Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases affect a significant percentage of the population, affecting substantially more women then men.  It is not unusual for someone to suffer from multiple autoimmune diseases.

We represent a 54 year old nurse from Tom's River, New Jersey, who suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto's disease, along with several other disabling conditions.  Our client retained us after she had been denied Social Security Disability ("SSD") benefits at the initial application stage.  The Administrative Law Judge approved our client's application following a hearing, finding that the opinions from all of the treating doctors were consistent with each other, and showed a pattern of documented pain and fatigue.

If you are planning on applying for SSD benefits, we cannot stress enough the importance of speaking with your treating doctors first, to confirm that they will support your claim, and will be willing to attest to the restrictions and limitations that prevent you from working any fulltime job.

Strokes

According to the CDC, approximately 800,000 people in the United States have a stroke every year, causing many of them to be paralyzed.

We represent a 41 year old physician's assistant from Wading River who suffered a stroke, leaving him with left sided hemiparesis, vision loss, and post stroke epilepsy.  We provided the State agency with supportive medical evidence from our claimant's treating providers, yet they still "needed" to send our client to a Consultative Exam ("CE").  We asked the State agency to send us in writing what information they contended was missing so we could request that information from our client's doctor, who Social Security cites as the "preferred" sources for information.

Once the State agency received the requested information, they approved our client's application, proving once again, that the CE was not needed.  Our client was very appreciative that we avoided the necessity for him to have to go for the CE.

Long Covid

COVID pandemic may be over for most of us, but it's not over for those people suffering from Long COVID.  According to the Mayo Clinic, common symptoms of long COVID include extreme fatigue, problems with memory, lightheadedness or dizziness, sleep problems, shortness of breath and headaches.  These symptoms can last weeks, months, and in many cases years.

We represent a 48 year old Underwriting Analyst from Williston Park, whose Social Security Disability ("SSD") benefits were approved by ALJ Linda Stagno, On The Record "OTR".  After reviewing the same medical records that the State agency doctors reviewed, ALJ Stagno recognized the obvious severity of our client's condition and approved the OTR.  This illustrates the waste of time spent by the Stage agency, whose doctors continue to deny people who have sufficient supportive medical evidence to be approved.

It may seem obvious to a claimant that their medical condition renders them disabled from working a fulltime job.  However, it is not so obvious to Social Security, which is why you should retain an experienced disability attorney who understands exactly what is needed to obtain a successful outcome.  Our office in Melville, Long Island offers free phone consultations for anyone considering applying for disability benefits.