A serious injury or medical condition can have an immediate impact upon you and your family. The anxiety of being out of work, losing income, and large medical bills is frightening to everyone, particularly in times such as these. Despite these concerns, the most frequent question we hear from new clients is whether they have a good case for social security disability benefits. I am still surprised to see the number of people who put off applying for benefits when they have strong fact to support their claim. With this in mind, there are three things that you or your loved ones should do to help you with your case.

1) Apply For Benefits

It seems simple, but I am always surprised at the number of people who have waited several months or years to apply for social security disability benefits. These claims are not like fine wine - they do not get better with age. If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or medical condition, apply for benefits as soon as possible. The process takes time, and prolonging that process will only delay monthly disability benefits and, possibly, health insurance benefits that would be helpful for you or your loved one. If in doubt, it is best to seek legal advise and apply at your earliest opportunity.

2) Seek the advise of an attorney early

In the past, people who sought social security disability benefits often applied for benefits and then sought the advise of an attorney after they were denied benefits. This never made much sense to me. There is not any other area of the law where clients file their own lawsuit, and then seek the advise of an attorney later. This seems like backward logic. It is always better to have the advise of an attorney throughout every step in this process. The rules and regulations involved in this process are complex, and one misstep at any phase could be critical to your case. It is best to seek the advise of an attorney early in these cases, even before you begin to apply for benefits.

3) Continue to see your Doctors on a regular basis

When clients suffer a serious injury or medical condition, they sometimes stop seeing their Doctors after a time. It is understandable because the frustration with keeping appointments and having mixed success with recovery can overwhelm most anyone. However, missing appointments is one of the worst things you can do for a social security disability case. The opinions of your treating Doctors will be very important in your case, and seeing your Doctors regularly will help them if they are asked to give an opinion.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or medical condition, it is always best to apply for benefits at the earliest opportunity. You should seek the advice of an attorney at the earliest opportunity, as well. Don't stop seeing your Doctors, as they could be very helpful in your case. At Neale & Newman, LLP, we take great pride in helping people through this difficult process. If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or medical condition, please email or call us as soon as possible to schedule a consultation.