One prominent non-attorney group representing Social Security claimants allowed researchers to peek at some of its data. The group isn't identified but I'll guess it was Allsup. Below are some numbers from the study that resulted. Click on each image to view full size.
I'll speak here mostly to others who represent Social Security claimants since Social Security employees may find what I'm about to say mystifying or boring.
Note that the company won only 62.6% of the time when they represented (or arranged representation) for claimants at hearings even though 77.5% of their clients came from Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance companies or self insured employers. LTD cases are gold plated. You should win a very high percentage of them. The reported success rate is very unimpressive. If this is Allsup, no wonder they've had problems.These LTD carriers ought to look at other options.
This study also demonstrated the big problem with internet advertising -- low yield. This company reports that 55.6% of its potential clients came from "Internet/PR" but only 5.2% of their actual clients came from "Internet/PR." (By the way, the use of the term "PR" suggests this is Allsup since Allsup engages in heavy PR.) That's a very low yield. From my somewhat limited experience with internet advertising, that's a low yield even for internet advertising.
Note that the company won only 62.6% of the time when they represented (or arranged representation) for claimants at hearings even though 77.5% of their clients came from Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance companies or self insured employers. LTD cases are gold plated. You should win a very high percentage of them. The reported success rate is very unimpressive. If this is Allsup, no wonder they've had problems.These LTD carriers ought to look at other options.
This study also demonstrated the big problem with internet advertising -- low yield. This company reports that 55.6% of its potential clients came from "Internet/PR" but only 5.2% of their actual clients came from "Internet/PR." (By the way, the use of the term "PR" suggests this is Allsup since Allsup engages in heavy PR.) That's a very low yield. From my somewhat limited experience with internet advertising, that's a low yield even for internet advertising.
I rely heavily on internet lead-based advertising for client retention. In my experience, a 6-8% conversion rate is standard and 10% can be achieved with regular follow up. Allsup's conversion rate is actually decent.
ReplyDeleteOther than some high earning, highly skilled individuals who received LTD because they were no longer able to perform their occupation but could do semi-skilled work or work requiring less dexterity, an LTD is about the closes thing to a sure thing there is.
ReplyDeleteI think you are missing the point of this data.
ReplyDeleteBased on Table 2:
The vast majority of their clients who are being allowed, are being allowed at the initial level.
13,691 total allowed ( in table 1 they say it is 19,398 allowed why the discrepancy?)
12,750 initial
367 recon
578 hearings.
Their business model appears to be to get people onto DI and quickly. Of the 46.2% of the 26,432 initial applicants who were denied, 9,479 did not move on to any further stage of adjudication.
Your "business model" I presume is to represent people who have appealed to the hearings stage. Very different clientele and very different financial incentive for the rep.
LTD requires filing even if they know you will get denied.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree that LTD cases are gold plated. I'm a former rep, current ALJ. To SSD, gold plated is a 58 year old manual laborer with limited education and two bad knees. That's can't-miss under the grids. That's not your typical LTD client. LTD clients may be younger or with sedentary jobs who can't access the grids. LTD clients are forced to apply for SSD by greedy insurance carriers who want their money recouped, and claimants are contractually obligated to file .in order to enrich the carrier. That's not gold plated. Each LTD case may or may not have merit in its own turn. They also may come with a manufactured psychiatric component which bloats the file but which might not look very persuasive on paper or by testimony.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing this on the inside for longer than I care to think about. I agree with 4:16, LTD cases are actually the easiest to deny because the claimant's are usually young and they were normally awarded LTD because they can't do their past work. i have seen many back injury cases where there are repeated dr reports, including IMEs that state that the claimant cannot do "heavy work" or is limited to "light duty work" but under our rules that doesn't mean you are disabled, especially if you are in your 40s or younger. I also agree that these cases tend to have recent psych treatment that is not that impressive. I am very pro-claimant, but LTD cases are simply the poorest ones presented
ReplyDeleteThe last time I was contacted by Allsup they said their new policy was to only pay their contract attorneys if the case was won. Maybe this us why. I told them their business model didn't fit with mine.
ReplyDelete