DISABILITY ADJUDICATION SESSIONS

DISABILITY ADJUDICATION SESSIONS
BY: TIM MOORE
ssa hearings are fairly informal events.
usually, such hearings are conducted at oha
OFFICES (NOT A COURTROOM) WHERE THE ONLY PEOPLE
present include the judge (an alj, or
administrative law judge), the claimant, the
CLAIMANT'S REPRESENTATIVE---IF THEY HAVE CHOSEN
to retain one---and medical experts chosen by
the judge.

alj hearings, as they are commonly known,
usually last no more than an hour and sometimes
ONLY TAKE 15 MINUTES. FROM ANY STANDPOINT, THIS
is not an extraordinary amount of time.
nevertheless, the time in which it takes to hold
A HEARING IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO THE
person trying to win their benefits.

AS VERY MANY CLAIMANTS FOR BENEFITS DISCOVER,
winning can make the difference between having a
stable monthly income or living a life of
UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. IT CAN
even make the difference between having a home
and being homeless. it is not at all uncommon to
FIND, WHEN A CASE HAS DRAGGED ON FOR TOO LONG,
that a claimant is being threatened with
eviction from their home or foreclosure on their
PROPERTY.

the meeting before a judge is typically the
SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT THAT WILL OCCUR IN
the process. it is a one hour event that will
make or break a case. and for this reason, it
SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR PROPERLY.

unfortunately, 99% of all claimants will not
HAVE THE SKILLS OR KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY TO
properly prepare---and win---a case. therefore,
even though it may not be absolutely necessary
TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE BEFORE THE HEARING
level (for example, at the initial claim and
reconsideration levels) it is vital to have
REPRESENTATION AT THE TIME OF THE HEARING.

here are some things to keep in mind if it looks
AS THOUGH YOU WILL HAVE TO GO TO BEFORE AN ALJ:
1. go to the hearing. believe it or not, some
people don't attend their own hearings.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A HUGE MISTAKE AND YOU SHOULD
not expect a judge to give you full
consideration if you don't show up at your own
HEARING. 2. DON'T BE LATE FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT.
this is something that most judges have little
tolerance for. and the same reasoning applies:
IF YOU CAN'T BE ON TIME FOR YOUR OWN HEARING,
the judge can only conclude that it is not that
important to you. 3. be prepared. that is, be
SURE EITHER YOU OR YOUR ADVOCATE HAS GOTTEN AND
submitted to the judge copies of all your recent
medical records. in most cases, you can't win a
CASE WITHOUT ALL THE RECORDS, ESPECIALLY THE
most recent records being submitted.

FOLLOW THESE TIPS AND YOU CAN MAXIMIZE YOUR
chance of being successful on an ssa benefits
claims.

about the author:
THE AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE IS TIMOTHY MOORE,
who, in addition to being a former food stamp
caseworker, medicaid caseworker and afdc
CASEWORKER, IS A FORMER DISABILITY CLAIMS
examiner. he publishes information at
socialsecurity disability tips and secrets [2]
WHICH FEATURES A HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE SOCIAL
security disability faq [3]

CIRCULATED BY ARTICLE EMPORIUM [4]
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