You have applied for Social Security Disability, been through the initial application process, and had your claim denied. After careful consideration, you have chosen to appeal this initial decision through the hearing process. Now you must decide if you will face this hearing alone or if you should hire a Social Security Disability attorney. Sound familiar? If so, the information below can help you to better understand how choosing to hire an attorney to represent you can be beneficial in getting you the disability benefits you rightfully deserve. 

Assist In Collecting Medical Evidence

One of the biggest challenges that people often face when preparing for a Social Security Disability hearing is collecting medical evidence to support their claim. This can be especially difficult for individuals who have either seen a large number of doctors over the course of their treatment or who have failed to receive ongoing treatment for their condition. Establishing a clear timeline for the onset of your condition, the progression of your condition, and the expected resolution of your condition is a vital part of getting your claim approved. An experienced disability attorney will be able to assist you in completing this task.

Prepare You For Questioning

As part of your administrative review hearing, you can expect the judge overseeing the hearing to ask you a series of questions. The way you answer these questions can play a significant role in how the judge chooses to rule on your claim. An experienced Social Security Disability attorney will be able to advise you regarding what types of questions the judge will be asking and to prepare you to answer these questions honestly and in a light that is most favorable to your case. After all, while it may be cliche, it often is not what you say but how you say it that counts. 

Be Ready To Challenge Their Witnesses

As part of the hearing process, both you and the Social Security Administration will have the opportunity to present witnesses in front of the judge. These witnesses will often include a vocational or medical expert testifying as to the reasons why your claim was denied. It is important that you are ready to challenge these reasons in a way that is convincing to the judge. An attorney can assist you in this task by creating a list of questions they can use for cross-examining the witnesses in the hopes of convincing the judge that your condition does in fact prevent you from being able to work.

To learn more, contact a Social Security Disability attorney.