What Is a Disability Advocate?

When it comes to filing for disability, it can seem like a difficult and daunting process. Because of how tightly structured the nature of not only filing for disability is but also qualifying in the first place, it’s best to have a disability advocate to help you handle your case along the way. To explain what is a disability advocate in relation to a claimant, it’s as simple as someone whose job it is to help get Social Security claims approved.

For you as an individual, your disability advocate could be a professional whose main priority is helping said claimants win disability claims, or even your Social Security lawyer. The helpful aspect in having your advocate be your lawyer is that should you need to go further in the process, say to Federal Court, they could end up representing you all the way there. This is helpful because if keeps you from having to re-explain your case over and over again as well as keeps the nature of your case and sensitive details around a limited few people.

While it is never required for you to have a disability advocate, many people attest to it as being a positive asset in their claim. You’ll have a seasoned professional there with you throughout the entire process guiding you with each step and making sure that all of your paperwork is in order. This streamlines the entire disability application process to one single person that acts as a gateway to everyone else involved. This tends to alleviate stress for claimants as well as those involved in processing the claim because all questions can essentially come back to one person without worry of friction or confusion.

Disability advocates cover a wide range of people and don’t always have to be professionals. They also can include everyday people who have been in some way affected by a disability, those campaigning for social change regarding to disabilities and the way those who have them are treated, and even helping to negotiate complaints in regards to their own personal cases. It’s important to consider which type of disability advocate you may be looking for when beginning your application or claim.