Social Security Advocates LLC Helps More Clients as the Economy Tightens its Grip on Working Residents

ORLANDO, Fla. – When the going gets tough, the familiar adage has it that the tough also get going. And, that’s just what representatives at Social Security Advocates LLC have been doing as more and more workers turn to them for help in gaining disability benefits.

“When the economy is in reverse, more people file for disability,” says Jessica Carrasquillo, a former paralegal who started the company in Cleveland, Tenn. in 2005.

And more filings translate into increased business for Social Security Advocates which opened an Orlando location last year at the Orlando Business Development Center on East Colonial Drive, one of five University of Central Florida Incubation Program locations.

“We’re kind of a recession-proof company; we tend to do well in a bad economy,” Carrasquillo says. “Most people don’t know where to turn or what to do to even begin to file for benefits. That’s where we can help.”

Carrasquillo, a paralegal for 20 years, spent 11 years handling Social Security disability claims for a large law firm. Jeanette Roman, who has 18 years of experience in the same field, runs the Orlando office of Social Security Advocates.

Roman met Carrasquillo 15 years ago while working at an Orlando law firm. The two later co-hosted an Orlando radio show for that law firm, which also helped clients with Social Security issues.

They saw the same thing happening again and again for those trying filing claims: Claim denied; appeal denied; client gives up.

“People have real issues and they deserve personal attention,” Carrasquillo said. “Our clients are individuals with unique problems; they’re not just numbers. And, we get to know them and what they’re going through so we can effectively help them.”

A new company website – www.socialsecurity-advocates.com – often is the first step for clients interested in pursuing a claim. There they will find information on what the company can do for them and answers to important questions.

Social Security Advocates does not charge a fee – other than administrative costs – unless benefits are obtained, Roman said. The company also boasts a 97 percent success rate in obtaining benefits for its clients throughout the United States.

As a full-service agency, Social Security Advocates handles everything for the client, including gathering medical records and filling out all forms, communicating with the appropriate agencies and attending hearings on behalf of clients.

“We do all that for them,” Carrasquillo said. “They already have enough to worry about.”
To find out if you are eligible for disability benefits, contact Roman or Carrasquillo at Social Security Advocates, 321-281-8376 or 423-473-6714, or visit the company’s website at www.socialsecurity-advocates.com.

For more information, please contact:
Jeanette Roman or Jessica Carrasquillo, S.S. Advocates, 321-281-8376 or 423-473-6714

Melissa Wasserman, Site Manager, OBDC District 2/UCF Business Incubation Program; 321-281-8383; mwasserman@mail.ucf.edu

Gordon Hogan, Director of Operations, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-1577; bizdev@mail.ucf.edu

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 386-837-8780 or 407-644-4142

About the UCF Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies (including nearly 70 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 900 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With five facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu.

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