Coats & Todd

Best decision we ever made was contacting Coats & Todd! They made fighting for disability a much less stressful experience. They were amazing every step of the way explaining and taking the time to let me know everything going on with my case. They don’t treat you like just another paycheck they really take intrest in you as a person and fight for you like they would themselves! If you need somebody to help you and walk with you every step of the way this is definetly the law firm to choose.

I will never regret contacting Coats & Todd. The system of course rubber-​stamped my applications for SSDI «no» without even looking at them. The doctor Social Security sent me to lied outright, saying she could see nothing wrong with me (I can’t walk without a cane) and that there was nothing at all abnormal with my spinal xray (I had scoliosis for approx. 30 years at the time this xray was taken!). No one would talk to me and my case was considered hopeless because I was relatively young at the time (44). Also working against me very badly was the fact that before I attempted to retire due to my disability my employer had laid me off because I could no longer put in the 60-​hr. workweeks. But when I wrote to Mrs. Coats she took the a personal interest in me, took the time to review my case and talk to me, and ultimately we went to court and won my SSDI benefits. Without SSDI I would be homeless and likely dead by now, as I certainly would not be able to survive on the street. They took my «hopeless» case and fought for me like I was a member of the family. My attorney Mr. Todd showed up to court with over 800 pages of medical records, and no matter what kind of sideways screwball they tried to throw at us, he was totally prepared. I was never coached or rehearsed, I never even spoke to Mr. Todd until the day before the hearing. Simply illuminating my 30-​year uninterrupted employment history, for example, showed I was not someone out to scam the system; I thought my work history had been unsalvageable tainted by getting laid off instead of retiring but they made it work for me instead of against me. We presented only the truth, but you have to have someone who knows how this deliberately obstructionist system works or the truth will likely not help you much. I think it’s a shame you have to hire attorneys just to get what is rightfully yours, that you have worked for and paid for, especially when all of your doctors agree you are too disabled to work, but you do and I would recommend Coats & Todd to anyone and have. They won my ex-husband’s case, and I held out less hope for him than I had for my own case.
Be prepared for the difficulties inherent in this process. I had always heard there was a six month waiting period, for example, which is what kept me working way past when I should have quit. This ultimately caused a great deal more damage to my body. But the truth is, you are not eligible to receive benefits until six months after you are disabled, the real wait is longer. It was thirteen months before I won my case, and while they did have to give me back-​pay to cover to time that had elapsed since the six month eligibility date, you are on your own to provide for yourself until your case is won. I had to liquidate my entire 401(k) plan (you are allowed to withdraw early if you’re disabled) and burned through every bit of my savings. Disability does not pay well, this is no cushy lifestyle — anyone who thinks you would chose this just to get out of work doesn’t know what they’re talking about! I now live a very modest hand to mouth lifestyle, my credit has been destroyed as I was forced to abandon most of my debts, most months I am down to literally my last dollar in the world before my next month’s benefit arrives — but I wouldn’t be able to do even this if I had not been able to win the SSDI benefits I am rightfully entitled to. There are many long weeks of waiting when you won’t necessarily hear from anybody regarding your case, but it doesn’t mean they’re not working on it. On the up side, being on SSDI qualified me for Medicare, which it turns out is far superior to ANY private insurance I ever had during my long work career.
These people are sincere, professional, and very competent. If you have a legitimate disability claim, you will need help and I recommend Coats & Todd very highly.

I regret ever contacting Coats and Todd. Catherine Coats is one of the most unprofessional people I have ever encountered. I suffer from autism and at the advice of my doctor, I applied for SSDI. I went through the intake process with coats and todd and a few days later, received a letter from Catherine Coats insinuating that I was not disabled and did not have a case. This was even after several doctors and counselors had documented otherwise. I then sent a message to them expressing my dissatisfaction with their response and got a personal phone call from Mrs. Coats. She proceeded to go on a tirade telling me that my condition was not severe and that I am capable of working; all without ever taking the time to learn the details of my case. Again, this contradicts everything my doctors have documented. She said because I have worked in the past, have a masters degree and since many famous people have autism, that automatically means I am not qualified to receive disability benefits. She even stalked my Facebook page and saw where I used to be self-​employed (which I am no longer), and said that would also hurt my chances. She also proceeded to give me a lecture on what autism is and is not and told me I was wrong about how my autism affects me. She did all this knowing I am autustic and how such an attack could affect me mentally and emotionally. I would recommend that anyone with a mental disability seeking SSDI steer clear of this law firm. They are wolves in sheeps’ clothing. They do not care about you unless they think you can put more money in their pockets.