Social Security Disability
Social Security Disability is governed by the Social Security Act, but it is defined by multiple sets of regulations, such as the Listings of Impairments, the Medical-Vocational Guidelines, as well as interpretive rulings and memoranda. Although many people think that they will win just because they have a certain diagnosis, that is almost never true. A doctor’s opinion that you can’t work, with no specifics, or a vague opinion that says that you can’t stand, sit or walk for long periods or lift much weight will not be given any serious consideration. In order for your claim to be given fair consideration, it is necessary to have a doctor’s opinion, which outlines specifically how long you can stand, walk and sit at one time, as well as how long you can sit in an eight-hour day and how long you can be on your feet in an eight-hour day. That should not reflect your abilities on an good day, but what you can do on Monday, and again on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. If you need to lie down during the day, a specific opinion on how long you need to lie down, and how many times is important. The same is true if you need to elevate your legs, as well as specific information whether you can use a footstool, or if you feet need to be at waist or heart level. There is much more information on this site concerning the specifics of a claim for Social Security Disability, but an attorney who is well-versed in the requirements and the hearing process is almost always essential.
About the Office
H. Edwin Detlie is an attorney admitted to practice in Iowa since 1976, as well as in the United States District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Iowa, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court,. His practice is limited to claims for workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability and SSI. He has practiced in Ottumwa since 1982, and opened a second office in Dexter, Iowa in 2009. He limits his practice to representing injured and disabled workers. He was recently appointed to Chair the Law Practice Management Committee of the Iowa State Bar Association, having served on the Workers’ Compensation Section Council twice and on the Administrative Law Committee for several years. He is currently on the Technology Committee of the Iowa State Bar Association.
H. Edwin Detlie served as President of the Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers from 2004 to 2005, is a Sustaining Member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives and is past President of the Wapello County Bar Association. He has spoken at continuing legal education events for Iowa Legal Aid, the Iowa State Bar Association, the Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, and regional and national continuing legal education events of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives.
He is also a consultant and legal content contributor for LexisNexis, the world’s largest legal publisher, in Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability. He recently joined the LexisNexis Larason’s National Workers’ Compensation Advisory Board, and recently consulted on details of the recently released Social Security practice tool, the Lexis Social Security Total Practice Advantage. He is a regular contributor to the Lexis Workers Compensation weblog, or blog, on workers’ compesation issues. He is also a member of the Association of Nazarene Technologists and helped to redesign his church’s website.To review the mission and purpose of the law office, click on this link. Before commencing private practice in 1982, H. Edwin Detlie was an Administrative Law Judge for the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
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