At Kraft & Associates, we remain dedicated to representing Social Security disability claimants despite the Social Security Administration’s determination to drive attorneys out of the system. Disability is hard enough to get even with a good lawyer. It’s becoming almost impossible to get without one.
This blog post is from one of the very best Social Security lawyers anywhere in the country, Mr. Charles T. Hall.
Social Security has posted its final numbers on fees paid to attorneys and others for representing Social Security claimants in 2015. The total was $1.094 billion. This was down $46 million or 4%, from 2014. Fees are down $335 million, or 23%, from their peak in 2010.
All attorneys who practice Social Security law face considerable economic pressure. Almost no one is entering this field of practice now. The attorney fee provisions of the Social Security Act were designed to allow claimants to have representation. This right could be effectively eliminated over coming years unless something changes. One important way that the Acting Commissioner of Social Security could assure that claimants don’t lose their right to representation is to increase the cap on Social Security attorney fees. It’s currently $6,000. The Social Security Act allows the Acting Commissioner to raise this to adjust for inflation but does not require that she do so. If adjusted for inflation, the cap would now be over $7,000. It’s past time to raise the cap.
