As a Social Security disability attorney or advocate, you know that not every claim is as strong as others. Some applicants for disability benefits will clearly win their claims, while others don’t stand a chance even with assistance from an attorney. If you’re receiving leads from eGenerationMarketing, here are some of the best case descriptions to look for.
1: Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue disorders
These include, but are not limited to, degenerative disc disease, lupus, arthritis, osteoarthritis, and joint disorders. Why are these great cases for your firm? Musculoskeletal disorders are the most commonly approved disability among SSDI recipients. According to the SSA, 28.6% of people on SSDI have some type of muscle, bone, or joint disorder. A client with a musculoskeletal disorder may have a higher chance of approval than someone with another disability.
Additionally, musculoskeletal system disorders often occur later in life, and mid-career. For example, most people are diagnosed with arthritis in their 60s, according to the CDC. Claimants aged 60-65 also happens to be the largest age group approved for disability benefits. Musculoskeletal disorders are also often progressive or caused by traumatic injury, meaning it’s much more likely that this applicant will qualify for SSDI as opposed to SSI, meaning higher payouts for your firm.
2: Esophageal, gallbladder, liver, pancreatic, thyroid, or any small-cell cancer.
People with cancer are often suddenly out of work and in desperate need of help from an attorney or advocate. Unfortunately, not every form or stage of cancer will qualify for disability benefits. All of the previously mentioned conditions are Compassionate Allowances, which means that claimants should be approved in as little as 10 days.
While this is an easy win for your firm, it does mean that there would be no back pay for a claimant, meaning no attorney's fee. What you could be entitled to, however, are retroactive payments. Not everyone with cancer immediately applies for disability benefits. Some people with even the most advanced forms of cancer will wait years to start an application, simply because they are unaware there is financial assistance available to them and their family. Your firm could be paid for up to 12 months of retroactive payments, plus additional payments for any eligible dependent children or spouses. It’s a pretty good settlement for a claim that takes less than one month to process.
3. Vision loss
Vision loss is a very common disability, especially as we grow older. This means that claimants who apply for vision loss have the same advantage as those with musculoskeletal disorders: They’ll often have a rich career history behind them and be applying for SSDI benefits as opposed to SSI.
Another reason why taking claimants with blindness is a great move for your firm is that it’s possible your claimant could be working and still qualify. Most applicants cannot earn more than $1,130 (2016’s SGA) per month while still qualifying for SSDI benefits. Blind applicants can earn a staggering $1,820 per month and still qualify. Technical disqualifications are just as common as medical, so when you’re working with a claimant who is blind, you know the chances of the claim getting thrown out for financial reasons is less than most applicants.
Increasing Your Caseload
We do not allow any clients to filter Social Security disability leads by condition at eGenerationMarketing. We firmly believe that you should call each and every applicant to screen the case yourself. Some claimants will not list every condition they’ve been diagnosed with on our short contact form, meaning that some cases could be significantly better than your intake staff initially believes. If you’d like to increase your caseload with Social Security disability leads, give us a call today at 617.800.0089 to hear about our availability in your area.