Do you need a legal representative or legal team to assist you with a social security disability case? Are you also in the process of declaring bankruptcy due to your disability? If you have questions about these and other issues, when you contact a local law firm, an attorney on their legal team will be able to assist you. In addition to providing information on your rights and responsibilities, they will be able to provide you with counsel on how to proceed.
Recent Data and Studies Regarding Social Security
There were 5.7 million people that began to collect Social Security in 2012. These individuals had the following status:
- Retired workers: 48%
- Disabled workers: 17%
- Survivors and dependents of deceased workers: 35%
In 2013, Social Security benefits comprised at least half of the income received by 64% of aged beneficiaries. In 2014, 5.4 million people were awarded Social Security benefits for the first time. This brought the total amount of people receiving benefits that year to 64.2 million.
A Pew Research Center survey was conducted in 2014 with Generation X and Millennial-aged participants. While 50% of the former group believed Social Security benefits wouldn’t be available for them upon retirement, 51% of the latter group believed this.
Recent studies show that before they reach 67, 1 in 4 individuals that are currently 20 will become disabled. Whether or not these individuals believe there will be disability benefits available for them is unclear.
Recent Data and Studies on Bankruptcy
Statistics from the US Bankruptcy Court indicate that over 1.5 million individuals file for bankruptcy in an average year. While bankruptcies are filed for a variety of reasons, a Harvard University study recently showed that roughly 62% of the personal bankruptcies filed in the United States are due to medical expenses. Given the combined cost of insurance, medication, treatment, and other relevant needs, such as in-home support services, this is not a surprising figure.
It is estimated that 75% of people in this country live paycheck-to-paycheck, and 27% do not have any money saved. While many Americans may realize the important of having an emergency fund to cover a minimum of 6 months of expenses, less than 1 in 4 actually do.
The Benefits of Hiring an Attorney
If you need assistance with filing bankruptcy, working with an attorney can make a difference in the outcome. When working with an attorney, the success rate for Chapter 7 cases is over 95%, and for Chapter 13, it is 55%. When you handle the case pro se, or on behalf of yourself, the success rate is 60% and .04% respectively.
When you have attempted to file for Social Security disability and been denied, having an attorney represent you can increase the likelihood that you will be awarded benefits. If you’ve become disabled as a result of a workplace injury or illness, then an attorney may assist you with filing a Workers’ Compensation case.
Businesses are currently required to have Workers’ Compensation insurance in 74% of the states within this country. In the event that you live in a state that does not require it, or there are issues with proceeding, a legal team will be able to advise and assist you with this situation.