Applying for Disability in Henderson, North Carolina

by Tim Moore. Free Case Evaluation here.

How do I apply for disability if I live in Henderson NC?

If you reside in Henderson, your nearest Social Security office to file an application will be the Henderson field office. Their contact information is:

Social Security Administration
858 S Beckford Dr, Henderson, NC 27536
(877) 628-6584

Note: if you need assistance with your disability claim, contact us at: 919-890-8519.

The Henderson field office also handles claims for Oxford, Wake Forest, Youngsville, Butner, Creedmoor, Louisburg, Norlina, Manson, and Warrenton.

Now, if you have applied, or are about to apply for disability in Henderson, Oxford, or elsewhere in Vance County, North Carolina, you probably have manyquestions. Let’s start with one of the first questions people usually have.

1. Should you go to the Social Security office, call the Social Security office, or file online?

My name is Tim Moore. I am a former disability examiner, and I am a disability representative who represents cases in the Henderson, Wake Forest, Norlina, Warrenton and Oxford area. Because our office is familiar with the Henderson Social Security office, we advise people to skip the online application process. It is confusing and can cause problems. For our clients, we contact the Henderson Social Security office directly and get an appointment set for a disability application interview, to be done by telephone. This saves a considerable amount of time and trouble for our clients and gets their disability claim started quickly.

2. How long does it take to get a disability decision?

The process is slow. An application can sometimes take as little as a month, but it is unusual for cases to be decided that quickly. Sometimes, a decision can take as long as six months, but that is also unusual. Most decisions will take 3-4 months and when they take much longer than that it will be because the DDS disability examiner has difficulty getting the medical records from your doctors.

If the case is denied, the next step will be to file a Request for Reconsideration, the first appeal. This usually takes 1 to 3 months and also has a high denial rate. When this happens, though, we can request a hearing before an administrative law judge, or ALJ. It can take several months to get a hearing date, but a hearing represents your best chance of winning benefits. This is because we not only get your most recent medical records, we also analyze your work history, try to get statements from your doctors, and develop a “theory of the case” as to why you should be approved for disability benefits under Social Security law.

3. What are your chances of getting disability benefits?

If you do not get approved on your initial claim, your chances of getting benefits will go up substantially by the time we get the case to a hearing before a judge. This is because we only represent cases that we think we can win, and we do a substantial amount of preparation prior to your hearing. Because your hearing represents one of the most important days of your life. Your financial well-being is at stake and we take that seriously.

4. If you need to go to a disability hearing

On the day of the hearing, you (and us if we represent you) will appear at the scheduled time. The judge may ask you questions, allow your representative to ask questions, and may also have a vocational expert present to testify about your ability to return to work.

Obviously, preparation for the hearing is very important and goes beyond simply getting medical records. How you respond to questions from the judge can impact the quality of your testimony. Your goal is to be completely truthful in your answers, but also to provide the information in your answers that the judge actually needs from you. And this can be difficult for someone who is not accustomed to being questioned in a hearing setting, which is why representation can be very important.