Viacava, Joseph G.

Carla Lauer has many interests in life, she loves to travel, read, fly her private plane with her husband, ski, but most of all- she loves being the Social Security Disability Department at Hochman and Plunkett. Carla has helped thousands of clients receive their Social Security benefits. She even keeps a big box full of thank you cards written from her previous clients who were more than satisfied and thankful by Carla’s work.

She has been the head of Social Security for over a dozen years and loves coming to work each day and putting smiles on her clients’ faces.
Carla is a member of the Dayton, OH and American Bar Associations, as well as the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives.

“I handle Social Security hearings and appeals at all levels, including federal court. Let me go the distance for you.

Carla talks about a case that was particularly important to her:

Client #1—I first met this client at our Springfield office in August 2000. He was a 52 year old Vietnam Veteran filing for his Social Security Disability benefits on grounds of his mental impairment—depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He had been denied his benefits and I filed his appeal for him. I represented him at a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge in April, 2002 who again denied him his benefits on grounds he could still work. I filed another appeal and the case was again denied by the Social Security Administration.

Thereafter I talked to the client about his right to file his next appeal into U.S. District Court. The client told me he did NOT want to file an appeal. He wanted to drop his case because he was tired of fighting and felt any further appeal would only be a waste of time. I spent significant time trying to convince him to appeal because in my mind his case was worthy of an appeal and I strongly recommended he not give up. I finally persuaded him and the necessary appeal and court briefs were filed. In March, 2005, the U.S. District Court agreed that the Social Security Judge’s denial was in error and sent the case back to the Social Security Judge to issue a new decision. In December, 2005, I represented the client at a new hearing and on January 31, 2006, the client was approved for his Social Security Disability benefits payable back to 1998. In August, 2006, this client was awarded over $100,000 in Social Security Disability benefit back pay. The client thanked me for my work and , more importantly for persuading him not to give up the fight.

I also filed and convinced the U.S. District Court to order the government to help pay for this client’s attorney fees due to unjust errors made by the Social Security Judge in denying originally his claim. The government did pay in part his legal fees.

Client #2—I first talked to this client when she called our Dayton office in February, 2005. She told me she had been denied her Social Security benefits “many” times already. She contacted me after her current lawyer who had been representing her for the past several years had refused to file any further appeals for her and he notified her he was withdrawing as her representative. She shared the letter her former attorney (a well known national law firm) had sent informing her that her next appeal was to federal court involving “a tremendous amount of work” which he would not do and he recommended she seek the help of another lawyer. She was 44 years old alleging she was disabled due to carpal tunnel, back pain, hypertension, coronary artery disease and depression.

I agreed to represent her and responded quickly since there was only a small window of time left to appeal. The necessary court briefs were written and filed. In March, 2006, this client was approved for her Social Security Disability benefits by a U.S. District Court Judge. My client was awarded $52,000 in benefit back pay for herself and her children.