A disabled individual who wishes to apply for Social Security disability benefits does not need to hire a lawyer, if he or she so wishes they can go it alone. However, the chances of you winning your case are far better with a lawyer than without. The facts speak for themselves; those who have a Social Security lawyer in Michigan are twice as likely to win an appeal as the applicant going it alone.
There is a very slim chance that your initial application will be approved, the same holds true when you ask for a reconsideration which is the first appeal level. You are now faced with a hearing which will be held in the presence of an administrative law judge. At the hearing the judge will delve into all the medical evidence you have provided, your sworn testimony as well as the testimony of other expert witnesses will be used to decide if you are disabled and your disability meets all the criteria set by the Social Security administration. The most important evidence that will be required is medical; the judge will use all your past and current records to determine the extent of your claimed disability and to formulate questions that he will ask of the vocational and medical experts. As you might conclude, having a Social Security lawyer in Michigan will prove to be very helpful in winning your claim.
A Social Security lawyer can expertly assess all your medical records with a view to ensuring they are complete and there are no inconsistencies or gaps in the treatments you have had. This perhaps is the most important services a lawyer can perform, getting all the pertinent records and submitting them in such a way that they are supportive of your claim. Of course you can ask for these records without having a lawyer but chances of getting them quickly are greatly diminished.
Over and above contacting your doctors, therapists and any hospitals that you may have been confined in a Social Security lawyer in Michigan will review everything in great detail to see if any updates are necessary and what records should be submitted to the administration. Equally important to medical records is the opinion of the attending physician.
As you will never have had to go through the process before you will understandably be nervous, this nervousness might lead to your making a mistake. As your lawyer is intimate with the proceedings he or she will ask you practice questions that you can expect the judge to ask and prepare you with your answers.