSI claim? By that, I mean only that you can file the claim yourself.  You are in no way required to have a representative.


That begs the question, "Should I have a representative?" which is an entirely different question.  


You may be fine with handling the initial disability application process alone.  The problem is that 70 percent of initial applications are denied in Alabama.  Then, you enter the much more complex stage of an appeal, which will result in a hearing before an administrative law judge (alj).  Here, my opinion is that you definitely want to be represented.  I have never heard an attorney or professional non-attorney representative disagree with that opinion.  Here is why:


First, a disability hearing involves submitting evidence to prove your case.  There are definite rules and laws about what you have to prove to win.  The hearing is about matching the available evidence to the burden of proof (Social Security laws).  An experienced representative will do that better than a non-experienced claimant--every time.


Also, the hearing is the best chance you will ever have to win your disability claim.  If you lose it here, there are other appeals but none of them offer as good a chance to win. A hearing is simply too good to waste.  You cannot afford to lose it.


I've started doing something at the end of every Social Security disability hearing.  As I'm leaving the hearing room - or driving home - I ask myself this question:  If this claimant had attended this hearing without representation, what would have gone wrong?


In almost every hearing, I will be able to list 3 or 4 problems that would have cropped up during the hearing, any one of which could have torpedoed the case.  There are very few hearings where I can honestly say, "That claimant would have been OK without me in that hearing."  That isn't ego because I really put the reality check into play.  


The data indicate that claimants who have professional representation win more often than claimants who go it alone.  


The Forsythe Firm serves Social Security disability claimants in Alabama and Middle Tennessee--without a fee unless we win.  The link to our website below will provide you with more information.


A Represented claimant wins more often - and since fees are on contingency - you pay only if you win.

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