27 After undergoing chemotherapy and having more than a foot of his large intestine removed, “Jim”couldn’t sit for long periods of time and needed to stay close to a bathroom to deal with his gastrointestinal problems. He couldn’t return to his job and struggled to pay his bills. When Jim’s application for Social Security benefits was denied, his social worker at Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute referred him to Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston, a group that gives low- income patients legal help to tackle nonmedical issues that can complicate recovery. Social Security applicants whose applications are denied have a short window of time to request reconsideration. Without any indication of why Jim’s application was denied, his original legal team quickly submitted the request for reconsideration, and turned to Mintz Levin for assistance. Attorney Jill Collins and former Mintz Levin attorney Kaci White contacted the Social Security Administration immediately and repeatedly to determine the reason for the denial.“It seemed we jumped through the agency’s hoops for months just trying to get information,”Jill says. Eventually they reached a supervisor who provided access to Jim’s files, which revealed why his application was unsuccessful. Jim’s general practitioner had written a letter on his behalf, but he didn’t say Jim would be disabled for at least a year—a precondition for receiving Social Security Disability Insurance. Jim’s file also indicated that although he was below the means threshold, his application for Social Security Income hadn’t been processed. At that point, however, Jim’s request for reconsideration had already been denied, which meant that he had to wait nearly a year for a full appeals hearing. After Kaci left the firm in 2012, attorney Carol Cleary joined the case, and she and Jill worked with Dana Farber’s staff to submit updated records. Jim’s oncologist, who was familiar with Jim’s surgery and symptoms, wrote a letter explaining why he wouldn’t be able to work for at least another year. Jill and Carol had a 3½-hour prep session with Jim a few days before his hearing, and spent another hour with him that morning. At the hearing Jim did very well, though he had to stand and was in great pain. A potential problem arose, however, when the Social Security Administration called an occupational expert who testified that Jim could work in a variety of office jobs. “The expert was very adversarial, and we were a little shocked by his opinion,”Jill says. Jill argued persuasively that it wasn’t possible for Jim to work, particularly at his last job as a ticket salesman for a tour bus company. The hearing’s examiner agreed, and Jim’s Social Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits were granted retroactively. “Jim is an upstanding citizen with a long work history. He wants to work, but is unable to do so in his current medical condition, and I think the medical examiner understood that,”Jill says. In 2014 Jill has worked to address a tax lien on Jim’s benefits and to have the benefits extended. Now in his mid-40s, Jim hopes to someday work again. “Leading our client on this lengthy legal journey demonstrated why so many people who do not have legal assistance give up on the process of securing the benefits they are eligible to receive.” Jill Collins Mintz Levin attorney Untangling the Ladder