South Carolina Denied Claim Lawyer
Your Social Security Disability Hearing
Most Social Security disability claims require a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). While no hearing is "routine", attorney James Callahan has personally represented hundreds of clients in these proceedings and has the experience and knowledge needed to present his clients' cases in the best light possible.
Contact our firm for a free initial telephone consultation about a Social Security claim.
Presenting a Strong and Persuasive Case
Whenever possible, Callahan Law Firm, P.C. tries to get approval of a Social Security claim through a request for reconsideration. Most cases, though, require an in-person hearing with a special Social Security disability judge. This is your best opportunity to add additional medical evidence to the record in support of your claim, and provide all the other information that can be obtained to help prove the seriousness of your disability. We may also be able to correct any misinterpretations of information already contained in your claim.
Our firm will do much of our work in the weeks leading up to the hearing. In addition to obtaining existing medical records, in some cases we will think it best to work with your doctor or other medical specialists to give us the specific types of information often not found in regular medical records, but necessary to prove your disabling condition. We will also try to anticipate any questions or objections that the judge may have during the hearing.
You can learn more about the Social Security Disability process or call 866-247-9796 for more information.
What You Can Expect
If your claim reaches the hearing phase, you will have a "hearing" with a special Social Security Administrative Law Judge, or "ALJ." Though less formal than a court hearing (and nothing like what you see on TV), this will be a legal hearing and you will be under oath. The hearing will be conducted in a professional, business-like manner.
By the time your hearing is scheduled, we will have already had numerous discussions with you, and will have obtained a lot of information. However, we still always set up a special meeting with you just to prepare for the hearing. Unlike other "disability advocates" that may try to do this the same day as the hearing, we meet with you at least a day before your hearing, and the presentation interview can be expected to last two or three hours. This helps you understand the process and know what to expect. We will not tell you what to say in the hearing. Rather, we will help you understand how to describe your condition in an accurate and convincing way. Sometimes, it may be helpful to have another witness to also testify for you, and we will help that witness prepare as well.
The hearing itself may only take about 30 - 45 minutes or so (although some may be longer). Attorney James D. Callahan will be at your side, presenting your case to the Judge by asking you the necessary questions and explaining the evidence to the judge. The judge will also ask you questions. Your only responsibility will be to answer the questions truthfully. You can leave it up to Attorney Callahan to make sure all of the right questions are asked, and any concerns that the judge raises are properly addressed.
Sometimes, the judge will have a Vocational Expert present at the hearing to explain the requirements of your past work, and if other jobs exist that somebody can do with certain limitations. A judge may also have a Medical Expert present to help the judge understand medical conditions, symptoms, and treatment. You will not need to worry about what important questions need to be asked of these experts—Attorney Callahan will do that for you.
Our goal will be to obtain approval of your claim. If we are successful, this approval should come a few weeks after the hearing. If your claim is not successful, in some cases we can then take your case to an appeal.
Contact a Charleston Social Security Hearings Attorney
For a free initial telephone consultation about a Social Security case, contact our firm.
