SSD Attorney Needed-Richmond, Va

I would appreciate recieving names of good SSD attorneys in the Richmond, Va. area from anyone out there. Signed up for ssd and just completed a physical exam which I'm not sure showed the real problems I face daily dealing with the FM I've suffered with for appx. 30 years. I had to quit working almost 2 years ago. Thanks for your help. I'm really depressed, now!

I would appreciate recieving names of good SSD attorneys in the Richmond, Va. area from anyone out there. Signed up for ssd and just completed a physical exam which I'm not sure showed the real problems I face daily dealing with the FM I've suffered with for appx. 30 years. I had to quit working almost 2 years ago. Thanks for your help. I'm really depressed, now!

I live in northern VA and have a good attorney. His office is in MD, near Baltimore, I think. He drives to my house, but Richmond might be a stretch for him. You could give him a try. I believe there is a list of SS attorneys on the web. If you can fund that, his name is Mitchell Lambros.

Perhaps he would be willing to guide you by phone. He sent me for neuro/psych exam. It came out showing how adled my poor brain has become from CFS and FM. If he cannot help you, perhaps he is aware of someone in the Richmond area who can.

Good luck.
Barbara

Thank you very much. I followed through on the internet suggestion and found a suitable attorney. Again, thanks for replying. Dee
[This Message was Edited on 12/11/2002]

This is a message from a fellow sufferer. The attorney she is referring to is Jeff Rabin. He takes cases all over the country.
This is what Cynthia wrote about Jeff:
I filed for Disability in July, 2001 for Fibro and Depression. I did not seek the advice of an attorney at that time which was my mistake. Of course I was denied. (Isn't everybody on the initial filing?) Then I got serious and started doing some research on the net. I stumbled onto Fibrohugs and read several of the questions and answers by Jeff. I saw the toll free number and decided to give it a try but was concerned since he was in Chicago and I am in Kansas. His staff put me directly through to him (How many times does that happen when you call an attorney for the first time?) and even though he wasn't quite sure he could make it work he asked me to send him all of the information I had. I was diagnosed in 1996 in CA but had not been seeing any Dr's on any sort of a regular basis. I figured what was the use since I had been told that this was just something I had to live with for the rest of my life. I did as he asked and immediately heard back from his office to begin the first appeal. During this time I had a couple of traumatic events happen in my life which made everything worse. My depression was so bad that suicide seemed to be the only answer. Jeff, Jill and Trish were so concerned that they called almost every day. There were alot of forms to be filled out at this time and either Trish or Jill walked me through each question. I could barely even write. I specifically remember one instance when the question of Dr. visits came up. I asked what would be best for my case. Jeff's reply was, "It's not the case that is important at this point. It's what is best for you." I was so impressed with his compassion and caring about a person he had never even met.

My mental condition improved with alot of trial and error with different medications. I was also diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. I would get up so high and was doing tons of things and then crash so badly that I was back in bed with the depression and that pain I had caused to my body from overexertion. It was like a roller coaster but the medications were finally starting to work and the ups and downs were less frequent. During this time the 2nd denial came in. It sure didn't help my mental state but with the help of Jeff and his staff we went to work on the evidence to submit to the law judge. The closer the appointment date, the more anxious I became.

Then one day out of the blue I got a call from Jeff and he told me that we had won the case but that there was a stipulation: I would have to agree to change the onset date to August, 2001. This of course would mean that I would not get as much back pay which was what his fee was based on. His comment was that I would refer other people to him and the fact that he was able to help a nice lady was enough for him. This man is too good to be true!

Well of course I agreed to the change and got my first check in September. Jeff would only accept his fee on the money from Disability and not the part from SSI. He said that what was due from SSI was something that I needed. Another unselfish reply.

I cannot stongly enough encourage any of you to miss the opportunity of having Jeff take your disability case. It doesn't matter where you live. If you do not have an attorney, call his office at once. I guarantee that it will be the best decision you ever made. He and his staff are wonderful beyond words. Without them I don't think I could have ever made it through this. And I never even met the man!!!!

My best to each and every one of you struggling to get through the ordeal of filing for disability. It is sure a tough battle but perserverance is the key.
**************************************************
Dee I have contacted him in regards to my case. This is the email reply I recieved from him:

Hi Sandy -

...I am a private attorney who has focused my work in this area of the law and would be happy to talk with you about your claim - I have/do represent people in California and we'll go over how that works. My toll free number is 1-888-529-0600 and you can just give me call and we'll figure out what is best for you.
Thank you for the kind words - now let's see if we can help you out!

Jeffrey A. Rabin
640 Pearson Suite
Suite 300
Des Plaines, IL 60016
1-847-299-0008
1-888-529-0600 (toll free)
1-847-299-4493 (fax)


I hope this info is helpful...
Ciao 4 Now
Sandy