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Estate Planning, TX Probate, SS Disability
Attorneys - HEARD & SMITH, L.L.P. - Client Profile
 Heard
& Smith, L.L.P. of San Antonio, Texas, specializes in estate planning,
inheritance,
guardianship and
Social Security disability law, with emphasis on
the rights and needs of the elderly, the handicapped and their families.
Heard
& Smith, L.L.P. have been helping clients obtain Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for
over twenty-five years. Under these Social Security programs, individuals
receive monthly checks and medical benefits. If you are not working because of
an illness, an injury or emotional problems, you may be eligible to receive SSDI
or SSI benefits. Heard
& Smith, L.L.P. can aid in your appeal if you have been denied
benefits.
There are important distinctions between the SSDI and SSI
programs:
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides benefits to disabled people
(including certain disabled dependents) who have paid into the Social Security
trust fund through Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based providing financial aid to
disabled people who meet low-income guidelines. SSI program benefits are
available to the disabled regardless of their employment history.
 According to the Social Security Act, to qualify for disability payments (either
SSDI or SSI) you must prove that you cannot do any work for which you are suited
due to a medical condition that is expected to last for a minimum of a year, or
is terminal. While an estimated 6.5 million people received Social Security
benefits last year, many first time applicants were denied and others had their
benefits terminated. Insufficient medical proof of a disabling physical or
mental impairment is often to blame for a negative outcome.Heard & Smith attorneys take a hands-on approach with clients
to help guide them through the legal process. For example:
- For Social Security Disability claims, Heard & Smith helps
clients fill out applications and other forms, gathers their medical records
and coaches them through hearings in front of a Social Security judge.
- Grief can cloud judgment during the probate and
guardianship process. Heard & Smith simplifies the process by providing proper
legal advice and guidance before death and at the time of death.
Attorney John R. Heard has been representing Social Security claimants for
over 25 years. He is the Past President of the National Organization of Social
Security Claimants’ Representatives and is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by
the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Heard is licensed to practice in all
Texas Courts, the Eastern, Western and Southern Districts of Texas, the United
States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Court of
Veterans Appeals.
Attorney Mark Stanton Smith specializes in probate and guardianship, and he
has written, lectured and taught in these areas. Smith has served two terms as
President of the National Guardianship Association, and in 1996 he was elected
to the Texas Guardianship Advisory Board by the probate judges of Texas.
Consultwebs.com interviewed the firm's partners, took
several hundred photos of the
San Antonio area, enhanced and/or developed Web content, prepared a design and
developed a marketing plan.
For more information, please contact
Heard &
Smith, L.L.P. or Consultwebs.com,
Inc.
Links:
San Antonio Injury Lawyers Profile - Consultwebs.com
San Antonio Accident Attorneys Profile - Traffic-Law.com
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