Ohio Social Security Disability Attorneys

The Social Security Disability (SSD) system helps individuals support themselves and their families when disabilities take them out of the workforce. Unfortunately, obtaining SSD benefits can be challenging, and initial applications for benefits are often denied. Our attorneys and staff will help you put together strong, comprehensive SSD applications that clearly support your need for SSD benefits.

Knowing when to file and where to file is only half the battle. When deciding whether to approve an application for benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) closely examines the nature and extent of your disability to determine whether you have a disability that qualifies for SSD benefits.

We work closely with vocational experts, physicians and other medical professionals to build strong claims for SSD benefits that include:

• Your work history
• Your medical history
• Information from your treating physician
• Your education

The SSA also may require you to be examined by one of its doctors.

We are committed to providing personalized, professional client service to resolve even the most complex Social Security Disability (SSD) issues in an effective manner. Clients facing these matters can benefit from the quality legal counsel we provide for addressing claim applications and denials. For any case involving disability, our attorneys fight to maximize the potential benefits as we work toward a resolution.

The Social Security Administration uses a defined set of impairments to determine if a physical or mental condition is considered a disability. Documented medical evidence from a qualified doctor can help determine if a disability meets the SSA’s criteria for a listed impairment. Some categories for the SSA-listed impairments include:

• Cardiovascular system
• Digestive system
• Endocrine disorders
• Genitourinary impairments
• Hematological disorders
• Immune system disorders
• Malignant neoplastic diseases
• Mental disorders
• Multiple body systems
• Musculoskeletal system
• Neurological
• Respiratory system
• Skin disorders
• Special senses and speech

It is important to consider that the existence of one of these conditions in no way guarantees that an impairment will be considered a disability. Additional criteria with strict requirements are involved with this determination.

We understand how overwhelmed a client can feel during this process. Our attorneys provide the skilled representation needed to guide clients through this complicated process.

A claim filed with the federal government for disability benefits has many necessary components, including the existence of a severe impairment. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a five-step threshold of requirements to calculate a disability evaluation, and the existence of a severe impairment is one of those criteria.

The SSA has a detailed definition for a severe impairment: an individual limited by a medically determinable physical or mental condition for 12 months or more that significantly limits or will limit basic work activities. The challenge is often determining the variables of a severe impairment, including an account for what constitutes a significant limitation and what basic work activities involve. Carefully documented findings from the diagnosis of a qualified doctor are a consideration for any severe impairment determination. From the start of any disability issue, it is important to gather a complete history of objective medical evidence.

Obtaining benefits from the federal government is complicated, and we know how overwhelmed people can become when facing these issues alone. Our experienced attorneys use a personalized, professional approach to resolve severe impairment issues for clients. This combined approach of legal experience and client service is beneficial for clients and helps lead to effective resolutions.

A primary reason applications for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits are denied is due to insufficient medical evidence. If the Social Security Administration (SSA) is not convinced your disability exists, it will not approve your claim for benefits. The most effective way to prove your disability is through medical evidence.

Unlike other law firms, we don’t rely on our clients to supply evidence of their disability. Our attorneys work closely with our clients and their physicians to gather the medical evidence needed to build strong cases that prove our clients’ physical disabilities and mental or emotional conditions entitle them to SSD benefits.

After we have thoroughly collected medical evidence, we will arrange and present the evidence in a compelling manner that shows the SSA your disability prevents you from working and are in need of benefits. Your full medical history includes the following documentation:

• Lists of medications
• Physical examination records
• Physiatrist examination records
• Records of hospitalizations
• Emergency room visits
• Opinions from treating physicians
• X-ray, MRI, EKG, CAT scan and other advanced imaging records

The Social Security Disability system provides support to hardworking people whose permanent injuries and disabilities make it impossible to work. However, mental conditions, such as depression or PTSD can be difficult to prove.

Just because the physical effects of a mental condition are more difficult to see or prove doesn’t mean they are any less debilitating. Mental conditions often leave their victims with severe disabilities that make it impossible to maintain employment and earn a living. Common mental conditions that qualify for disability benefits include:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Major depression and generalized anxiety disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Intellectual disabilities
• Personality disorders
• Substance addiction
• Autism
• Development disorders
• Fibromyalgia

We have been helping people in central and southern Ohio get Social Security Disability benefits for more than 50 years. Our attorneys are well-versed in local laws, and we know how to make the system work for you.

Our Ohio social security disability attorneys will work closely with medical specialists, such as psychologists and psychiatrists as well as vocational experts, to ensure the SSA understands the full nature and extent of your mental condition and the impact it has on your ability to earn a living.

Although many people who suffer from anxiety, depression or certain types of other mental conditions often have no trouble finding jobs, maintaining them is difficult. When medications stop working or outside events trigger symptom flare-ups, many hardworking people are forced to miss work to treat their anxiety or depression. These diseases can also result in added stress, missed deadlines, anxiety attacks and changes in mood and personality that negatively affect workplace behaviors.

When determining whether to allow SSD benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will ask many questions: Why aren’t medications working? Why can’t this person control his or her anxiety? Why is it hard to complete simple job duties?

At The Bainbridge Firm, LLC, we know how to find answers. Our Columbus social security disability attorneys work closely with psychiatrists, psychologists and vocational experts to prove the debilitating effects anxiety and depression have on sufferers’ lives and get them the SSD benefits they need to support themselves and their families.

When physical injuries can’t be seen with the naked eye, they are often difficult to prove. At The Bainbridge Firm, LLC, our attorneys work closely with physicians, cardiologists, orthopedists and other medical professionals to gather medical evidence and prove our clients’ physical conditions do indeed qualify as disabilities.

Over the years, our attorneys have successfully helped clients secure SSD benefits for a wide range of physical conditions, including those that are more difficult to prove, such as:

• Emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
• Back and neck injuries, including cervical and lumbar injuries such as slipped disks, bulging disks and herniated disks

At The Bainbridge Firm, LLC, we are honest with our clients. We offer free case evaluations. If our social security disability attorneys in Columbus, Ohio believe you will be able to successfully file for SSD benefits on your own, we will tell you. However, if your disability will be difficult to prove, our attorneys will work hard to get you the SSD benefits you need. It’s simple: We provide the service you need when you need it.

After more than 50 years of serving clients throughout Ohio, we know even carefully prepared applications often involve appeals. If your initial application has been denied, our attorneys will guide you through the SSD process and appeal the decision. A progressive system for appeals involves up to four levels, which follow stringent timelines. These four levels of appeals include:

1. Reconsideration: This must be requested within 60 days of an application denial, and the decision will take between 45 days and six months. If this is rejected, the matter can move up to an administrative hearing.
2. Administrative hearing: An administrative law judge will consider your claim and review the medical evidence. While the judge’s decision will come within two to eight months, it can take up to two years to get before the judge. If the matter is still not resolved favorably after this, a written appeal can move the matter to the next level.
3. Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Appeals Council: The decision takes between six and 16 months and the case goes back to the administrative law judge for a review if approved. If the case is denied, an appeal can be filed with the federal court of appeal within 60 days.
4. Federal court appeal: It can take between 18 and 30 months for a judge to award benefits, send the case back to the administrative law judge or deny the claim.

For each SSD case, our goal is to obtain the maximum benefit possible for a client. We effectively revolve issues by combining our legal proficiency with personalized, professional client service.