The Three People Who Are Always Present at Your Social Security Disability Hearing
There are always three people who are present at your Social Security Disability hearing, who are they? My name is Kaitlin Wildoner, and I’m an attorney who helps disabled clients obtain their disability benefits as quickly as possible so they can focus on getting better. Today, we’re going to cover the three people that are always present at your Social Security Disability hearing and three others that might be present.
The Claimant
The first person that will be present is you. You are the claimant, and so you will of course be present at the hearing where you will have an opportunity to discuss with the second person that’s always present, the judge, how your disability impacts you.
The Judge
The second person that is always present in a disability hearing is the judge. The judge is responsible for reviewing the evidence in your case, hearing your testimony and the testimony of any other witnesses, and making a final decision on whether or not you are disabled under the rules of the Social Security Administration.
The Hearing Reporter
The third person who is always present in your disability hearing is the hearing reporter. The hearing reporter is the only individual that’s permitted to record the hearing, and in fact, that’s their job. They are responsible for ensuring that there is a valid transcription and recording of the hearing in the event your case gets selected for a review or appeal, or if you appeal an unfavorable judge’s decision.
Your Attorney
Then there are three people who might be present at your hearing. The first person who might be present your hearing is your attorney. If you have hired an attorney to represent you before the Social Security Administration, they will be there. He or she will be present with you at the hearing, either soliciting your testimony and/or serving as an individual who can elicit additional testimony that you want to make sure gets brought out.
Vocational Witness
The second person who might be present is a vocational witness, the vocational witness is responsible for classifying your past relevant work per the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and responding to hypotheticals that are presented by the judge and/or your attorney, if you have one. The vocational witness responds to hypotheticals regarding whether an individual with certain limitations would be able to do any jobs within the national economy.
Medical Witness
The third person who might be present is a medical witness. Sometimes the judge will request a doctor be present in the hearing to testify regarding your condition. The doctor will be asked if you meet or equal any of the listings in the Blue Book of listings. If not, the judge will want to know what your functional limitations are. Medical witnesses are often used by judges in complex medical cases to give them a better understanding of your conditions and your limitations.
Social Security Disability Lawyer
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