If you are applying for benefits, our disability lawyers in Greensboro NC may be able to help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Judges are always interested in the daily activities of disability applicants. The judge will ask you how you spend an average day in an attempt to figure out whether your daily activities line up with the symptoms you described in your application. If you are having trouble standing or walking due to severe back pain, but your testimony states that you regularly go for long walks, the judge will question your limitations.
While a judge’s questioning may be intimidating at first, our disability lawyers in Greensboro NC can help prepare you for the questions you will face. Questioning is actually a great opportunity to bolster your case by including as many relevant details as possible. If you do not include details and give vague, curt answers, the judge will be left to make unfavorable conclusions about your limitations. Even if you are only able to get out of bed for a few hours at a time and do non-strenuous activities, you should describe your daily activities in as much detail as possible.
Judge: What is a typical day like for you?
Claimant: I cook, clean the house, attend my son’s football practices and do laundry.
While this answer may be truthful, it is not presenting the claimant’s daily activities in a productive way. The claimant did not mention that she is only able to perform such activities sporadically and for short periods of time. She may only cook twice a week as she is able to, and she may only be able to attend practices while sitting down the entire time due to her severe back pain. If you are only able to go grocery shopping if a sales associate helps you out to your car with your bags, you should mention it to the judge. Without these important details, the judge may assume that you are more capable of physical activities than you really are and determine that you are not disabled. It is important to help the judge envision your daily life, hour by hour. You should help him understand how differently you conduct your daily activities because of your disability. It helps to create a list of things you have to do differently now than before you became disabled. This can prevent you from losing track of your thoughts while giving testimony in court. A disability judge wants to know as much about your daily limitations as possible, and concrete examples are the best way to accomplish this.
Tell the judge how long you are able to perform each of your common daily activities. This may include such details as how often and for how long you have to rest during the day, as well as which positions you are able to rest in. You should also tell the judge how long it takes you to complete basic daily activities, such as doing the laundry or washing the dishes. Each of these details paints a picture of your daily capabilities and limitations.
Call the Bridgman Law Offices today at 704-815-6055 to work with disability lawyers in Greensboro NC you can trust.
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