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"At Mike Murburg, P.A., we believe that justice is more than a system. It should be your end result." ®
Choosing to Work with Tampa Social Security Disability
Attorney Mike Murburg is Easy
Experience
Social Security Disability is not just part of our practice, it is what we specialize in. It’s what we do. Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney Mike Murburg has over 35 years of experience in Social Security Disability matters.
Singular Focus
Mr. Murburg knows the Administrative Law Judges and their legal and evidentiary preferences because Social Security is his singular focus. He knows and understands what the judges prefer to help them award benefits to a claimant.
Expertise
For over 35 years Mr. Murburg has been a member of the National Organization for Social Security Representatives (NOSSCR). Mr. Murburg is licensed to practice law in Florida and Washington and before the Social Security Administration, the Railroad Retirement Board as well as in Federal District Court, the U.S. Court of Appeal and the United States Supreme Court.
Results
Over the past 35 years Mr. Murburg has successfully concluded over 90% of all his SSDI/SSI cases, which has resulted in awards of back benefits in the amount of over $50 million and in over $1 billion in future entitlements to his clients.
Accessibility
Unlike other firms that have meetings using “claims representatives” instead of attorneys, or large “mega firms” or “client mills” that hire attorneys right out of law school, Mr. Murburg – an experienced and well-respected Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney – will lead your case from start to finish and available whenever you need him.
Transparency
Mr. Murburg will work up your case personally with you, every step of the way. He will personally prepare you for your hearing and the facts and testimony that need to be brought forward and emphasized in your case. He will also be there for you at your hearing to represent you and help direct your testimony there. No other attorney will represent you.
Did You Know? Facts About Social Security Claims
- Studies show that claimants who are represented by attorneys are 300% more likely to win their cases than claimants who are not represented by legal counsel.
- Attorney’s fees in Social Security Disability cases are generally capped by the Social Security Administration through trial at $7,200.00 or 25% whichever is the lesser. Your initial consultation is always free and no fees or costs are due unless we win your case.”
- Hiring an experienced Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney and his experienced staff will take a great deal of the mental and physical burden and worry off your shoulders.
- Florida is the fifth-hardest state to get approved for social security disability, with an SSDI approval rate of 39.1% in 2020 and an approval rate of 39.3% in 2019.
- The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,281.
Results and Experience Matter
Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney Mike Murburg has unsurpassed experience, unequalled excellence, and superior trial skills at hearings that translate into significant favorable results for his clients.
Meet Mike Murburg, Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney
Since 1992, Mr. Murburg has personally evaluated over 35,000 cases and tried over 5,000 cases before the Administrative Law Judges of the Social Security Administration.
View BioHow We Can Help
When you hire Mike Murburg as your Tampa disability lawyer, you will be represented by Mr. Murburg from the start of your claim to the end. Unlike other firms that handle personal injury and advertise that they are attorneys who practice Social Security disability law as well, attorney Mike Murburg has been a practicing Social Security disability lawyer virtually exclusively since 1992.
What Our Clients Say
Get a Free Consultation From a Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney
No fees or costs are ever due upfront to retain Mr. Murburg as your Tampa disability lawyer. Simply put, if we do not win, you do not have to pay us for anything. There is no small print or hidden lines or costs. It is just that simple. We earn our daily living and our reputation one case at a time.
Additional Resoruces
FAQs Answered by a Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney
Not sure where to start? With over 35 years of experience as a Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney, we are here to answer your questions.
Who is Eligible for SSDI?
According to the Social Security Administration, an applicant can be found to be disabled if he or she:
- has a listed impairment,
- has a severe impairment that is equal to a listed impairment,
- has a severe impairment when medical and vocational factors are considered, or
- had previously established entitlement to a disability benefit.
An applicant can be denied benefits if he or she:
- has an impairment that is not expected to last 12 months,
- has an impairment that is not considered severe,
- is able to perform his or her usual type of work,
- is able to perform another type of work, or
- has an impairment resulting from drug addiction or alcoholism, provides insufficient medical evidence, fails to cooperate, fails to follow prescribed treatment, does not want to continue development of the claim, or returns to substantial work before disability can be established.
There is an age limitation to those who are entitled to SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) benefits. SSDI benefits stop and are changed to “Retirement Benefits” once a claimant hits “FRA” full retirement age. This age changes from year to year and for those born after 1956, it will be age 66 or over, depending on the year of birth.
There is also an “Earning Credit” requirement for the receipt of SSDI. You must have worked 5 of the last ten years “on the books” and have paid into the SSDI system in-order to collect. The Social Security Administration determines whether or not you have sufficient earnings credits at the time you file. The amount of earnings can be minimal, only a few thousand dollars for each yearly quarter. So, do not be afraid to file, even if you were a minimal earner. If you do not have enough credits to qualify for SSDI, you may still qualify for SSI, or “Supplemental Security Income” benefits.
What is SSI?
SSI or Supplemental Security Income, (as it applies to the disabled), is money that the United States Government pays to a disabled person when that disabled person has not paid into the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, has allowed his or her coverage lapse due to time away from substantial gainful employment or has SSDI payments that are less than approximately $800.00 per month.
SSI claims apply to adults and may also apply to children under the age of 18 and “adult children” between the ages of 18 to 22 who have not earned enough work credits on their own to qualify for SSDI.
The proof of the claimant’s disability is still the same as it is in a SSDI case, but unlike SSDI where a claimant can go back and claim past due benefits, an SSI claim only runs from the date the claimant files his or her claim. Adult SSI payments also depend on the amount of the claimant’s household income and assets. In short, adult SSI disability benefits are disability benefits to which the financially under-privileged are entitled.
Do you have to be turned down 3x to get Social Security Disability?
This is a common misconception because so many claims are initially denied. Even with four different levels of appeals, and including all cases in which claimants either had or did not have attorney representation, just over 50 percent of applicants end up with benefits.
When you file a claim, the SSA has 90 days to accept it or deny it, and most claims are denied initially. Nationally, according to the Social Security Administration, Social Security disability applications face an overwhelming 70% denial rate upon initial evaluation.
Once denied, a claimant has 60 days to file an appeal in which the SSA has 90 days to accept the claim or deny it. And, again, most are denied. Nationally, the percentage of applicants who are awarded benefits at the “Reconsideration” are very, very low, averaging only 3%. This low acceptance rate forces claimants to file a further appeal called a “Request for Hearing” to have the case heard before an ALJ (Administrative Law Judge).
At the “Hearing” level only 13% of all cases are granted nationally. At the Appeals Council level only 1% of cases sent up on appeal are successful, i.e., only one percent of the cases result in the Appeals Council issuing a new decision.
The Social Security Administration reports that on average, 90% of the Requests for Review are denied or dismissed and 9% of the cases are remanded to an ALJ for an additional hearing. Only 1% of the cases result in the Appeals Council issuing a new decision.
By way of historical illustration, nationally, in 2016, there were 578,780 final approvals and 575,381 final denials after exhausting all appeals. According to the Social Security Administration, denied disability claims have only averaged nearly 53% overall.
Is it hard to get Social Security Disability in Florida?
Yes, Florida is the fifth-hardest state to get approved for social security disability, with an SSDI approval rate of 39.1% in 2020 and an approval rate of 39.3% in 2019. Working with a Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney you increase the likelihood of securing benefits. The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,281.
When should I hire a Tampa Social Security Disability Attorney for my SSDI/SSI claim?
The earlier the better. Generally, after your reconsideration is denied or at the time the “Request for Hearing” is filed the claimant really should hire an attorney. We can help with either the reconsideration or the hearing request. Once denied, a claimant has 60 days to file a “Request for Hearing” by an Administrative Law Judge.
There is no specified time in which the SSA has in order to set a hearing, but it is plenty of time to gather evidence and opinions from medical doctors that will be helpful in proving your case. While the request is pending the SSA will set your hearing in front of an ALJ, or Administrative Law Judge at the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), formerly known as ODAR the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.
What is Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) Disability and Who is Eligible?
Railroad Retirement Board Disability is a disability program set up by the RRB for disabled railroaders and their families. It is much like Social Security and Social Security Disability but it is for disabled railroaders; 1. Who are under 60 and have under twenty years and at least five full years of creditable railroad, service. These are called “Total Permanent Disability Claims” because the railroader must prove he or she is excluded by his or her disability from all competitive work in the national economy; or 2. Railroaders who are under 60 with a current connection with the railroad industry and who have at least 20 years of creditable service or, railroaders who are at least age 60 and have 120 months (10 years) or more of creditable railroad service and cannot return to their former railroad occupation. These claims are called “Occupational Disability Claims” because rather than having to prove a total permanent disability, the railroader must prove that he or she is permanently disabled from work in his or her “regular railroad occupation”
The RRB also has programs for disabled widows and the dependents and disabled children of railroaders that you can find more about by contacting the Law Offices of Mike Murburg, P.A.