How much does it cost to hire an attorney for my child’s disability case? What if I can’t afford it?

May 22, 2018

You may want to get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for a child with health impairments because you know it can provide a great boost for your child and family.

You may also know that applying for Childhood SSI benefits is complicated, and that most people get denied.

Having a disability attorney can make the process smoother for you—and improve your chances of winning benefits to help support and nurture you child.

But if you qualify for children’s SSI disability benefits, that probably means your family budget is tight. How can you afford a lawyer?

We have good news.

The Social Security Disability benefits system, which runs SSI, is designed to make it easy to afford a disability lawyer.

Both the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Social Security Disability lawyers like those of us at Nash Disability Law understand that your financial situation may be hard—but that you need help getting these benefits to make it better.

This means:

  • You pay no attorney fee up front for a disability attorney.
  • And you never pay a fee for a disability lawyer directly out of your pocket.

Keep reading for more on how fees work for SSI lawyers.

How Does Your Childhood SSI Lawyer Get Paid?

Federal law regulates attorneys’ fees in Childhood SSI cases.

That means all disability lawyers have the same fee structure, called a “contingency fee” plan.

This is how it works:

  • You pay no fee until you win Childhood SSI benefits.
  • When you win benefits, the lawyers’ fee comes out of your back benefits, which is a lump sum covering time you spent waiting on a decision on your claim.
  • The fee can be no more than 25% of your back benefits, and no more than $6,000 (an amount set by law).
  • You don’t pay anything from your monthly childhood disability benefits going forward.

Is it Worth it To Get a Disability Lawyer for My Child’s SSI Case?

Considering that you don’t pay your lawyer until you win benefits, and you don’t pay out of your own bank account (Social Security sends the fee to your lawyer from your back benefits), it is a low-risk decision for you to get a disability lawyer.

Your lawyer can take on the heavy lifting of applying for benefits (gathering evidence, submitting forms), while increasing your chances of receiving monthly disability income going forward to support the care and education of your child with disabilities.

If you have questions about SSI benefits for your child, you can also discuss your situation with our disability law firm at no cost to you.

We can give you an idea of what to expect from your Childhood SSI claim before you get started.

Get your FREE case evaluation from Nash Disability Law now.