You know that your disability is going to keep you from working again, or at least you believe that it will. You want to file for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits so that you can get the money you need going forward, and you believe that you qualify.
At the same time, the Social Security Administration admits that it often takes up to five months for an application to go through, and you know that there are cases where it takes longer. This feels like far too long, and you begin looking into your options. A friend suggests that getting an attorney can fast-track the process so that you get benefits before someone who applied on their own. Is this true?
Avoiding mistakes may help, but there’s no fast track
Overall, no, there is no fast track, and you may still have to wait months to get through the claim. As with many bureaucratic processes, this just takes time and that is often unavoidable.
What an attorney can help you do, though, is to avoid mistakes. Did you know that technical errors lead to a lot of denials? You may apply, wait for three to five months, and then get denied for a paperwork error — even though you have a valid claim. If you work with someone who is experienced with and who can help you avoid that error, you improve your chances of getting an approval without unnecessary delays
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding the SSDI process. The more you know about it, the lower your chances are of being denied and having to appeal.