Frequently Asked Questions
1) How long does it take to get benefits?
2) Why do I need Harold W. Conick & Associates Ltd. to represent me?
3) What can I do to help speed this process along?
4) What are the requirements that will make me eligible for SSD benefits?
5) How much money am I eligible to receive?
6) For how long a period of time will I keep receiving my Social Security disability benefits?
7) How much is the fee and how will Harold W. Conick & Associates Ltd. be paid?
8) I have a family. Are they entitled to benefits?
9) Can I be employed while receiving my benefits?
How long does it take to get benefits?
Answer: Unfortunately, this process can take up to 18 months or longer. As the baby boomer population ages, more and more people are filing for their disability benefits. An average of 330,000 new disability cases are filed per month. Remember you are dealing with a governmental agency that is severely understaffed and overworked. We at Harold W. Conick & Associates Ltd. will do everything in our power to try and move your case along including continual contact and sending correspondence to the SSA for updates on the status of your case.
Why do I need Harold W. Conick & Associates Ltd. to represent me?
Answer: We have been representing people seeking their Social Security Disability Benefits for well over 25 years. We are aware of all the legal nuances required to prove your case. We process all of your forms and paperwork so that you have a complete and updated file for your hearing. This eliminates you yourself having to make repeated trips and telephone calls to the Social Security Administration and also reduces the outside chance that your paperwork and medical records may not be properly placed in your file due to an oversight or error of a Social Security Administration clerk.
What can I do to help speed this process along?
Answer: Make sure that you get us all of your medical records. As you visit your doctors during the process please see to it that you have all your latest records and progress notes forwarded to us. No, getting all your medical records and progress notes for your file will not move you to the head of the line. Remember, you are in a very long line of people who are also waiting for their benefits as well. However, when the Social Security Administration reviews the claimant’s files for hearings, those claimants whose files are most current and up to date will be scheduled for their hearings first.
What are the requirements that will make me eligible for SSD benefits?
Answer: In general, if you have worked for a period of 10 years over the course of your lifetime and, if you have worked for five out of the last ten years before you became disabled, you may be eligible for SSD benefits. If your work history is limited, you will likely be eligible for Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI).
How much money am I eligible to receive?
Answer: The amount you will be paid monthly will be based on your earnings record.
For how long a period of time will I keep receiving my Social Security disability benefits?
Answer: Your disability benefits will be paid to you until you either are no longer considered to be disabled, you eventually return to work, or you reach the age of 65 and are retired.
How much is the fee and how will Harold W. Conick & Associates Ltd. be paid?
Answer: The fee that will be paid to Harold W. Conick & Associates Ltd. will be 25% of your retroactive benefits not to exceed a cap of $6,000.00, unless it is necessary to appeal your case to federal court. If it is necessary to appeal your case to federal court, the fee will be 25% of your retroactive benefits with no cap. This fee is paid to us only when we are successful in winning your case.
I have a family. Are they entitled to benefits?
Answer: Dependent children under the age of 18 or those children still in high school are entitled to benefits.
Can I be employed while receiving my benefits?
Answer: You can work, but your income cannot exceed approximately $985 per month.
