Washington Social Security Disability

Washington is home to millions of hard-working American citizens who pay into the Social Security system with taxes from each and every paycheck they receive. They assume that Social Security Disability benefits will be there for them should they ever need them. Of the more than four-million residents that live in the State of Washington, approximately 3.6 percent receive Social Security Disability benefits. Thousands more apply for Social Security Disability benefits each year. Unfortunately, approximately 70 percent of the disability claims received by the Social Security Administration are denied during the initial stage of the application process. The majority of Washington Social Security Disability applicants must obtain a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge if they hope to receive disability benefits at some point in the future.

While some states are able to schedule disability hearings in a matter of months, all of the Washington Social Security Disability applicants who file an appeal for a disability hearing must wait more than a year before their hearing is scheduled before an ALJ. Depending which part of Washington that you live in, it can take anywhere between 480 and 567 days to be scheduled for a disability hearing. It will then take another two to three months before you receive the decision that the Administrative Law Judge has made regarding your disability case.

The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) is the agency responsible for scheduling disability hearings for the Social Security Administration. Each state has multiple ODAR offices, with each ODAR office serving a particular set of Social Security Disability field offices. The area of Washington that you live in determines which ODAR office will handle your disability claim and impacts how long you must wait to obtain your disability hearing. The locations of the Washington ODAR offices and the Social Security field offices that they serve are as follows:

• Portland, Oregon

The ODAR office located in Portland, Oregon is responsible for scheduling the disability hearings for the Washington Social Security field offices located in Longview and Vancouver. It takes this office an average of thirteen months to schedule a disability hearing for Washington Social Security Disability applicants.

• Seattle, Washington

The Seattle ODAR office manages the disability hearings for the Social Security field offices in Aberdeen, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bremerton, Chehalis, Everett, Lynnwood, Mt. Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup, Renton, Seattle-Downtown, Seattle-North, Seattle-South, Seattle-West and Tacoma. It takes this office an average of 567 days to schedule a disability hearing.

• Spokane, Washington

The Spokane ODAR office is responsible for scheduling the disability hearings for the Social Security field offices in Kennewick, Pullman, Spokane, Walla Walla, Wenatchee and Yakima. It takes this office an average of 480 days to schedule a disability hearing.

Hiring a Washington Social Security Disability Attorney

It is understandable that many Washington Social Security Disability applicants do not want to wait more than a year before being scheduled for a disability hearing before an ALJ. Many of these applicants wonder if there is any way to avoid the lengthy and complicated disability appeal process. The only way to avoid having to file a disability appeal is to have your application for disability benefits approved during the initial stage of the application process. Fortunately, there is a way to increase your chances of receiving a favorable decision regarding your initial disability claim. By working with a Washington Social Security Disability lawyer, you can increase your chances of filing a successful initial application and may be able to avoid the need for a lengthy disability appeal.

Statistics show that Washington Social Security Disability applicants who obtain qualified legal representation are more likely to be awarded disability benefits than Social Security Disability applicants who choose to represent themselves. When you work with a Washington Social Security Disability attorney during the initial stage of the disability application process, your lawyer will work with you to gather the medical evidence that will be needed to prove your disability case to the Social Security Administration. They will also work to ensure that your application is prepared properly so that you can present your claim to the Social Security Administration in the best light possible. If, for some reason, your application for benefits is denied, your Washington Social Security Disability lawyer will be able to represent you in your disability appeal and will be able to prepare you for your disability hearing. It is crucial that you have proper legal representation at this hearing if you want the best chance of being awarded benefits by the administrative law judge.

The good news is that hiring a Washington Social Security Disability attorney does not have to cost an arm and a leg. Disability attorneys work on a contingency basis, collecting either 25 percent of the back pay that you are awarded by the Social Security Administration or $6,000 (whichever is less). For example, if you are awarded $10,000 in back payments from the Social Security Administration, your attorney will receive $2,500 of that amount. If you are awarded $35,000 in back payments, your Washington Social Security lawyer will only receive $6,000 rather than the full 25 percent of your back payment. If you do not win your disability case, your attorney does not collect a fee.

Click here if you would like to learn more about hiring a Washington Social Security Disability lawyer and to receive a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case.