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for business by appointment only. Metzger Wickersham is accepting new
clients and all attorneys and staff are available to assist you. Please
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About two-thirds of all SSD applications are denied by the US government
at the initial application stage. For some people, this statistically
high rate of denial is motive enough to hire an experienced attorney to
assist with their disability claim. Others may be hesitant to seek legal
assistance, but there is no doubt that hiring an attorney can be beneficial.
Disability claims often involve lengthy processing times. If you hire an
attorney at the very start of your claim, your attorney can help you file
and get your initial application approved. This can benefit you by avoiding
the appeal process altogether. However, if you decide to apply on your
own and get denied, you can also retain an attorney to help you with a
successful appeal.
Attorneys are especially advantageous during the appeal process. History
shows that experienced attorneys are much more likely to prevail in a
disability hearing with an Administrative Law Judge than a claimant without
representation. There are several reasons:
are skilled in documenting the inability of the claimant to perform other
types of work.
SSD attorneys work on a contingency fee basis and receive fees from the
claimant’s retroactive benefits. Attorneys are not awarded any fee
until your application is approved. The fee is limited to 25 percent of
the past due benefits you are awarded, with a maximum of $6,000. An attorney
receives their fee from the first payment(s) you receive after your application
is approved.
Be aware, there are plenty of “non-attorney representatives”
out there who promote that they can assist you in filing your initial
application for SS benefits or in appealing a denial. When deciding where
to seek help for your disability claim, do the necessary research to ensure
that you are hiring a licensed attorney vs. a non-attorney. There is no
financial advantage to hiring a non-attorney representative; Social Security
Administration regulations specify that the fee for all professional representatives
are the same. Yet, the quality of representation you will get with a
real attorney may far exceed what’s provided by someone who is not.
Pennsylvania Social Security Disability Attorneys
At Metzger Wickersham, we can help you streamline the process to obtain
your SSD benefits. Our disability lawyers have used our knowledge and
experience to help thousands of clients just like you. Contact us today
to find out how we can assist. We have offices located in Harrisburg,
Lancaster, Pottsville, Shippensburg, Wilkes-Barre and York, allowing us
to conveniently serve clients throughout Pennsylvania.