Ultimately, the best way to prepare yourself for a disability hearing is to speak with a social security disability attorney in Oakland. The process of making a claim for social security disability benefits is—much like other government processes—complicated and difficult to navigate. Moreover, even if you present the facts of your case accurately, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to present your case as skillfully as a social security disability attorney in Oakland.
All that said, there are some things you can do—besides speaking to an attorney—to prepare yourself for your disability hearing.
Prepare to Answer Questions Completely and Honestly
You should always be forthcoming and specific when it comes to answering direct questions from the judge. Answering in a vague way or appearing as though you’re trying to hide something is always worse than answering a question honestly. Answer questions directly and truthfully at all times.
For example, if you have bad back pain anytime you have to sit or stand for more than an hour, be clear about that with the judge. If you just say that you have back pain, then you leave it open to the judge to interpret whether that back pain is debilitating enough that it prevents you from working.
Update Your Medical Records
In many cases, after reviewing your initial claim the Social Security Administration will stop collecting your medical records. This means that in the timeframe between your filing a claim and receiving a hearing, there will be a gap in your medical records. If you don’t get updated records, the judge will have to decide if you’re eligible based on outdated records.
The best time to do this is as soon as you’ve received notice for your pending hearing. Review your case file to find out how dated the medical records in your file are so you only have to request medical records to fill in whatever gaps there are in your file. Otherwise, you’ll end up going through the hassle and expense of requesting more medical records than you need.
Social Security Disability Attorney Oakland
No one should have to deal with a debilitating injury, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. What is avoidable, though, is getting denied your disability benefits. Many people are denied not because they are not disabled, but because they don’t know how to prove that they are disabled. Help us help you and give us a call at (800)322-1173.
