My son (24) has chronic physical disabilities, and we were suggested to a disability law office with good references in Cherry Hill, NJ and one of the senior lawyers took us on, 6 yrs ago. Since then, this office has done things that just seem completely wrong to me. The first time my son went to court, 2.5 yrs in, a young new lawyer showed up instead of the person we expected. He failed to review with my son, and needless to say the case was denied and they had to reapply again. Then Covid happened, and another 2 years went by before my son was found disabled. That was a year ago. I promptly notified the lawyer when we received his disbursement.

Yesterday I got a letter from SS saying that they did not know that this lawyer represented my son, and so they did not send them their money from the disbursement, and now my son must make arrangements to pay them. There is just enough left of the disbursement to pay the lawyer but then he won’t be able to continue to pay me rent as they have instructed. This makes no sense to me as a lawyer from that firm has been present at all video and in person appointments. We signed the paperwork stating they were the lawyer when we hired them, and a second time for the dispersement.

During this last year, SSI has never paid out the full 800 dollars a month, deducting $260 a month right off the top that they say I am gifting him (even tho I can’t afford to gift him anything… I have been taking out educational loans to makes ends meet during this process, like a desperate idiot). They have given him anywhere between nothing and 170 dollars a month, because there was a short time he was able to work 3 part times days. They have decreed he must pay me $500 a month just for room and board in my 2 bedroom apartment. Now that he can’t work at all, they say they will give him 260 a mo starting January.

I feel like this lawyer has dropped the ball numerous times. I have called them repeatedly asking why Disability was insisting on communicating directly with us, wondering why if the office was filing appeals then why wasn’t SS answering them. As I said above, I notified them when my son received the dispersement, and have asked twice over the last year if they were paid. The lawyer never looked into it, and neither did his assistant. The lawyer has never provided any advice on what services this 24 yr old young man can access now that he is disabled, and neither has Social Security. Unhelpfully, they both have said it’s the other’s job to do so.

This is creating so much stress for me and my son, who feels like Social Security is trying to demoralize him to death at this point. The entire process has been punitive and completely ridiculous. At our last appt with SS, it seemed to me that the only way he could get his full dispersement was if I threw him out and he tried to live under a bridge for 3 months.

Basically, my question is what can I do now? I feel like the lawyer is inept and has actually made our lives worse at this point. I feel like they should have been on top of all of this from the beginning.