Social Security Disability Representation Referral Service

Are Your Ready to take Your Social Security Disability Claim to the Next Level?

The good news is that there are actually only three ways to go about managing your Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claim for benefits.

“I Will Just Do It Myself, Thank You!”

One is to do it all by yourself. Hey, you’re bright, intelligent, and have very good communication skills. Plus, you might have already applied for other state or federal programs and been successful in getting your benefits. So you think you have a good grasp of what it is that the Social Security Administration (SSA) will require from you.

“Just how complicated could it be?” you reason. So you make up your mind: “Yes, I will do it! I will go it alone.” You rationalize that if it doesn’t work, well, you can always opt for help later after your first denial letter comes, or heaven forbid, the second.

“Need a Helping Hand, Please”

The second way to manage your disability claim is to get a little outside help. This disability help will preferably come from someone who has either successfully helped lots of others through the process, or maybe even be an insider who has worked for the Disability Determination Service and knows all the ins and outs and all the rules and regulations governing the disability process.

Of course either of these two can lend a helping hand so that you know what to expect, and do not lose a lot of sleep stressing over whether the information you are supplying to SSA will help or hurt your claim.

The information you get from your "helper" causes you to be less apprehensive about the whole disability process, so you can spend more time just focusing on the best way to deal with your new or ongoing impairment. This is okay. You know a little more about SSA and you feel you are no longer in the dark. Someone, or thing – perhaps a good Social Security Disability help manual – is all you need by your side. And you exclaim, “Yes, I can do this!”

“Help Me…I Can’t Do It Alone!”

Lastly, there is the third type of individual. If this is you, then you might already have gotten your first or second denial letter from SSA, or you might have heard that lots of people get denied benefits, and that you considerably increase your odds of winning your claim when you have an attorney or non-attorney disability representative on your side.

You are no longer in the “do it yourself” mode, and you recognize you need help, and you need it now, and you need it from someone who is experienced at what they do and knows how to present your case to the officials in the most favorable light.

Who do I turn to if I decide I can not do it alone?

But there is just one small remaining question you have. Just where do you find such a person? And who can you trust to do the job for you? Do you just Google “I need help with my Social Security Disability claim in (your state name)”, and then click on the first listing or ad on the page? How can you know who to trust?

From the Desk of Loretta Crosby

Editor, Social-Security-Disability-ESP.com

Author, Getting Social Security Disability: Your 9 Step Individual Action Plan

Hello Disability Claimant,

So sorry to barge in on your reading, but I could not help but to overhear some of your thoughts. And I have to tell you…every last one of them are valid, depending on where you find yourself right now in the disability determination process.

Still, maybe I can help.

Let me start by telling you a little about me, and then give you a real life scenario that might help you decide your next course of action with your claim.

As an ex-disability claims examiner, I have been online helping folks just like you – yes, I’m originally from the South, how did you guess – but I’ve been answering questions about the Social Security disability process online for the past five years by providing tips and articles focusing on how to get an accurate disability decision in the least amount of time.

My site draws more than a few thousand visitors each month who consume about 12,000 pages of information, collectively. I believe that many of the people who visit are looking for answers just like you. I have concluded that they are basically trying to decide:

1.     Do I try to get disability benefits on my own?, or

2.     Do I need just a little help with my claim?, or

3.     Should I find and engage a professional disability representative to assist me with my claim?

So let's look at each of these choices.

If you want to go it alone, i.e. take your chances that your disability or impairment is so “obviously” severe that SSA can only give you a positive decision, then you can stop reading this letter after you hear the story I will be sharing with you in just a moment.

And I use the word “obviously” loosely because the disability claims examiner who reviews your claim never actually sees you, nor does the medical consultants who determine your remaining functional capacity ever see you.

Now, if you think you just need a little help to learn the process so you get more comfortable with the SSA and their requirements for disability, then there is a great resource I can refer you to that will help you do just that, so you definitely need to keep reading.

Finally, if you are now ready to get a professional disability representative to take a look at your claim and advise you of your options and how to proceed, then I can help you with that too. 

But before I do, let me tell you the story I promised.

“Thought I was Intelligent Enough to Do It Myself … A Real Life Story”

Once upon a time there was a young woman, okay, maybe middle-aged woman, who quit her job. But she did not just quit; she thought she had a valid, moral reason for quitting.

You see, she had been working in this call center for 9 months as a Customer Service Representative (CSR). Her job was to respond to customer inquires coming in from clients of several different companies. She not only answered their questions but sold them additional products on each call, products that ran the gamut from expensive financial newsletters all the way down to nutritional supplements.

She was one of the best at responding to customers’ needs, proving stellar customer service, and even “up” selling new products to more than 30% of all the customers who called in on other matters. She was in the top 10% of the CSRs in sells, so she thought she was doing well.

What she did not know was that the company she worked for had located their new facility to the South so they could keep their wages low and not have to deal with too many regulatory requirements that would protect workers from “sweat shop” scenarios.

She also did not know the company’s nutritional supplements division periodically sent out magazines promoting a Viagra-like product that many women called in to complain about. The literature was inappropriate. “Take me off your list!” they would scream at the CSRs.

But not only women; men would call in too. They were offended by the covers of the magazine-size brochures too, and they would just tell the CSRs that “Hey, wrap it in a brown paper bag if you are going to send that to my house … or  take me off your list!”

What was really interesting about this literature that the company sent out to its customers or prospective customers was that the CSRs never got to see it, even though the company shared most of its other publications with them.

But, beyond that, the company only paid commissions on its CSR up sells about 50% of the time, justifying it by using a call rating system to dis-count the additional sells even though the company made money off every up sell.

So this young woman quit her job. She knew she was in the right. How could a company be allowed not to pay commissions on sells as contracted, or be allowed to dispense sleazy, offensive magazine covers as a promotion tool, and, in general, how could it get away with mistreating its workers at every turn?

“Your Claim is Denied! The notice read…”

Still, long story short, her unemployment claim was denied. When she had asked the person who would be conducting the appeal if she needed representation, she was told “No. You can handle it.” She believed this person--this state employee--and consequently did not seek help, and was subsequently denied unemployment benefits.

Now, the good part about that story is that “I” – yes it was me who was the CSR -- decided not to appeal the denial. It just was not worth the effort to me. It would be too hard for the small amount of $$ that I would have gotten if I had actually been granted benefits (i.e. sweat shop wages = sweat shop unemployment benefits). No, my time would be better spent creating new work opportunities than battling with a morally objectionable ex-employer. TELERX outsourcing had won, and I had lost.

So why this story? I guess it is to tell you that if it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose your claim for benefits, then it’s okay to “do it yourself.”

But the thing about unemployment is that you are still able to work if you are turned down for benefits. You can get out and try to find another job.

Can You Really Afford to Do it Yourself?

Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and Supplemental Security Income benefits, on the other hand, are a little different.

If you are applying, it is probably because you feel you can no longer work, and if you can no longer work, then it probably is important to you what the outcome of your claim is. Or, at least it would be important to me.

If you know that the rules for getting Social Security Disability are complex-- and I can tell you that they are, for all but the most serious categories of disabilities--then it says to me that if you are a “do it yourselfer”, then:

1.    You’re really nonchalant about it all because you secretly have a nice nest egg at your disposal and just don’t want  to jump through all the bureaucratic hoops; or

2.    You refuse to believe the rumor that it is so difficult to get benefits, or

3.    You’ve read the SSA Blue Book Listings of Impairments, and you know without a doubt that your disability is listed in there, and not only is it in there, but you know that you have all the accompanying prerequisites attached to it too, so you have no worries that your claim is not going to be approved.

Whatever your reason for deciding to do it yourself, I too will side with you and not worry about you just because you are not worried about it.

No, you’re wrong because I really do care whether I win or lose my claim for benefits…

But, what if you are someone who really does care whether you win or lose your disability claim? You feel you have a strong case, but you would like to have a little help with some of the details to help you get more comfortable with what SSA expects of you. You’re perfectly capable of handling your own claim, and just want some instruction on what to do and when to do it.

If this is you, then I highly recommend you get a copy of the eBook “Getting Social Security Disability: Your 9 Step Individual Action Guide”. Yes, this is an eBook written by me, but it is an excellent guide that helps you get more comfortable with describing your disability and also helps you get the most accurate decision in the least amount of time. 

Now I could say that the 9 Steps to Disability Guide will help you win your claim, but I have no idea what your impairment is, or whether it is severe enough to be winnable. What I can say is that you will know what SSA disability examiners need from you in order to make the best and most favorable decision on your claim if you read the guide.

This guide written by an ex disability examiner gives you "insider" information, is available for immediate download, and may still be under $12 if the introductory price is still in effect. You can check it out here or click below:

Not Only Is It Important Whether I Win or Lose…It is Absolutely Essential That I leave No Stone Unturned As I Proceed … I Want to Increase My Chances of Getting All the Social Security Disability Benefits I am Entitled To and I Want Professional Help!

Ok, moving on. Now, for those of you who fall into category # 3. You are someone who needs to know what your chances are of winning your disability appeal. You would like an attorney or an experienced disability representative to take a look at some of the specifics of your case and tell you how you should proceed.

You want to do this with absolutely no pressure, no anxiety and no upfront cost.

Well, as I said before, I can help you with that too. 

Claims ESP Disability Referral Network can put you in touch with an attorney / disability representative in your area who will provide you with a no-obligation, free disability claim evaluation. Yes, I did say FREE!

All you need to do is fill out the disability evaluation claim form, and you will soon be connected with one of our representatives who will discuss your claim with you.

You want answers. You want help. Claims ESP Referral Network offers both.

So, the choice is yours:

Do It yourself…Ok, that's fine, but at least sign up for my free disability newsletter to get great tips and articles that will help you get the best decision in the least amount of time on your claim. Please click here to sign up.

Get some insider help from an ex-claims examiner. Pick up a copy of 9 Steps 2 Disability. You’ll be able to refer to different stages of your examination process and have the answers at hand on how to proceed if you’re managing your claim on your own. Click here for more information.

 or

Get the full monty with a Free Disability Claim Evaluation. No obligation. No cost consultation. With this option, you can get your questions answered, get an indication of what your chances are for a successful outcome on your claim, and get the peace of mind you need, together with the assurance that you are dealing with a knowledgeable and competent disability representative or attorney.

Hey, no matter what you decide, I'm wishing you all the best with your claim.

Best Regards,

Loretta

P.S. Hey, just one last thing I wanted to mention to you. While I was working at the Disability Determination Services office as a claims examiner, one of the things that I felt compelled to do was to always maintain a Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance policy.

You may know that this is an insurance policy that pays you benefits if you are ever not able to perform the regular duties of your job due to a medical impairment or disability. This is a policy that is separate from the federal disability program.

And the reason I kept a LTD policy while working at Disability Determination Service is because I knew that it was possilbe that one day I might eventually be applying for disability, and I also knew just how hard it would be to qualify, just how many hoops I would have to jump through, and just how frustrating and time consuming the whole process could be.

Still, having a LTD policy would not prevent me from ever having to go through the process because most of these type policies require you to apply for the Federal disability program as a matter of course, since most people have paid into the SSA program. But I knew that having the Long Term Disability policy would actually pay me if I became disabled and that their rules were a lot less stringent than SSA's. This meant that the LTD policy could at least buffer me financially while I encountered the long federal disability determination process.

Hey, no need going into the poor house while awaiting a decision, right?

My friend, if you are still reading this, please consider getting the help you need with your disability claim. Claims ESP Disability Referral Network is standing by to help you right now. 

You Really Can Get Your Questions Answered and Get the Help You Need!

   "Your Claim ... Your Decision"