Michael A. Bell

Specialties

We concentrate on representing people who, due to physical or emotional injury or illness, cannot work because they are disabled. We do so in three areas of law, Social Security, Workers Compensation, and the Maine Public Employees Retirement System. It is possible, though very rare, that one person can have a claim in all three areas at the same time, and more common that one worker will have a Social Security or Maine State disability claim along with a workers comp case. We will attempt to provide coordinated assistance on all related claims.

Over 90% of what we do, and have been doing for the past 29 years, is representing people before the Social Security Administration [SSA], to assist them with their disability claims. We represent adults, individuals from the age of eighteen up until the age of 65, who seek Social Security Disability Insurance [SSD], Supplemental Security Income Disability [Sis], under their own Social Security numbers [accounts], as well as Disabled Adult Children [Dace] and Widows disability claims under the accounts of parents or deceased spouses.

We do so at every level before the SSA, from before an application until all administrative review has been completed. We represent people who will have their hearings scheduled in Portland and Augusta, Maine. There are four levels of administrative review. As a last resort, which we rarely have to utilize, we also take cases on appeal to the federal court in the District of Maine…