Attorney Todd S. Hammond
Upon my return to the United States, after serving my country in the United States Air Force during Desert Shield and Storm, I witnesses first hand how our Nation has let down our veterans. I searched for the important answer to the question “Why?” With no solution, I knew that I was being called upon to take it upon myself to make the changes necessary.
To enforce our country’s promise to our veterans I knew that I needed to train to become an Attorney to fight the government agencies’ lawyers. I came home to Salem, Oregon and enrolled in Law School at Willamette University College of Law. My legal career began as a compliance specialist with the Oregon Construction and Landscape Contractors Boards and the Department of Agriculture. Then I had the distinct pleasure of being a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Paul J.De Muñiz at the Oregon Court of Appeals, now the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court before representing SAIF Corporation in workers’ compensation hearings. This training prepared me for opening up the law firm of Van Ness, Hammond, Mooney, LLC and ultimately forming the Law Office of Todd S. Hammond, P.C.
TODD S. HAMMOND
ATTORNEY & COUNSELOR AT LAW
ATTORNEY & COUNSELOR AT LAW
TODD S. HAMMOND
Disability Attorney
Todd S. Hammond
Upon my return to the United States, after serving in the United States Air Force during Desert Shield and Storm, I witnessed first hand how our Nation had let down our veterans. I searched for the important answer to the question, “Why?” With no solution, I knew that I was being called upon to take it upon myself to make the necessary changes.
To enforce our country’s promise to our veterans, I knew that I needed to train to become an Attorney to fight the government agencies’ lawyers. I came home to Salem, Oregon and enrolled in Law School at Willamette University College of Law. My legal career began as a compliance specialist with the Oregon Construction and Landscape Contractors Boards and the Department of Agriculture. Next, I had the distinct pleasure of being a judicial law clerk at the Oregon Court of Appeals for the Honorable Paul J. De Muñiz, who is now the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, before representing SAIF Corporation in workers’ compensation hearings. This training prepared me to open the law firm of Van Ness, Hammond, Mooney, LLC and, ultimately, to form the Law Office of Todd S. Hammond, P.C.
Disability Attorney
A Social Security disability attorney is essential if you are a disabled person. Hence, understanding his role is crucial. A disability lawyer concentrates on disability law, meaning that he is committed to upholding your rights as a disabled person.
What is a Disability Attorney?
A disability attorney is a professional who is trained in disability law and the legal rights that disabled people have. Some disability lawyers are focused on fighting against discrimination of disabled people. This includes fighting for the rights of disabled persons who are denied things, such as education, public services, or employment, by reason of their disability. In addition, disability lawyers can help in giving equal educational opportunities for the disabled. Other disability attorneys are focused on subjects related to disability compensation.
For instance, a disabled person can be entitled to monetary compensation since he cannot work because of his disability. This compensation can come either from a government agency or a private fund. With a disability attorney, a disabled person will be able to determine whether or not he or she is eligible for disability compensation in accordance with the existing laws of our country. If needed, the Social Security attorney can also aid a disabled person in utilizing legal methods to achieve compensation.
The Role of Disability Lawyers:
Disability insurance benefits are a form of disability compensation. There are countries where employees give into a disability insurance benefit fund. If a worker is disabled and becomes incapable of working, the benefit fund can pay him a regular amount of money annually. However, before a disabled person can benefit from disability insurance, he or she must apply and prove entitlement to the benefit. A disability lawyer can assist in this process of application and verification. Often there are instances where a person can find it difficult to prove that he is indeed disabled. This can lead to his application for disability benefits being denied. In many jurisdictions, an appeal process is allowed for those who were denied. A Social Security attorney can play a leading role in this process and can aid clients in proving their disability in court. Thus, they can eventually be given access to disability benefits.
A disability attorney is even useful for temporary disability cases. In such a case, a person may find himself entitled to temporary benefits because of a particular disability that prevents him from working for a specific duration. However, his employer can contest this and maintain that the employee is not completely disabled and still able to perform some functions. In such a case, a disability lawyer can fight for his client and attempt to allow him to qualify for Social Security.
Furthermore, while there are disability lawyers that focus on working with private individuals, there are also those that choose to work with businesses and the government instead. A Social Security disability attorney can work with a federal agency and help in setting up and reviewing policies that will establish disability eligibility. In a legal proceeding, the disability attorney can argue for the state in denied claim cases.
A disability attorney may also represent a business in court. If someone files a lawsuit against a business for denying company-sponsored disability insurance to an employee, for example, the disability lawyer can aid in setting up and reviewing the policies of the company to ensure that it stays within the limits of the law.
There are many advantages to having a disability lawyer. While making Social Security disability claims, some might wonder if having the services of a disability lawyer is in fact needed. If you are thinking the same thing, bear in mind that when you apply for disability benefits, you are, in effect, declaring war on the government and the Social Security system. Having a disability attorney is like having a general that will lead the way to your victory. The advocacy of a disability lawyer could be the factor that will spell the difference between a successful Social Security disability claim and a denial. Should you decide to retain the services of a lawyer, make sure that he is really an expert in Social Security Disability (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
In Addition, You Should Also Consider the Following Factors:
When employing the services of a disability attorney or an advocate who previously worked as a disability examiner or employee of the Social Security Administration, ensure that he can work according to a contingent system. This would ensure that he could provide legal representation for you on an SSD or SSI application without expecting any payment until the case has been won.
If you qualify for Social Security eventually and are granted long-term disability insurance benefits by the Social Security Administration, the benefits that you will be getting each month should not be related to attorney’s fees. When winning your Social Security Disability benefits, as your disability attorney or representative, I will get a payment that is equal to a fourth of the back payments owed to you upon the approval of your claim. However, even with such a share, the maximum amount should not exceed 6,000 dollars, as set by the Commission of Social Security Administration.