UPDATE – President Obama signed this into law on 2/27/10.
Attorney Mark Papa from our Jacksonville office shared this bit of breaking news with me. Sounds like good news for Social Security Applicants.
The Social Security Disability Applicants’ Access to Professional Representation Act of 2010 is expected to be signed into law by President Obama by the end of this week. This will allow those who are denied Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits in the future to find an attorney to represent them in their claim.
Prior to the Social Security Protection Act of 2004 (“SSPA”), there was no attorney fee withholding provision for SSI claims, the consequence being that very few attorneys would agree to represent SSI claimants. SSPA included a provision whereby attorney fees would be withheld and paid directly in SSI cases. This provision in the SSPA is scheduled to “sunset” on March 1, 2010.
The signing into law of the Social Security Disability Applicant’s Access to Professional Representation Act of 2010 will ensure that SSI claimant’s who have been denied will continue to find attorney representation before the Social Security Administration.
