On The Record Review: Why Should You Request It Instead Of An Appeal Hearing?
by Becky Freeman
If the Social Security Administration, or SSA, denies your application for disability benefits, you may decide to request a hearing to appeal the decision. When you send in your appeal request, you can also ask for an on the record, or OTR, review with a judge instead of waiting for a hearing date. An on the record request may allow you to speak to a judge without an audience of witnesses, court attendees and other people that may make you feel uncomfortable. Additionally, you can obtain the services of a Social Security attorney to help you get through the review. Here's how an OTR review works, how it benefits you and what you can do to make it successful for your case.
What's an OTR Request?
An on the record request is an option all disability applicants have if they receive an unfavorable response from the SSA. You generally make the request right after you file for an appeal hearing and sometime after the SSA assigns a judge to your case. The request allows you to talk candidly and openly about your disability, including how it affects your life, personal relationships and ability to work at any job.
An OTR review will often take less time to receive than a traditional appeal hearing, which can take months or years to receive. In addition, an OTR review meeting generally takes less time to sit through than a traditional hearing. The wait time for seeing a judge in an appeal hearing may be substantial and problematic, especially if there are numerous people ahead of you when you arrive to court. If your disability limits your ability to sit for long periods of time, or if you need to take medications on a specific schedule, an OTR review may be the best option for you.
Because you'll need to prove to a judge that your disability is permanent, it's a great ideal that you obtain the services of a Social Security attorney such as Todd East Attorney at Law.
What Can You Do to Make Your Case Successful?
There are a number of things you can do to make your OTR review successful, including obtaining as much medical evidence about your disability as you can. However, it may be in your best interest to allow a disability lawyer do it for you. An attorney can send out the proper paperwork to obtain medical records from any physicians, clinics and emergency centers you visited from the beginning of your disability until now. Although you can request the records on your own, it may take more time to do so without an attorney working on your case.
An attorney may send you to other specialists who can provide additional evidence of your health condition, including problems you develop after you file for an appeal. For instance, if you suffer from chronic and severe pain that leaves you bedridden or incapacitated, you may start to feel anxious and severely depressed about your symptoms. The new problems may be things you'll experience for the rest of your life.
You may also want to compile a detailed list of any conditions you have that won't get better, even with medication and other treatment methods. For instance, treatment-resistant depression requires periodic changes in medications, therapy and other treatments because the condition's symptoms tend to return or become worse. If your conditions prevent you from living a normal life, you want an on the record judge to know about it.
Once a judge reviews your case and medical files, they usually make a decision right away. A Social Security lawyer can discuss what you may expect from your review in greater detail when you consult with them.
If you would like to learn more about the OTR review process or how to get started, contact an attorney.
Share
About Me
Hello and welcome, I'm Winfred Paulo. I have a passion for civil court cases of all kinds. Some time back, I ended up in the thick of a civil case after a lengthy dispute with my neighbor. The dispute went on for years and ended badly with an incident that landed us both in court. We had to prove our side of the case in an effort to obtain a positive outcome and recoup our losses. Unfortunately, I lost the case due to a lack of evidence. Since then, I've maintain a strong interest in civil cases and their proceedings. I will share information about civil cases on this site to help others understand these proceedings better. I may talk about legal terms, and expected outcomes for each case type. I hope you visit often to learn more. Thanks for stopping by my website.