Social Security disability hearings are handled by administrative law judges. They have a law degree and usually practiced law for years before becoming a judge. Their job is to conduct the hearing according to all the laws, rules and regulations."Do you want to be the only inexperienced person in the room? If you walk into a Social Security disability hearing unrepresented, you will be."
The vocational witness will have a master's or doctor's degree and years of experience as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. She has probably attended thousands of Social Security disability hearings.
If there is a medical expert (ME), he/she will have a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, or equivalent.
Into this frightening crowd of professional persons sits the claimant, with no training in Social Security disability rules, regulations or procedures. The claimant doesn't usually have a clue about what procedures will be followed, what his burden of proof is or what kind of evidence is accepted.
The claimant cannot be expected to know the myriad of technical terms and their meanings: SGA, PRW, RFC, AOD.... What are the demands of sedentary work as opposed to light work? How do non-exertional limitations play into all this? How many days per month may I be absent for medical treatment and still hold a full-time job?
"Is it unfair, and totally illogical, to expect the claimant to handle his Social Security disability hearing successfully alone."
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