A number of agencies provide disability law and advocacy related services to physically and mentally disabled persons. Such agencies are available both nationally and in each US state. The importance of the advocacy of rights of disabled individuals provided under disability law cannot be understated. Disabled individuals as a group face far too many challenges in life and require help to be aware of their rights to equality with regard to other US citizens.
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Unfortunately, some people exploit others who may be weaker than them in any aspect. The US federal government and state governments have therefore enacted laws to provide comprehensive protection to disabled persons. However, disabled persons as a class are usually not firm enough to fight their own discrimination cases against exploiters.
This has paved the way for the institution of non-profit charitable community service-based organizations that provide basic legal education to the disabled and advocate for their rights. They provide advocacy services to the disabled by publishing newsletters, engaging in legal reform, or even policy reform in favor of disabled persons, and in test case litigation.
There are a number of national agencies that are engaged in advocacy services for disabled persons. They help improve the quality of the life of the disabled through their non-discriminatory efforts. They include the following.
Advocating Change Together (ACT) - This is a grassroots-level disability rights organization that is run by and for people with physical, mental, and developmental disabilities. It makes connections to civil and human rights struggles and helps make disabled people feel part of a disability rights movement.
It runs a Common Vision program that that serves to inculcate self-advocacy among participants and trains disabled persons for leadership within the disability community. The program also tries to make disabled persons aware of their own power to bring about positive change in the disabled people's community. It trains disabled persons to work in groups to create a strong organization that does not depend on others to advocate for their rights but on themselves.
American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) - This largest-of-its-kind pan-national organization is committed to ensure that Americans with disabilities empower themselves and maintain economic self-sufficiency and avoid bankruptcy. It advocates full implementation and enforcement of disability laws in respect of disabled persons. It provides membership to all disabled persons in the US for an annual fee of only $15 per person.
It advocates unity, leadership, and impact among the disabled fraternity to voice as a group common issues and needs. It is a forum whose goal is to ensure inclusion of all disabled persons as equal to other US citizens.
Besides the above organizations, there are many other organizations in the US at national and state levels that provide disability law and advocacy related services to disabled persons. You can search for them easily on the Internet. They render yeoman's service for the rights and upliftment of disabled people.
Insufficient information about the applicant's condition is one of the primary reasons that the Social Security Administration will deny a claim for benefits. Unless you are able to supply full and convincing evidence to prove that you have a physical or mental disability which makes it impossible for you to continue working, your application will probably be denied.
Ideally you will be able to submit a thick folder of medical records to document the development of your condition and the fact that you have been actively seeking treatment, but this is often not possible due to the fact that the applicant cannot afford health insurance. This poses a paradox: If your disability makes it impossible for you to pay for health care, how can you build the medical history to prove that you have a disability? Many people in this position seek care at local clinics for low-income patients or by working with doctors who cater to people seeking SSD benefits.
Beyond the task of proving your eligibility, you may also encounter difficulty in moving your claim through the system. The Social Security Administration states that the average claim should take between 3 and 5 months from the date of submission to the final decision. In practice, it is common to spend over a year waiting to learn whether Massachusetts ERISA Lawyer you have been approved for benefits. Sometimes an application will get bogged down, and it is often helpful to make regular contact with the local Disability Determination Services office to ensure that they receive any additional information which may be necessary to expedite approval of the claim.
Given that you have a 2 out of 3 chance of being denied in your initial application, the odds are that you will have to request Reconsideration of your claim. Most applicants have to proceed to the next step of appeals, a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge, before being approved for benefits. If you are still denied, you may have to take your claim to the Appeals Council or even to a Federal Court.
The Social Security Administration allows applicants to hire legal representation to assist with the claims process. If you choose to do so, you may be able to avoid many of the common pitfalls which could force to you wait longer than necessary to receive benefits. To maximize your chances of success in your application, you should only choose an attorney whose practice is focused on Social Security Disability claims.