Caring for a healthy child is a taxing experience. Caring for a child with a physical or mental disability can be even more challenging and financially costly. Social security disability benefits can help ease some of the burden and help ensure your child has access to all the care they need and deserve. While it's possible to complete the process of securing benefits on your own, having an attorney on your side can be of an invaluable benefit.
Qualifying
One of the more difficult phases of the disability benefit process is solidifying the claim. There are a number of physical and mental conditions that can warrant a child's claim for disability, including HIV, asthma, vision loss, autism, low IQ and depression. Having an official diagnosis for any of these conditions alone is unfortunately not enough to cement your child's claim. You are also required to provide substantial documentation stating their disability extent and how their disability prevents them from leading an otherwise, normal life.
For parents, it can be extremely difficult to complete this process while also caring for their child. Failing to meet a deadline for documentation submission or failing to include even one piece of evidence can result in a denial of the claim. An attorney can help you collect and organize any necessary documentation on your child's behalf to avoid any errors and improve your child's chance of a successful benefit claim.
Formal Hearing
Once your child's case has progressed past the qualifying phase, you will then typically be required to participate in a formal hearing. As part of the formal hearing, the facts of the case will be presented in front of a judge, social security representative or both. Having an attorney serve as your representation during the hearing process is helpful. In addition to the information that you present as part of the claim for your child, you may also be offered the opportunity to cross-examine a social security administration vocation expert.
If you aren't asking the right questions to help cement the severity of your child's condition during the cross-examination phase, this can be detrimental to your claim. Attorneys are well versed on how to handle these types of situations and will present your child's case in the most thought-provoking and convincing manner to help ensure your child's claim is successful.
An attorney can help take much of the burden off of you while also increasing the chance of a more successful claim for your child. Don't overlook the benefit an attorney can afford you and your child during this process.
Share8 December 2015
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