Should I Trust Social Security Disability Advice from Social Media?
January 2, 2024
Anyone can create a TikTok (or Facebook or Instagram or any social media) account. As you may already know, not everyone on the Internet is really the expert they pretend to be.
Be cautious when taking any advice from a social media platform, and this goes double for legal advice, particularly from someone who is not an attorney.
“More and more, we have clients who say: ‘the person on my disability Facebook group said I should say this at my hearing’ or ‘I watched a TikTok video about the work history report,’” Nash disability attorney Dan Rosen says.
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and no knowledge at all is even more dangerous. Disability benefits applicants are harming their cases by taking third-hand advice from people who may mean well but really don’t know what they’re talking about. Leave it to the capable professionals who have the education and experience.”
Here are three solid reasons why NOT to rely on social media advice regarding your Social Security Disability case:
- They probably aren’t professionals.
One of the major risks of listening to opinions from a TikTok influencer or just another person in a Facebook group is that they probably don’t have legal training and experience. Trusting their advice can lead to misunderstandings, misinformation and legal troubles. Before they can practice law, lawyers undergo years of serious education and must prove they have key knowledge by passing the bar exam. Furthermore, Social Security Disability rules are complicated and are always changing. These rules are not easily understood even by lawyers unless they work in this area every day. Following the advice of an experienced disability attorney who focuses exclusively on Social Security Disability benefits just makes good sense. - Complex legal situations get oversimplified on social media.
The road to winning Social Security Disability benefits is long and difficult to navigate. Complex legal problems cannot be adequately addressed in short, oversimplified video clips or in offhand online comments. Relying on them can jeopardize your case and get you denied for disability benefits. - Just like you, your case is unique.
Our disability law firm has been representing disability applicants since 1989 and one of the enduring truths we have learned is that everyone’s legal situation has its own unique nuances. Trying to apply generalized, and potentially incorrect, legal advice from social media can result in irreversible consequences.
Social media may be a good place to look for baby shark videos, a recipe for SpaghettiOs pie, or a silly cat video, but it is a risky place to turn to for disability benefits advice.
To win Social Security Disability cases, it takes a deep understanding of people, an ability to make sense of important medical findings, along with knowledge of the law and the Social Security system. We persevere and we care because disability law is all we do.
If you have an impairment that has made it impossible for you to hold a job, contact us at Nash Disability Law for a free evaluation of your situation.
Because our Chicago disability lawyers work on a contingency basis (we only get paid if you win your case and our fees are limited by law,) we are on your side and have a stake in your case along with you.