Although folks seek our help at every stage of the process, from before they have applied all the way up to while they are waiting for a hearing, we always appreciate the chance to work with clients as much as we can on their cases. What do I mean by that?
If you aren’t disabled – that is, you don’t meet the Social Security criteria, nothing you do will change that. You should be looking elsewhere if that’s the case.
But many people fall into a gray area.
Maybe they are seeing a healthcare provider who is not recognized as an “acceptable medical source”. It’s time to find someone who is, so that your problems are documented by a physician (M.D., D.O. or Ph.D.) whose opinion will count with Social Security.
Maybe they are wondering how to live while they are waiting, and seek employment of a kind that they cannot really keep up, but which will make it difficult or impossible to be approved. Get your lawyer’s advice!
Maybe they haven’t yet achieved sobriety and don’t realize that every day that they continue to abuse alcohol or drugs, they are weakening their case.
There’s a lot you can do, assuming you otherwise meet the criteria for disability. That’s why you should find a good lawyer early on – and ask their advice.