When you think of attorneys, you might have visions of people charging hundreds of dollars an hour. Typically, that’s far from the truth. SSI attorneys, and social security disability attorneys, have very different ways of handling costs and charging their clients.
What you should consider when you’re evaluating the possible costs is the need for benefits, your application, and your appeal. If you know that you’ll need to go through the appeals process, then you probably need an attorney, regardless of the extent of the costs. If you’re not sure by the end of this article whether you really need an SSI attorney, then arrange for a consultation.
What Should an SSI Attorney Cost?
The Social Security Administration put special conditions in place to ensure that lawyers weren’t charging more than the possible benefits. Imagine the disappointment when you file for $10,000 in back pay for disability, then your attorney charges you $12,000. At that rate, it would be better not to file at all.
Under the Social Security Administration, an attorney will draft a fee agreement, which then you would agree to. However, when you get a favorable decision on their claim, the SSA would go through that agreement and determine if they agree with the terms.
In that fee agreement, they must have outlined the percentage of the benefits that they would take for payment. Usually, a fee agreement ranges around 25%, although that’s not guaranteed. Additionally, there’s usually a cap of $6,000 in that if the percentage exceeds that cap, then they would stop collecting at that point.
Denials from Incomplete Applications
Why get a Wisconsin SSDI attorney? Well, most applications receive a denial before they get any good news. In the most recently available information from the Social Security information, nearly 30% of claims receive a denial. The reason was that the SSA identified that they were able to do other work. That often means able and qualified, not only that they are capable of.
An additional 23.6% receive a denial because their impairment or illness isn’t severe enough for benefits. These reasons, however, don’t accurately depict the needs of the patient. Keep in mind that often cancer patients don’t get disabilities because the state doesn’t consider it serious enough. What’s more serious than that?
Denials from Inaccurate Applications
Of the denials mentioned above, some percentage of those and the many other denials stem from inaccuracies in an application. People experiencing ongoing care may suffer a denial not because their application was incomplete, but because they found a record of updated information after the submission. However, there is no way for people to easily or succinctly update their applications.
What happens when you involve a Wisconsin SSDI lawyer is that they have the opportunity to update your file. The SSDI system in Wisconsin and many other states is ridiculous to navigate. How do you explain that your treatment course has changed? You can’t, not without an attorney fighting to get information added to your file and claim.
Follow-Up Opportunities
Many people file for SSDI and then have to wait about three months before they get any answer. Then, if they receive a denial, they get about six weeks to submit their request for an appeal. If that appeal request receives a denial, then they often feel like they’re out of options. In fact, they may be completely out of options.
Having an attorney working the disability claim is the chance to get updates on your claim, and to submit updates. It’s a unique chance in this situation. But when you go through an SSDI attorney, you’ll have someone helping you. Then you can understand what is creating delays and how to move forward. It’s an opportunity that many just don’t realize is so vital to getting approval.
Receiving Legal Help Through Appeals with an SSI Attorney in Wisconsin
Legal help never comes without some cost, but often people with SSI or SSDI cases don’t pay out of their pocket. Instead, a portion of their disability benefits goes to the law office as a payment for their contingency fee. There are caps or limits in place to ensure that these attorneys don’t take more than a fair portion of the benefits payout.
To explore your options for legal help, then speak with us at Tabak Law. Our attorneys work hard, fight diligently, and inspire people to pursue the full amount of benefits that they deserve. All too often, people get denied on their SSI or SSDI claims. Don’t fall prey to a fractured system, get help, fight for your benefits, and call Tabak Law.