After your personal injury, the unfortunate circumstances might find you in need of a social security disability hearing.  If your personal injury has or will prevent you from working for at least 12 months or end in death, Social Security will pay benefits to you and certain members of your family if you have worked long enough.  If you have been denied social security disability benefits after your initial review and a reconsideration, you have the right to a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).

Making a positive first impression is key at your social security disability hearing.  Be sure to be on time and dressed presentably.  Your social security disability hearing can be scary and confusing for you.  Remember, you will be sworn in and will declare that you will tell the truth.  Be prepared for your social security disability hearing.  Have a plan in place of what you need to prove about your personal injury and how you will do it.  If you need help, a SSDI attorney can be of great assistance.

  • Do not talk about  a “self-diagnosis” or any information that is not in your medical records. Describe your limitations and symptoms.
  • Because you do not need to be in extreme pain to quality for your benefits, talk about how your personal injury fits into your disability case.  Are you unable to sit or stand for long periods of time?  Do you have days you missed work because of your medical diagnosis? Are you unable to work for eight hours straight?
  • Describe your symptoms and the limitations from those symptoms to the judge.  Let the judge know how long it takes you to complete tasks, how much you need to rest and how you need help from others because of your symptoms.

If you need assistance with your New Jersey Social Security disability hearing, please contact a personal injury attorney for assistance.