Understandably, with your compromised health, you may already be overwhelmed with having to deal with doctor’s visits, medications, and financial stress, all while you are unable to return to work. This is why we strongly urge you to hire a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits attorney to take the pressure from this pivotal application off your shoulders, so to speak. With that being said, you must be open and honest with your attorney and share with them key details of information so that they can best support you and your case. So, to majorly promote your chances of approval, please continue reading to learn what you must communicate with your experienced New Jersey SSDI attorney from The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur.
What information does my SSDI attorney need to start my case?
Simply put, to initiate your SSDI benefits application, your hired attorney will have to understand three main things: who you are, what conditions you have, and how those conditions affect your ability to work. To ease into the conversation, you may begin by sharing your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, citizenship/immigration status, and personal contact information. While this may seem tedious, this is critical because the smallest identity error in your paperwork may cause a delay or denial from the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Then, arguably most importantly, you must talk about the medical condition you have been officially diagnosed with, along with the names and contact information for every doctor, specialist, therapist, hospital, and clinic you have ever seen. This is so your attorney can reach out to these medical professionals and facilities to request records of test results, treatments, medications, etc., while also composing a distinct timeline of your condition to establish that you qualify to collect benefits right away.
Last but not least, also for the sake of timeline details, you should discuss when your symptoms began and when you stopped working. In addition, you should detail your work history for the past 10 to 15 years, including your job titles and the physical and mental requirements for each position. This is so your attorney can confidently claim in your application that you have enough work credits to receive SSDI benefits. But also, that your current disability prevents you from working reliably and performing substantial gainful activity.
What happens if I lie to my SSDI attorney about financial and life details?
You may not give your attorney the entire truth out of fear that they will believe you are ineligible for SSDI benefits. However, doing so can seriously damage your case, which may have resulted in an approval otherwise. That is, you should not hide or misrepresent details about your current work activity (i.e., you are collecting unemployment benefits/workers’ compensation benefits, you have a side gig, etc.) or your living arrangements (i.e., you are living with family).
This is because the SSA will cross-check your claim with wage data, tax records, prior benefit applications, and routine identity verification systems. So if there is a flagged inconsistency with the information your attorney unknowingly submitted inaccurately, the SSA may accuse you of intentional deception or fraud, and to make it worse, ban you from collecting benefits indefinitely. So, you must not forget that attorney-client confidentiality exists, and you must not be afraid to give your attorney the whole story, so that they may better help you.
With all that being said, please do not hesitate to work together with a skilled New Jersey SSI attorney. The team at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur will have your best interests at heart always and will fight for justice to reign in your favor.
