Social Security Disability Benefits | Hire | Lawyer | Attorney | St. Petersburg | Clearwater

Colleen Russo - Social Security Disability Attorney

Social Security Disability
Attorney Colleen Russo

You should know that an experienced St. Petersburg / Clearwater Social Security Disability lawyer can have an enormous effect on your chances for success in obtaining Social Security Disability benefits. I have over 20 years experience in helping the disabled. I am also a long time member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives. This organization is strongly dedicated to preserving the rights and dignity of the disabled.

Here are just a few of the ways I can help:

Prepare and file all of the necessary documents to accompany your initial application for benefits or file an appeal if you have already been denied.
Secure and carefully review all of your medical records.
Update your Social Security file by providing all of your doctor's latest medical test results and reports.
Draft individualized questions for your doctors to answer so as to properly anticipate and address any potential concerns on the part of the Social Security Administration. This proactive legal strategy will often lead to a stronger and more convincing claim.
When appropriate, prepare a legal memorandum that includes administrative and statutory authority supporting your claim.
If a formal hearing is required, I will meet with you to properly prepare your testimony for the proceeding. I can also give you advance warning of the anticipated questions that may be asked by the administrative law judge.
I will attend the formal hearing with you to insure that the judge considers the most favorable evidence. I will likewise be prepared to effectively cross-examine any witness who may offer testimony contrary to your claim.

Why Having a Social Security Disability Lawyer is More Important Than Ever

Processing times for claimants waiting to obtain a decision as to whether they are disabled have reached intolerable levels. The statistics are frightening. These waiting times have dramatically increased over the years from a matter of months to more than two years. Almost 750,000 disabled people are currently waiting for a decision on their benefits. In many cases, applicants have waited in excess of two years.

The Tampa hearing office has a tremendous backlog of cases. “The backlog is the worst in Florida,” reported Representative Kathy Castor at a recent news conference at the Tampa Social Security office. Click Here to read the full St. Pete Times article on Tampa’s backlog including Rep. Castor’s commentary.

In Tampa, there are over 14,000 claims awaiting a hearing, which is more than double the amount of any other city in Florida. These high number of claims amount to 966 hearings per judge. As a result, the average time for a hearing to be scheduled in Tampa is currently at 681 days compared with the national average of 510 days. Furthermore, the processing time can be even longer, as it takes an average of 60 additional days from the time the Judge’s decision is made to when the decision is formally prepared and mailed out. This creates yet another delay for both an applicant’s monthly benefits and their eligibility for past due benefits.

Thus, from the time an individual initially applies for benefits up until the time he receives his first Social Security Administration check, he could wait in excess of three years. During that time, the applicant’s medical condition could grow worse, his ability to meet financial obligations become more difficult and he could even face the possibility of bankruptcy.

Average Wait for a Hearing

Nationally - 510 days; 761,042 cases pending
Tampa - 681 days; 14,524 cases pending
Miami - 618 days; 4,563 cases pending
Jacksonville - 540 days; 7,076 cases pending
Orlando - 444 days; 7,199 cases pending
Fort Lauderdale - 369 days; 3,453 cases pending

What are the causes of this unacceptable delay?

A reduction in federal funding has been part of the problem. Staffing levels have also decreased while the number of disability claims has increased. It is helpful to compare statistics from the period of 1999 to 2005. In 1999 there were 1,090 Administrative Law Judges to handle only 311,958 cases yet by 2005 only six Administrative Law Judges were added to handle over double the number of pending matters.

However, productivity is also being affected by the lack of an adequate number of staff members assigned to each Administrative Law Judge. In 2001, when the number of pending cases was significantly lower, each Administrative Law Judge had 5.4 staff members. In 2005, this number decreased to as low as 4 staff members for each Administrative Law Judge. As a result, the current resources are clearly insufficient to handle the growing number of claims.

Click Here to read a recent report by the Social Security Administration Advisory Board detailing the current inadequacies of the hearing process.

Applying for Benefits Without an Attorney Could Further Delay Your Recovery

The process of applying for your disability benefits can be extremely complex. Many disability claims experts will confirm that disabled applicants who apply for benefits without representation are more likely to be turned down. In fact, statistics show that applicants with legal counsel win benefits twice as often than those who apply on their own. Click Here for a related article that discusses both the increasing delay of Social Security Disability Benefit claims and how applicants with an attorney find themselves in a superior position.

Getting it Right the First Time

Two out of three applicants are initially rejected by the Social Security Administration. Appealing that decision becomes an even lengthier and more complicated ordeal. Therefore, it is crucial that you hire an experienced St. Petersburg / Clearwater Social Security Disability attorney early on to ensure that the best evidence is gathered and submitted as promptly as possible in your appeal process.

How a Lawyer Can Help Navigate Your Claim Through This Backlogged System

The only way to fight the increasing delays is to make sure that your application and supporting medical evidence are as strong and complete as possible. An attorney can review your existing medical records and can determine if they need to be supplemented by your health care professional. Your lawyer can prepare additional documents for your doctor to complete that will better address the specific medical/vocational guidelines utilized by the Administrative Law Judges and the Social Security Administration employees who review and ultimately make the rulings in your case. As such, an attorney can ensure that you present the strongest and clearest evidence of your disabling condition.

How Attorney Colleen Russo May Be Able To Secure Benefits Quickly

Over the years of working with hundreds of social security disability clients, I have routinely been successful in obtaining many favorable decisions without the need to await for a formal hearing. This is accomplished by securing a positive outcome “on the record.” What this means is that I prepare a legal memorandum for the Administrative Law Judge addressing the facts and law specific to each case. These memos have benefited many of my clients either by winning their case without waiting for a hearing or by calling attention to the file, which can result in scheduling a hearing without further delay.

These favorable decisions were made as a result of our office conducting extensive research into the clients’ medical history, obtaining the necessary documentation from the client’s doctors, and preparing legal memorandums for the Administrative Law Judges and their staff to review. My twenty three years of experience enables me to be very efficient and quite effective in navigating the federal system so as to secure disability benefits for my clients in the quickest possible way.

I want to help you get through these current unacceptable delays in receiving the social security disability benefits you deserve. I understand that clients coming to me to obtain disability benefits have often been out of work for an extended period of time and are in a financial crisis that affects them and their families. Time is of the essence and as a result, I want to help you get your benefits as quickly as possible.

Call Social Security Disability Lawyer Colleen Russo Today for a Free Consultation

If you or someone you know is in need of social security disability benefits, has applied and been denied disability benefits, or is waiting for a hearing in their social security disability case, I can help. I look forward to meeting you and learning about your case.

~ Colleen M. Russo

Related Links:

Click Here to read a CBS News investigation on the lengthy wait to get your disability benefits.

Click Here to read a NY Times article on the backlogged Social Security Disability system.