Most disability applications will wind up in a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). The judge will decide whether you are disabled according to Social Security's rules and regulations. Can you represent yourself? Yes, of course.
However, this question can be translated a number of ways, including:
- Do I know the regulations well enough to represent myself?
- Do I want to practice my first hearing on myself?
- Should I be the only person in the hearing who is new at this?
- Is trying to represent myself really a good idea, since I only get one shot at this?
I have seen statistics that say unrepresented claimants win about 39 percent of the time, while represented claimants win about 62 percent. I don't know if these numbers are accurate but I do know that professional representation gives you a better chance of success in a hearing.
I also know that your representative cannot charge you a fee unless you win and are awarded past due benefits. The representative has a lot riding on the outcome of your case. You have even more riding on it.
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