Your dad is absolutely right about it being one club you never want to join. But for some of us there is just no choice. FYI instead of using a lawyer I used my Congressman's local office. They were wonderful and handled all of the paperwork for me. Except for the few forms I had to fill out of course. I was accepted on my first attempt to receive benefits. I would suggest finding out who your Congressman is and contacting his case worker before hiring a lawyer. And it doesn't cost anything so it can't hurt.