I am a seasoned Social Security disability attorney who has been practicing solely in the area of Social Security disability law since 1988. I am admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and the State Supreme Court of Arizona.

I am a sustaining member of the National Organization of Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR). NOSCCR is an association of almost 4,000 attorneys and paralegals who represent Social Security disability and SSI claimants. Its members are committed to providing high quality representation for Social Security disability claimants and to maintaining a system of full and fair adjudication for every claimant.

I am also a member of the State Bar of Arizona, the 9th Circuit Round Table of Experienced Social Security Practitioners, and The American Association for Justice (Social Security Section).

I have operated the Verrette Law Office since 1999 and, prior to 1999, I worked for a law firm for 10 years. But my Social Security experience extends far beyond my professional experience.

When I was 11, my father died and for several years my family relied on the Survivor’s Benefits provided by the Social Security Administration. From this, I learned well the difficulties of living on a fixed monthly benefit and the stress and uncertainty that accompanies such a lifestyle.

Then at the age of 20, I was in a motor vehicle accident and sustained spinal injuries resulting in the need for a wheelchair for mobility since that time. From this, I learned the effort required to adapt new ways to perform tasks once done effortlessly.

After completing my education, I began looking for and finding work part-time at first performing research and writing for attorneys. It was during this time that I was reminded of something that I had learned while receiving Social Security benefits. Social Security offices frequently apply esoteric rules and explain those rules in inconsistent ways, even among different employees within the same Social Security office. I experienced this problem repeatedly during the Trial Work Period as checks I was supposed to receive were delayed or not paid until I could find someone to act.

In short, no matter where you are in the Social Security process, I understand what you are going through as you struggle to deal with a large and confusing bureaucracy. Often the actions of Social Security employees applying arcane Social Security rules can appear arbitrary. Unfortunately, sometimes Social Security employees are not even following the rules and are actually acting arbitrarily. The process can be very confusing and frustrating.

Often, struggling to deal with the bureaucratic issues is made all the more difficult because these struggles occur while you are attempting to make the adaptations to overcome limitations resulting from your impairments. Piling on to the difficulty even further is the Social Security requirement that you communicate the limits and the adaptations or the help secured or whatever it is that you have done to accomplish the things that need to be done in spite of the impairments. At some point, it just becomes overwhelming. I understand this.

I understand how a trauma or disease can cause even the most ordinary activities to be extremely difficult or impossible. With over 20 years of experience practicing Social Security disability law, I can help you through the Social Security disability appeals process. I will walk you through all of the required paperwork, your testimony and other procedures, making certain that your impairments and limitations as you experience them are truthfully and effectively presented. I will also develop the necessary medical data and opinion, and present the best supported and most persuasive arguments at your disability hearing.

From my experience and with my focus on practicing Social Security disability law, I am able to offer my disability clients specialized knowledge and a successful methodology to approaching Social Security disability cases. This allows me to successfully guide my clients through the often complex Social Security disability appeal process.

For a free initial claim evaluation, please contact the Verrette Law Office, or visit my sebsite at http://www.tucsondisability.com/.

Verrette Law Office, P.C.

800 N. Swan Rd.

Suite 124

Tucson, Arizona 85711

E-mail

1-800-375-9050 (toll-free)

1-520-319-1949 (local)

Tucson disability claimants who call or visit my Tucson Social Security law office often ask me if they are eligible for Social Security benefits. I tell them that to receive Social Security disability benefits, they must be found “disabled.” Social Security law states that you are disabled only if your mental and/or physical impairments are so severe that you are unable to do your previous work and you cannot, considering your age, education, and work experience, do any other substantial gainful work that exists in the local or national economy.

Determining whether you are disabled requires a detailed analysis, but the key factors that affect the Social Security disability determination are: ability to work, age, education, and recent jobs. The Social Security Administration’s disability evaluation process is complicated and its determinations can sometimes defy common sense.

If your answers match the ones below, the Social Security Administration in Tucson (and nationally) is likely to award you Social Security disability benefits:

• Are you gainfully employed? NO
• Do you have a severe impairment or impairments? YES
• Will such impairments last 12 continuous months (or are they expected to last that long) or result in death? YES
• Do your impairments meet or equal in severity one of Social Security Administration’s listed impairments? If YES, you qualify. If NO …
• Are you able to perform significant work? NO