A Lawrence Disability Lawyer Discusses The Hearing

If your Social Security disability case reaches the hearing stage, there are things you should know. Your Lawrence disability attorney can provide you with valuable information concerning what to expect

Role of the Attorney Advisor

In between the time when you request a hearing and that hearing occurs, your case may be examined by an attorney adviser. This person will confer with your Lawrence disability lawyer (normally via telephone), examine the file, ask for more evidence and write the decision for the ALJ (Administrative Law Judge). A hearing will not be needed if the attorney advisor’s decision is positive. Should a hearing still be desired, however, it must be requested within 30 days subsequent to the date the attorney advisor issued the decision. Any review of an attorney adviser’s decision is made by the Appeals Council rather than an ALJ.

Your Appearance at the Hearing

You have the option of attending your hearing personally or having it conducted via video teleconferencing. Should you prefer the former, your Lawrence disability lawyer can advise you that the Administrative Law Judge must set a time and date that permits you to be physically present.

The Hearing Itself

Disability hearings are not confrontational situations. There may be statements from medical specialists or vocational experts and they also have the option of attending either in person or via teleconference. A recording of the hearing is made and all who testify are either sworn in or their testimony is given by affirmation. Evidence that may be presented at a hearing is not subject to the rules of evidence that apply in court.  Once the hearing is concluded the ALJ will render the decision in writing.

Don’t Face This Alone

Be sure to seek sound advice if you are facing this situation. Contact Gerard A. Palma, your Lawrence disability lawyer, by calling 888-295-4955 today.

A Lawrence Disability Lawyer Defines “Medically Determinable”

The term “medically determinable impairment” is frequently used in Social Security disability cases. A Lawrence disability attorney provides some information that may be helpful.

The Social Security Administration’s Viewpoint

When deciding whether or not an impairment is medically determinable, SSA looks at the matter in a straightforward manner. In the majority of cases, if the impairment can be properly diagnosed by a physician using tests that confirm the patient’s symptoms, then it will normally be found medically determinable. For a diagnosis of fibromyalgia to qualify under SSA guidelines, for instance, the diagnosis must rest on the number of tender points.

The Patient’s Account

Your Lawrence disability attorney can describe situations in which the symptoms outlined by the patient can serve as determining factors. Migraine headaches, if the symptoms are not explained by other causes, can be ruled medically determinable using the patient’s specific enumeration of them.

The Role of the Doctor

SSA considers the determination of disability to be a legal rather than a medical decision. Your Lawrence disability attorney can confirm that the physician is not expected to attempt to offer an opinion in that regard. Since the SSA reserves the determination of disability to itself, it is unlikely to consider such an opinion offered by a physician. The most pertinent information that the doctor can provide to the Social Security Administration is an evaluation of what the patient’s capabilities are.

For Assistance with Your Disability Claim

Disability claims can be confusing. In order to fully understand the specifics of the term “medically determinable impairment,” seek the services of an experienced Lawrence disability attorney. Call Gerard A. Palma at 888-295-4955 today.

A Lowell Disability Lawyer on When Your Impairment Is Not in the Listing

There are many stages to being classified as disabled under the guidelines set by the Social Security Administration (SSA). A Lowell disability lawyer can tell you that entering stage three of the process, a claimant must have medical conditions and symptoms that match similar findings outlined in the SSA’s Listing of Impairments.

The list provides examples of medical conditions and findings that are considered to constitute disability under the SSA’s guidelines. However, even if a claimant’s medical problem doesn’t match identically, an attorney can argue in four situations that there is a medical issue equal to something in the list.

The Four Situations

A Lowell disability attorney can tell you one way to show that an impairment is equivalent to one in the listing is when a claimant doesn’t have one essential finding in the list for a specific medical condition but has others.

Another way to meet the Listings is when a claimant has all the necessary findings but some of them may not be considered very serious. As Lowell disability lawyer can tell you, a third way is when a claimant’s medical condition may not be defined at all in the listing but is as serious as a comparable condition that is described in the listing. Finally, a claimant may have a combination of medical conditions that don’t match any in the listing but as a whole are comparable to the listing.

In the end, there is a way to determine whether one claimant with certain medical conditions not in the list is as disabled as another with ones that are an identical match to the listing. An administrative law judge can determine whether a claimant’s medical condition is comparable to the listing if a report from a medical expert, who is hired by the SSA, is presented.

Contact a Lowell Disability Attorney for Assistance

If you have filed a disability claim and have questions, contact Gerard A. Palma, a Lowell disability lawyer, at 888-295-4955.