What You Do
Your Primary Obligation is to Take Care of Yourself
See your doctors, follow their directions, take your medications, and don’t focus on your SSA or long term disability insurance claim. Our office will be responsible for that.
We will work together with you on some things. We will need your help to get a supporting statement from your treating doctor if s/he has indicated that s/he thinks you can no longer do any full time employment.
We will need to hear from you any time you hear from Social Security. Sometimes they send you notices that they forget to mail to us. This happens even when they indicated on your copy that they have sent me a copy. It’s always better if we all know what SSA is doing. Also if you contact us when you receive any notices from SSA we can answer any questions you might have about them, or help you respond if they have sent you forms to complete and return.
We will talk about all of the doctors and others you have seen about the impairments that keep you from working, and our office will rely on you to tell us about everyone you’ve seen so that SSA can get records about your problems from every physician or other treating professional (physical therapist, counselor, acupuncturist, chiropractor) that has treated you.
Don’t Wait to Ask For Help. Reach Out Today!
All too often, people wait until after they are denied benefits to contact us. Their claims might be legitimate, but are denied due to incomplete medical and vocational information, inexpertly completed applications, or wrongheaded conclusions by their medical consultants. You can avoid these problems by reaching out to Linden and Cottrell Law in Napa, California before you file a claim. We know what documentation is required, have experience dealing with physicians to ensure that medical records submitted to SSA or private insurers are complete, and are familiar with how the court system works.