How a North Carolina Social Security Disability Attorney Can Facilitate the Application Process

Call the Bridgman Law Offices today at 704-815-6055 to speak to a North Carolina Social Security disability attorney who can represent your claim.

How a North Carolina Social Security

Disability Attorney Can Facilitate the

Application Process

If you are waiting for a Social Security disability determination, a North Carolina Social Security disability attorney may be able to provide you with a realistic assessment of your chances at approval. It can take between a month and two years to receive a Social Security disability application approval. While all Social Security applicants want to know when their application will be processed, the truth is that the timing varies drastically according to your individual circumstances.

Seriousness Of Impairments

In general, the more severe the impairment, the sooner the SSA is likely to evaluate your claim. Some medical impairments are approved almost immediately, while others take longer to assess. Clear cut cases such as ALS, advanced-stage cancer, kidney disease, blindness and AIDs often result in fast approval. Conditions that are more difficult to evaluate take longer since they must go through additional stages of assessment before approval or denial.

Medical Record Processing

The amount of time it takes your doctor to supply the SSA with the requested medical records significantly impacts the turnaround time for your application. The disability examiner for your case will likely send out a request for your records the same day as he receives your application, but the amount of time it takes to send the records can vary. The SSA has partnered with large HMOs to facilitate electronic record transfers, which can significantly reduce the amount of time your examiner spends waiting for records.

Disability Claims Volume

Claims examiners are busy people who are dealing with a number of claims at once. Your SSI or disability case is assigned to someone who likely has potentially hundreds of cases to work on at the same time, so your response times depend on his workload. While these factors are beyond your control as an applicant, you can still try to reduce the time it takes to get a decision by ensuring that your examiner has all of the necessary materials as soon as possible.

Expediting Your Claim

Providing information that is as detailed as possible is the best way to expedite your claim. You should indicate all of your medical providers and treatment sources on your application since the SSA will need records from each of them. The more time your claims examiner has to spend chasing down contact information and dates of treatment, the longer it will take to get to evaluating your claim on its merits. In fact, incomplete paperwork is one of the leading reasons why claimants are denied on the first try. Submit your medical records with your initial application for the best results. Whenever possible, you should personally obtain your records to reduce administration time at your healthcare provider’s office. If this is not possible due to high copying fees and rules about record transfers, you can still facilitate the process by contacting your provider to monitor the transfer process. In many states, medical providers are not allowed to charge patients for copying records that are being used to apply for disability. One of the benefits of working with a lawyer during the appeals process is that you have representation when it comes to speaking with your medical provider’s office as well as the SSA. A North Carolina disability attorney can help you expedite the claims process by providing you with the information you need to request from your providers, including specialists you have only seen once or twice. Without this information, your SSA examiner may have reason to delay or even deny your claim on grounds of insufficient medical information.

Contact A North Carolina Social Security Disability Attorney

Call the Bridgman Law Offices today at 704-815-6055 to speak to a North Carolina Social Security disability attorney who can represent your claim.