Seeking someone experienced with disability (SSD or SSI) applications

[CSummer]

Helping a friend (and past contributor to WaccoBB) apply for SSD (disability) or SSI and could use the help of someone who is very familiar with that process to discuss her situation. Lawyer or other person with experience would probably be best.

Thanks,
Clint Summer - Please reply privately or call 707-664-1529.

[jesswolfe]

For anyone wanting help with SSDI and SSI, or any other legal issues related to disability, I would recommend the Disability Services and Legal Center in Santa Rosa. Their website is https://disabilityserviceandlegal.org/

They do have an orientation you have to attend before you get services.

Jessica

[BethLinley]

Call ALLSUP. They are a non-profit that takes care of SSI applications and files any appeals for people. No cost.

Helping a friend (and past contributor to WaccoBB) apply for SSD (disability) or SSI and could use the help of someone who is very familiar with that process to discuss her situation. Lawyer or other person with experience would probably be best.

Thanks,
Clint Summer - Please reply privately or call 707-664-1529.

[diannes]

Allsup is by no means a non-profit corporation. It is a fairly good-sized (800+ employees, https://www.allsup.com/about-us/history) for-profit corporation (see https://www.wysk.com/index/illinois/...up-inc/profile) that pays its front-line employees badly (see https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Al...ws-E411359.htm). And the reason that they can advertise a 97% success rate is that they will dump any client whose case does not look easy.

Another in the same category is Binder & Binder. Personally, I believe that if there is a hell then all those who abuse the disabled will be going there, and that is surely true for the leadership of both those corporations.

And here is the REAL skinny on the fees charged by social security advocates. Apparently those two corporations have done a very good job of confusing the public about what they charge. It is true that neither charges anything UP FRONT; that does not mean that they charge nothing at all. Social security advocates are limited BY LAW to only getting paid if you win and then only charging 25% of the back pay you are owed up to a maximum of $6000. In all the research I did on the subject I never found anyone who charged anything different than that - it is the standard rate.

I ended up doing my SSDI application myself, so I don't have any first-hand experience with any social security advocates. However I have heard good things about Disability Services and Legal Center in downtown Santa Rosa (https://www.disabilityserviceandlegal.org/). Other things to recommend it besides the obvious: 1) it's local, 2) it really is non-profit and 3) any fees you may pay to them go into helping other disabled people in our community.