I have returned for one very last post, *admin edit*. At any rate, here's an absolute spike through the heart courtesy of one of these low life attorney's...

A brief recap, I have been denied at every level of the SSDI process for ten years now, including two ALJ hearings, I have lost everything I once owned, including familial support of any kind, I have just come through radical cystectomy, for aggressive stage three cancer of the bladder, I've had four kidney infections post surgery x three months requiring lengthy stays at the hospital. I am beyond broke, all utilities are months in arrears, I will be evicted in the spring, once the heating season comes to an official government sanctioned end. Toss into this chaos the fact that after ten years of no's, a federal magistrate ruled on my behalf against the evil thing that is the SSA, however not paying the claim, but remanding it back for a new hearing, a hearing that was to take place in April.

So, one last chance at securing my rightful benefits, good news right? The attorney representing me, had his aide de camp contact me last week, the reason to notify me of a recent development, it seems that my hearing had to be postponed due to a conflicting schedule, the attorney's aide de camp refused to inform me as to just who it was that introduced the conflict, SSA or the attorney? I immediately contacted ODAR and sought an explanation, the polite lady informed me that it HAD BEEN MY REPRESENTATIVE WHO HAD SOUGHT A POSTPONEMENT!!!

At no point was I apprised of the situation, let alone asked if I was good with his intention to eliminate my hearing date to suit his schedule, which by the way he'd had to have known about for months in advance! Here I am, absolutely desperate for an income, sure to lose my home in the spring(which he is well aware of by the way)and the parasitic attorney tossed me under the bus, and whats more, refused to inform that it was due to him and him alone!

I will be firing this lowlife the week of the amended hearing, I will simply represent myself, he knows this not, a small measure of payback, very, very small, but necessary nonetheless....Every attorney I've contracted with during this horrifying process has either lied, or proven themselves incompetent, one of them proving both dishonest & incompetent.

Never trust an SSDI attorney, ever!"
"the evil thing that is the SSA"

How are those of us who have been approved supposed to take that ? Insulting an entire government agency or occupation also insults those of us who know people in those businesses and who have used those services.


I truly sympathize with your situation, Direwolf, and hope that your situation somehow improves quickly. I can understand being very angry with this situation.

*edited as per NT guidelines*

If you fire him, he will still be entitled to his fees. You're cutting your nose off to spite your face. If you insist on representing yourself pro se,or if you wish to hire another attorney or non attorney representative, I would recommend you encourage him to dismiss you so that he won't be able to collect any of your potential fees. You might consider researching if there are any non-profit disability advocacy groups in your area that would represent you.

You can request an earlier court date by submitting a dire need letter. It is not unheard of to receive an emergency hearing date within a few weeks.

Inquire at your attorney's office if there is someone else at his firm that can represent you if there is another scheduling conflict. Express your dismay that you were not consulted prior to the hearing change. You may want to do this via email or fax to create a paper trail should you wish to contest his fees later on. Was your ALJ hearing scheduled with the same ALJ or a new one, btw? If you were stuck with the same ALJ, the request to change the date might possibly have been an attempt to pull a different ALJ.

Have you ever attempted to utilize the free services of Vocational Rehabilitation? They will provide testing and even send you to doctors to evaluate what work, if any, you can perform--which you can than submit to SS.

Anyone dealing with severe health problems and the emotional and financial consequences of permanent disability, will have a level of stress that is difficult, if not impossible to deal with alone. This is absolutely not a personal insult or attack, and please don't consider that it is. It is incredibly common to develop issues (depression is the most common, for example) following the life altering circumstances of permanent disability, let alone the effects that prolonged stress can cause from a legal battle for disability benefits of any kind (such as WC or LTD, in addition to SSDI). I personally found it very helpful to see a therapist that was experienced with disabled clients in order for me to get some perspective about my new life. In hindsight, I should have done so prior to my SSDI approval--it would have made my journey so much easier. If you have not included any psych claims as part of your application, an evaluation would be appropriate before your ALJ hearing. It would be appropriate for ANYONE that has had a 10 year battle with SS, in the middle of a serious medical crisis, and is permanently disabled. It could be the tipping point between approval or denial, if your physical claim is just below the thresh hold for approval.