Although Social Security disability is a social program that is available for anyone who has worked a certain amount of time to apply for if they feel that they have a qualifying disability, that doesn't mean that the process is straightforward or easy to get through. In order to secure this benefit, you have to go through a process that many consider to be complicated and difficult to navigate on one's own without much knowledge of the system. This is where hiring a disability lawyer to assist you with your case can come in handy.

#1 You Don't Have to Pay a Retainer Upfront

The first thing that you need to realize about hiring a disability attorney is that you don't have to pay anything upfront. If you have a disability case, you can hire a lawyer even if you don't have cash on hand.

Since Social Security Disability is a public program, they have rules that protect the public when hiring an attorney. According to national rules, attorneys are only allowed to collect either 25% of your back-pay benefits if your case is successful, or up to $6,000, whichever amount is smaller.

For example, if your back-pay benefits were $100,000, 25% of that would be $25,000. Your attorney would not be able to collect $25,000 from you, they would only be able to collect $6,000.

It is important to keep in mind that your attorney may be able to charge you for certain reasonable expenses as they pursue your case, such as postage costs or fees for obtaining certain records for you.

You don't need to have substantial financial resources to hire an attorney to help you with your social security disability claim.

#2 Disability Attorney Can Help with the Paperwork

Second, the paperwork that you have to complete in order to apply for Social Security disability can be complicated to fill out. You have to provide detailed documentation of your disability and how it impacts your life and prevents you from working a full time to support yourself. You cannot just rely on your own self-reporting. You need to have extensive medical documentation that spreads out over a period of time that will prove that you have a disability.

It takes a long time for the Social Security Administration to process the paperwork, and an error in your paperwork could delay you getting the benefits you need for months. With a Social Security lawyer assisting you with your case, the chance of your case going through correctly the first time greatly increases, which means that you will get the help you need sooner.

If you have a Social Security Disability claim, find a lawyer to help you with your case. Keep in mind that you will not have to pay a retainer up front, you'll only have to pay for minor expenses, such as postage and copies, and the remainder of your attorney fees will be paid via your back payments from Social Security.

For more information, reach out to a lawyer like Kenneth P Hicks.