Although much of the preparation and presentation of a Social Security Case involves legal analysis and preparation, a smart social security claimant can take several steps to help his or her attorneys in preparing a winning claim.  Here are a few suggestions:

1.     Be Honest:   There is nothing to be gained by keeping facts from your attorney.  If there are problematic elements of your claim, then let the attorney know.  A good attorney can get around most problems, but no one can address problems that they do not know exist.  There is nothing worse for your case than to have your attorney find out a negative fact for the first time during the hearing.

2.     Communicate with Your Attorney:   This ties into the previous suggestion.  You need to keep in contact with your attorney during the process.  If you see a new doctor, you need to let the attorney know.  If your living situation changes, you need to let the attorney know.  In other words, your attorney has to know anything that happens that relates to your life that could effect your claim.

3.      Ask Your Doctors for Documents:  Although an attorney can and will get documents from your doctors, it is easier for you to do so.  Doctors know that they are legally obligated to give you the documents in your files.  As a result, they will be much more likely to do so than to give them to an attorney’s office.

4.      Don’t be Embarrassed:   Do not be afraid to tell your attorney about all of the medical issues you have.  Even if a particular issue is embarassing to you, your attorney needs to know about it.  If he or she doesn’t, they cannot present it to the judge.   It is often the most embarassing issues that have the most impact on judges who hear the cases.

5.       ”Pain” is not Enough:    It is more impressive to a judge hearing your case to hear a detailed description of your injuries and how they relate to your inability to work than it is to hear that you can’t work because you have “pain.”    The more you can show how your pain effects your ability to do your job, the more likely you are to be able to convince the judge that you are entitled to recovery.

With these 5 basic steps, you can make it much easier for your attorney to help you get the benefits you need.

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