Helping social security and disability clients secure the money they’re entitled to stems from my sense of strong family values to help your fellow man. In Catholic school it was the driving force in my life-the teaching that your gifts aren’t yours so you don’t get to be selfish with them-but instead use them to help others.
As the leading disability attorney in San Diego, I take my job seriously, which means I go above and beyond for the people that hire me. I educate every client on procedures surrounding the claims and legal process.
To take this further, I’ve broadened my scope of expertise by providing educational presentations to my respective community on how to best navigate the disability process. The outreach is focused on teaching nonprofit lawyers, case managers and social workers on how to get the right evidence into a claim before it goes before a judge.
The judge is responsible for making a credibility assessment for each case. The goal is quantifying their work-related functioning or limitation. By law they need medical evidence to support their decision and the cards are really stacked against a person.
However, if I can teach my peers how to win a case, their client will never need me. I recognize that the ability to work does much more than provide a person with a paycheck-it’s tied into self-worth, and the COVID-19 health crisis took that purpose away from a lot of people.
Since the pandemic began disability claims have risen and I expect a flood of them by the end of the year when the federal government stops unemployment. Once those end many people will have no other source of income and everyone deserves a chance to better their life.
Disability claim details can range from migraine headaches to seizures and stress-related factors such as depression and anxiety. But it’s important to remember that the program is complete disability. For example, if a person’s job was as a construction worker I must show they also can’t provide security at Walmart.
The evidence of how a person’s condition limits them is critical. Any injury or illness that results in functional limitations, mentally or physically can be considered an impairment.
The clients I represent should have the best representation possible. I like fighting a good battle every day, but I can’t do it alone. Being able to educate service providers on how to better support their clients on the social security insurance and disability process is key because it can be confusing and complicated.
Nearly half of the clients I represent are physically disabled, which means I get to help some of the most vulnerable people get the help they desperately need. I’m passionate about helping others and I enjoy the challenge of successfully representing difficult cases.
My job allows me to do well by doing good and there’s nothing better than that. If you’re a provider interested in learning about the disability process, please call us to schedule a meeting.