SHANNAN HINZMAN • Certified Social Security Claimants’ Representative
Contact Information
shannan@jandils.com
1.877.Veteran (877.838.3726)
Professional Background
Education: West Virginia University (A.D., 1995)
Profile
As a certified Social Security claimants’ representative for the Jan Dils Law Firm, Shannan Hinzman has a reputation for her knowledge of Social Security law, tireless work ethic and caring attitude toward every client.
“I’ve never had a client I didn’t wholeheartedly believe in and want to help,” she said. “The hardest struggle for me is that I never want to lose.”
Shannan Hinzman spent five years as a hearing reporter for the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review of the Social Security Administration. She decided to switch sides and help injured or ill clients seeking to file a disability claim.
“I’ve always been attracted to service-oriented careers, so I think it really fit,” she said. “I had the experience from being on the other side, and I thought it would be useful in serving my clients. Knowing I understand what the judges like or don’t like, I think, makes my clients feel more comfortable.”
On a daily basis, Shannan processes and reviews medical records, looking for information that proves a client is medically disabled and arranging that information in a format that allows the firm’s attorneys and advocates to convince judges that the client is, in fact, disabled.
Shannan Hinzman also spends a great deal of time preparing clients for hearings.
“The hearing will be the one chance to tell your story,” Shannan said. “You need to know your clients and how they might respond at the hearing. You need to make sure they understand what the judge is going to ask.”
In Shannan’s view, it would be difficult for a person to navigate the Social Security Administration’s highly complex and technical rules and regulations without an attorney or advocate by his or her side.
“If you don’t work in this field, there are things you are simply not going to know, and not understanding all of those technicalities can really have an adverse effect on whether you get approved – even if you are disabled,” she said.
“Also, I don’t think people with these types of claims are the best advocates for themselves. You might be in chronic pain, depressed, or both, and you might have lots of things happening around you. It’s hard to stay on top of things when you’re so overwhelmed.”
Because she is so dedicated to helping her clients, the hardest part of her work is putting it aside, Shannan said. When she does, she enjoys relaxing with her husband and daughter or catching up with friends and family on her recently discovered pastime: Facebook.
