SSDI Attorney Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke County wraps around the cities of Roanoke and Salem, which are independent and not part of the county. The county was home to nearly 97,000 people in the 2020 Census. Suburban neighborhoods sit along the valley floor, while quieter rural communities lie closer to the surrounding Blue Ridge ridgelines. Residents also tend to be older than Virginians overall, with a median age of about 43.5 compared with 39 statewide.
That profile matters for disability claims. U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Roanoke County show that 9.5% of residents under 65 live with a disability. For someone in their 50s whose job depends on physical stamina, a serious diagnosis can end a career years before retirement age. When that happens, SSDI may replace part of the lost income while you focus on treatment.
At Lloyd King Law Firm PLLC, I represent people in Roanoke, Virginia, who are applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or appealing a denial. My offices are in North Carolina, in Wilmington, Fayetteville, and Roanoke Rapids, not in Roanoke itself. SSDI is a federal program, and federal rules allow an attorney in good standing in any state to represent you before Social Security.
I’m a former Social Security Administrative Law Judge, so I’ve decided disability claims from the bench. If you live in the city or elsewhere in Roanoke County, your claim will go through Social Security and the state disability offices in Roanoke. Whether your claim is just starting or has already been denied, contact me for a free consultation. I don’t charge a fee unless you receive benefits.
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When Roanoke Valley Work Becomes Impossible
Health care is the largest job sector in the Roanoke metro area, and Carilion Clinic and HCA Healthcare are its two largest private employers, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development market analysis of the Roanoke area. Manufacturing, including truck-parts production, also has a significant presence. These jobs often involve long shifts on your feet, lifting patients or materials, and repetitive physical tasks.
When a back injury, joint condition, heart problem, or mental health condition ends that kind of work, SSDI may replace part of your lost income. You need enough work credits, and your condition must meet Social Security’s definition of disability.
That second requirement is where many claims stall. Social Security asks whether you can do your past job and whether you can do any other work, considering your age, education, and experience. For a 55-year-old nursing assistant or production worker, the answer can depend on how well your limitations are documented. I focus on building that record, so the decision-maker sees exactly what your treating providers have found.
Common SSDI Injuries
Many of the SSDI claims I take on begin with an injury that makes physical or sustained work unsafe. Social Security doesn’t approve claims based on a diagnosis alone. It looks at whether your condition has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months and how it limits what you can do. These injuries come up often in disability claims:
Back and spine injuries: Herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis can limit sitting, standing, lifting, and bending. Those are core demands of patient care, warehouse, and production jobs.
Joint injuries and arthritis: Damage to the knees, hips, or shoulders, including after surgery or joint replacement, can make it impossible to stand through a shift or reach overhead.
Traumatic brain injuries: A head injury from a fall or vehicle crash can affect memory, concentration, and processing speed, even when physical recovery looks complete.
Nerve damage and repetitive-use injuries: Severe carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and similar conditions can weaken grip strength and the fine hand control needed for assembly, clerical, and clinical work.
Fractures that don’t heal properly: When a broken bone leads to lasting pain, limited mobility, or repeated surgeries, its effects may last long enough to meet Social Security’s duration requirement.
Many claimants live with more than one condition, such as a back injury combined with chronic pain or depression. Social Security must consider the combined effect of all your impairments, so I review every condition in your records, not only the one that ended your job. If your injury isn’t listed here, it may still qualify. During your free consultation, I can review your medical history and explain how Social Security will likely evaluate it.
SSDI Help I Provide, From First Application to Hearing
I handle SSDI matters at every stage: new applications, reconsideration requests after an initial denial, and hearings before an administrative law judge. I also handle claims where SSDI and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) overlap, which changes how back pay is calculated.
For each client, I request and review medical records, look for gaps in treatment documentation, and ask treating doctors for opinions on specific work limitations. If your case goes to a hearing, I prepare you to testify about how your condition affects an ordinary day.
After an approval, I review the back pay award and the onset date Social Security accepted. The date your disability is found to have begun affects how much you receive, so it deserves a careful look.
Where Roanoke Claims Are Decided, and How We Work Together
Your application starts at a Social Security field office, which checks non-medical requirements such as work credits. Virginia Disability Determination Services, a state agency that works with Social Security, makes the medical decision; its Southwest Regional Office is in Roanoke. If Social Security denies your claim at both the initial and reconsideration stages, you can request a hearing. Social Security’s Roanoke hearing office generally hears claims from the Roanoke field office, and you can confirm your assigned office with the Social Security hearing office locator.
You don't need to travel for me to represent you. Social Security lets you attend a judge’s hearing in person, by telephone, by agency video, or by online video from a private location you choose.
We can handle preparation by phone and mail, and I can participate in a telephone or online video hearing with you. If you’d rather appear in person in Roanoke, we’ll talk through what that means for your case during your consultation.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Lloyd King Law Firm PLLC
If an injury or illness has kept you out of work in Roanoke or Roanoke County, SSDI may replace part of the income you've lost. Your claim will move through Social Security's local field office, Virginia Disability Determination Services, and, if needed, the Roanoke hearing office. At every stage, the outcome depends on how clearly your medical record shows what you can and can't do.
I represent clients in Wilmington, Fayetteville, Roanoke Rapids, Raleigh, Greensboro, and throughout North Carolina, and I welcome inquiries from people in Roanoke and Roanoke County. I don’t charge a fee unless you receive benefits.
If a medical condition has kept you from working, contact Lloyd King Law Firm PLLC to schedule a free consultation about your SSDI claim.