Winning a Social Security Disability case is getting harder every day. The latest figures issued by the Social Security Administration show how difficult in the past few years it has become for disability claimants to get their cases approved.
Every spring the SSA releases its statistics from its previous fiscal year that show the percentage of disability claims approved and denied at every step of the process. 2013 figures show that the approval rate at the initial stage of the process went down to 33%, from 36% in 2008. Moreover, cases granted at the hearing stage dropped to 48 % in fiscal year 2013, from a 63% approval rate in 208. This represents a 15% drop in the cases won at hearings before administrative law judges!
This latest statistics show why now, more than ever before, it is important to have an experienced social security disability lawyer on your side. Hiring a lawyer can improve your chances of winning your claim, particularly in these tough times.
Don't let the campaign of misinformation against the Social Security Disability programs fool you. There are more persons currently receiving Social Security Disability than ever before because of the Nation's demographics have changed (more persons are reaching 55 than ever before), not because judges and SSA adjudicators are becoming more lenient. For this reason, I believe that it is essential that all Social Security Disability claimants hire a lawyer to represent them early on in the claim process.
