Tennessee disability lawyers since 2002
Every Service, One Focus: Disability
Downard & Associates handles Social Security Disability and nothing else, so this page is short: nine ways we help, organized by where your claim stands.
Whichever door you walk through, the fee structure is identical, nothing unless you win, and the first conversation is free.
Free case review
(615) 255-4307We respond within 3 business hours. No fee unless you win.
- SSDI and SSI claims for adults
- Applications, reconsideration and hearings
- Represented by phone and video in all 50 states and DC
Starting a Claim
Applying for Disability
How to file a claim that holds up, including the 5-year work history rule most guides still get wrong.
SSDI Claims
Benefits on your work record: coverage, the five-step test, and what your date last insured means.
SSI Claims
Need-based benefits with no work history required, where the filing date is money.
When a Claim Is Denied
Denied? Start Here
The 60-day window, the two kinds of denial, and why appealing beats reapplying.
Disability Appeals
All four levels: reconsideration, hearing, Appeals Council, and coordinated referral for federal court.
Disability Hearings
The stage where contested claims are decided, and the file completed before the five-day deadline decides it.
Special Situations and What It Costs
SSDI for Veterans
The Social Security side for veterans with VA benefits: expedited processing and a team led by a former Air Force Judge Advocate.
Back Pay & Benefit Amounts
The three dates that decide what your claim is worth, and the tax election most people miss.
Fees & Costs
Nothing up front, nothing unless you win, capped by federal law. The whole structure in plain numbers.
Not Sure Which Door Is Yours?
Tell us your situation and we will point you to the right path, even if it is not us.
Request your free case review or call (615) 255-4307. We respond within 3 business hours.