Hi, I have just been reading the messages on this site. I am a social worker in Western Montana and have been helping people apply for SSI & SSDI since 2010, so about 13yrs. I work for a company called Summit Independent Living. It is a non-residential, non-profit company funded mainly by federal grants. I help people with their initial disability applications and their Request for Reconsideration-Appeals. We do not charge anything for this service. I know most of the people who work at our local SSA office which helps when they are needed. If people I work with are denied on the appeal, then I refer them to a local disability attorney who will interview them and look at their files. These attorney's want to see about 50% chance of winning in order to accept the case. Using local attorney's is beneficial because they know the Montana hearings Judges.