Tony Houle - Social Security Disability lawyer serving the State of Michigan

WELCOME!

Click play on the video to the right to hear Tony welcome you to his website exclusively dealing with Social Security Disability.

Run Time 4:28

Q: Do I need a doctor to support my case?
A: Yes. The Social Security Administration cannot award Social Security Disability Benefits because you “say” you are disabled from working. You need a doctor (your primary care physician would be fine) to support your case. Think about it. The entire system is set up to provide benefits only when a disability prevents someone from doing any type of work. Contrary to what a lot of folks think, the system does not pay just because of a diagnosis. Instead, a diagnosis must also prevent working. The law reads: “We need evidence from acceptable medical sources to establish whether you have an… impairment…, medical reports should include…a statement about what you can still do despite your impairments based on your acceptable medical source’s findings…” (Federal Regulation Section 404.1513) The Judges want some statement from a doctor indicating the physical or mental restrictions applicable to you. Your doctor’s notes alone are usually not enough. I urge my clients to talk to their physicians and ask for their support, with this rule in mind. Hopefully, your doctor will understand and take the time to fill out the necessary report (I will provide it for you to take), even though it can be a huge disruption for the doctor. A good doctor will help you, and most in our area are really good about it.

Q: Is that green and white Social Security Statement that comes in the mail important?
A: Yes. That statement is very important. The Social Security Administration sends a statement every year to workers that have paid into the system. This statement usually arrives about three months before your birthday. It’s a record of your earnings for past years, and a summary of the estimated benefits you and your family may receive if you become disabled. (Or when you retire) You should view it as a letter from Social Security that basically says: This is the information we have about your work record; is it correct? You should check this statement every year. The reported earnings and other information on the form need to be correct. You should check your name, your address, your Social Security number, and the amount of earnings reported by you or your employer for every year. If there is any error in the information, you need to get that resolved as quickly as possible with the administration. Make sure you take the five minutes necessary to review this important document. The lesson here is that if you work for someone else and they don’t report your earnings, you won’t be eligible for benefits no matter how badly you may be physically or mentally. Stay on top of this and it shouldn’t be a problem for you.

Q: Does my condition qualify?
A: This question cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no” since any condition can qualify you for benefits if the condition is severe enough and keeps you from performing all types of work that you could otherwise perform. The first thing to know is that the social security administration is not simply going to accept your statement that your physical or mental health is “severely impaired.” The rules require a physical or mental impairment must be shown by signs, symptoms, or lab findings from a health care provider. Your doctor’s records in support will be critical to proving your case. No one can win without medical proof.

Q: Can I be working and get approved for benefits?
A: The answer is “probably not.” If you are performing “substantial or gainful” activity, you cannot get social security disability benefits. The law does allow you to earn up to a certain amount of money before the work is considered “gainful.” However, part time jobs, or jobs with restrictions, can be “substantial work.” This is a two part test. I always tell my client’s to work until it can’t be done any more, and then apply for benefits. There is no reason to have this issue around when it is hard enough to get benefits.

Q: Isn’t it true that all lawyers would handle my case in the same way and do the same things?
A: This isn’t true at all. All lawyers have different educations, legal experiences, and different ways of thinking. You know some are just plain smarter than others. I will tell you one way that I think I am different from most other lawyers. I am a nut for the details! I don’t think any lawyer can pay more attention to the details in a case than I can. A case can go bad really quickly if the details are not managed. In the same way, a good case can go unproven if the details are missed. You remember the nursery rhyme about the kingdom being lost because of want of a nail? (If you don’t know it you can Google it). That is so true in the law. In any Social Security case, I read each medical entry in a client’s medical records line by line. I do that so I can go over any “problem areas” in the records with my clients before the hearing. I want my clients to be prepared to address issues that may come up. In this regard, I have a huge advantage on the “big offices.” It’s harder for the bigger firms to pay attention to the details because their practices can tend to be about “numbers.”

Q: What do you think is the biggest mistake a person can make for their SS Disability hearing?
A: Hiring a non-attorney to represent you.

Q.Do you accept every case that calls your office?
A. Nope. Most people that come in to see me about a Social Security Disability Case want to know if I think they have a good case. I think I surprise a lot of people when I tell them that the fact that they are sitting in my office means I think I can help them. I talk to anybody that takes the time to call me about a disability case. Sometimes though, calls that come to my office are just not going to qualify for the benefits for different reasons, and I let that be known right away. I don’t mean to offend anyone or discount their problems, but I have been doing this work a long time and I have a pretty good idea what will win. So, if I make an appointment after a call, it means that the caller fits the profile to be “in play” for these benefits. Otherwise, I will not schedule an office appointment. A lot of people are surprised when they call the office to find out that I schedule my own appointments but that is why I do it. I think a lot of my clients would be surprised to learn that I have selected them to be my client just as they have selected me to be their lawyer. Hopefully it is an arrangement that works well for both of us. I work on a contingent fee basis. That means you only pay me if you win the case. You would have some obligation to pay your doctor for reports or records that need to be sent in to the administration, but otherwise you don’t pay me a nickel unless you win your case!

A special message for those over 50 years of age...

Click the play button to watch a message from Tony regarding your Social Security Disability benefits.

Run Time: 30 seconds

Tony Houle, Attorney at Law
234 Huron Avenue
Port Huron, MI 48060-3822

Phone: (810) 985-4500
Toll Free: (877) 336-4300
Fax: (810) 985-3254

At the law offices of Tony Houle, in Port Huron, we represent injured individuals for Social Security Disability throughout Michigan and northwestern Ohio, from Port Huron and Detroit to Toledo and Cleveland, also including: Port Huron, Marysville, Saint Clair, Marine City, Algonac, Fort Gratiot, Clyde, Yale, Capac, North Street, Wadhams, Goodells, Blaine, Avoca, Memphis, Lexington, Croswell, Brown City, Flint, Burton, Davison, Mount Clemens, Bad Axe, Port Austin, Ubly, Harbor Beach, Deckerville, Port Sanilac, Sandusky, Sterling Heights, Dearborn, Saginaw, Port Hope, Caro, Monroe, Mariette, Sparlingville, Adrian, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Bay City, Birmingham, Bloomfield, Canton, Clinton, Detroit, East Point, East Lansing, Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Garden City, Grand Rapids, Grosse Pointe, Hazel Park, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kentwood, Lansing, Marquette, Midland, Muskegon, Novi, Oak Park, Okemos, Owosso, Pontiac, Portage, Rochester, Roseville, St Clair Shores, Shelby, Southgate, Southfield, Taylor, Troy, Utica, Warren, Waterford, Westland, Wyoming, Ypsilanti, Zeeland, Alcona county, Alger County, Allegan County, Alpena County, Antrim County, Arenac County, Baraga County, Barry County, Bay County, Benzie County, Berrien County, Branch County, Calhoun County, Cass County, Charlevoix County, Cheboygan County, Chippewa County, Clare County, Clinton County, Crawford County, Delta County, Dickinson County, Eaton County, Emmet County, Gladwin County, Genesee County, Gogebic County, Grand Traverse County, Gratiot County, Hillsdale County, Houghton County, Huron County, Ingham County, Ionia County, Iosco County, Iron County, Isabella County, Jackson County, Kalamazoo County, Kalkaska County, Kent County, Keweenaw County, Lake County, Lapeer County, Leelanau County, Lenawee County, Livingston County, Luce County, Mackinac County, Macomb County, Manistee County, Marquette County, Mason County, Mecosta County, Menominee County, Midland County, Missaukee County, Montcalm County, Montmorency County, Muskegon County, Monroe County, Newaygo County, Oakland County, Oceana County, Ogemaw County, Ontonagon County, Osceola County, Oscoda County, Otsego County, Presque Isle County, Ottawa County, Roscommon County, Saginaw County, Saint Joseph County, Sanilac County, Schoolcraft County, Shiawassee County, Saint Clair County, Tuscola County, Van Buren County, Washtenaw County, Wayne County, Wexford County.

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.