- Don't dress up. It's not necessary. It tends to make you look healthier than you are.
- Other than a wedding ring, leave the jewelry at home.
- Keep makeup to a minimum.
- No fancy fingernails.
- To the extent it's practical, cover up tattoos.
- The hearing isn't a math test. You can't study for it.
- Tell the truth. If you're not going to win the case on the truth, you're not going to win the case. Telling the truth also means that you don't try to minimize your problems. If you want a fair decision, you have to tell the judge what's keeping you from working even though you might not want to admit to weakness. They're not handing out medals for bravery!
- If you don't remember something, just say you don't remember. If you don't know, say you don't know. That's part of telling the truth.
- Don't worry about calling the judge "Your honor" or anything like that. Just be polite.
- Don't worry if you can't remember dates. No one does. The judge has a lot of medical and other records that establish when things happened.
- When you're asked a question, listen to it and answer just that question. Don't come in prepared with a speech you want to give. Just let your attorney shape the narrative and ask the questions that need to be asked and answered.
- Don't expect a decision on the date of the hearing because it's not likely to happen.
If you're in NC and want help with your Social Security disability claim, call Hall & Rouse, P.C. at 1-866-425-5347
1 comment:
You can and should study for for hearing -- study your own medical history. Know your doctors' names and addresses, know your hospital visits by name and date, know your medication names and what they're for.
Hearings derail fast when you can't answer my questions, or when i have to delay your decision by several months to track down hospital records that you and your lawyer should have told me about weeks ago but didn't).
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