Quote Originally Posted by SouthernGuerilla
I would highly not recommend getting an attorney for SSI. Work your way up the Social Security administration latter. Social Security is something but not enough to get by on.

It's best to get a certified letter and medical records from your doctors stating that you are disabled and so on. Doctors can be very helpful in helping you obtain SSI benefits, especially if they have numerous other patients who are disabled.

It does take a long time to get SSI. It took my mom a long while.

Attorneys don't do anything magical or political when they "help" you get your SSI. Get your paperwork from your doctors(certified documents) and go to your local Social Security office. They're there to help you.

Tell them only what you have legal prescriptions for.
Have you actually gone through this process? I have for my handicapped brother and let me tell you, even if you get your paperwork straight yourself and get the signatures.. the government will still give you the run around. What a lawyer will do is make it so they can not blow you off so easily.

Maybe you have gone through this and were fortunate enough to be able to handle it on you're own but it's a bit arrogant to assume that an SSI Lawyer is useless. I know first hand that it's actually contrary to what you say.

We did all of our work, we filed all our paperwork, we got all our signatures and still fought the system for years until we finally hired our own attorney.

Say what you want, but if I had to do it all over again I would contact a Lawyer and have them do it for me from the beginning.