After getting to the third level of Social Security disability claims, the hearing level, you will given a time and date for your disability hearing. These are some questions that your Michigan disability attorney or the administrative law judge presiding over the hearing may ask you. Some of these might seem irrelevant to your disability case, and not all of the questions will factor heavily into the judge’s decision, but it is helpful to know the answers to all these beforehand, so that you can testify honestly and openly about your disability.
Background questions:
- What is your name?
- Where do you reside?
- What is your Social Security number?
- What is your date of birth, and how old were you when the disability first occurred?
- What is your highest grade completed in school? Do you have a diploma or GED?
If you do not speak English fluently:
- Where were you born?
- What language did you speak when growing up?
- When did you immigrate to the U.S.?
- What language do you speak at your home?
- Can you read any other languages?
- Do you have any education, and if so, where?
If your impairment is a mental impairment:
- Do you attend special education classes or regular classes?
- How did you perform when in school?
- Would you say that you are able to read to at least an 8th-grade level?
- If not, can you read a newspaper and understand it?
- Are you able to read or write simple messages, such as inventory lists or a set of directions?
If you cannot read:
- Do you have someone who reads for you?
- How do you fill out forms such as job applications?
- How have you filled out the SS disability forms?
- Can you do simple math such as adding and subtracting and making change?
- Do you have any on-the-job training or vocational training?
- Do you have a driver’s license? If so, how did you get it?
The purpose of these questions is to get a sense of how your impairment has impacted your day-to-day life. For help preparing for your testimony from an experienced Michigan disability attorney, call J.B. Bieske and Jennifer Alfonsi, Attorneys at Law, at 800-331-3530.
