Disability and veterans benefits marketing
Marketing for disability and veterans benefits law firms
Most clients in this practice find a lawyer after a letter says no. The fee is capped by SSA or regulated by VA, and it arrives months or years later. Marketing has to fit those numbers and still keep a steady flow of the right appeals.
By Charlotte Thompson, Co-Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
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The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Disability and veterans benefits marketing works when the firm is found right after a denial or a low rating, explains the next step plainly, and keeps cases coming steadily enough to build a team around. Because SSA caps fee agreements and VA regulates when fees start, the cost of signing a case has a ceiling.
We usually start with AI search and the Google Business Profile, add Local Services Ads or Google search ads for appeals this month, and use slower trust-building content alongside. One appeals firm got better cases at costs that made sense, and another, running SSDI and veterans' appeals side by side, grew enough to expand the team.
Intake carries the rest: a long, patient process for people who often can't work. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
How disability and veterans clients choose
The search usually starts with a denial letter.
People rarely hire a disability or VA lawyer before they've heard no. They search after the decision, often with family helping, and they pick the firm that makes the next step feel manageable.
- A Social Security denial comes with a clock
Federal rules give a claimant 60 days after receiving notice of an initial determination to ask for reconsideration. Searches like "SSDI denied what next" or "disability appeal lawyer" happen inside that window, which is why being visible the week the letter arrives matters.
- Veterans often start with free help
VA says help from an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative is always free, and veterans use those representatives more often on initial claims. Accredited lawyers and claims agents can charge only after VA decides the initial claim. So the veterans a firm can sign are mostly people with a decision they want reviewed.
- Families are part of the decision
A spouse, a parent or an adult child often does the research and makes the first call. Pages and ads should speak to them too, and intake should make it easy for the claimant to bring a family member onto the call.
- Trust builds slowly
Someone who can't work and has already been turned down is wary of anyone who promises a quick fix. Clear explanations of the appeal stages, and reviews from people who went through them, do more than any headline.
Channels that fit
Which channels fit a disability and veterans benefits firm, and why.
This practice rewards channels that keep working while spend changes. We start with AI search and the Business Profile, then add paid channels for the steady flow of new denials.
- AI search
People ask ChatGPT and Google's AI answers what happens after an SSDI denial, or how to challenge a VA rating. The tools pull from pages that walk through each stage in plain words, from your Business Profile and from reviews that mention appeals. It builds over months and doesn't stop the day a budget is cut. Our guide on showing up in ChatGPT explains how they choose.
- Local Services Ads
Google lists disability lawyers as a Local Services Ads category in the US, so a verified firm can appear above the regular results and pay per lead. With a capped fee per case, paying per lead instead of per click helps keep the math predictable. Start with getting Google Verified.
- Google search ads
Search ads let you run SSDI and VA appeals as separate campaigns with their own pages, and block the large volume of searches about payment dates, office hours and how to apply on your own. Every keyword is judged on signed fee agreements, because that's the number the cap makes you watch.
- Content, video and social
Short videos and posts that explain a hearing, a supplemental claim or a higher-level review earn trust over weeks. They rarely bring a case the same day, and that's fine: they make the search ad or the AI answer more convincing when the letter finally arrives.
- Reviews
Reviews that mention how the firm kept someone informed through a long wait are the proof a denied claimant looks for. Ask at the decision, when the client is most willing.
| Situation | Usually starts with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SSDI or SSI denial | AI search, Local Services Ads, Google search ads | Searched right after the letter, inside a short appeal window |
| VA claim denied or rated low | AI search, Google search ads, video | Fees are allowed after a decision; veterans research first |
| Initial VA claim | Content and AI search | Free VSO help is common and paid fees usually come later |
| Family researching for someone | AI search, reviews, video | They read and compare before the claimant calls |
Rules that shape it
SSA caps the fee. VA decides when a fee can start.
Both agencies regulate what a representative can charge, which sets a ceiling on what a firm can sensibly pay to sign a case.
- Social Security: under the fee agreement process, the fee can't exceed the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or $9,200, for favorable decisions issued on or after November 30, 2024 (SSA, Fee Agreements).
- Social Security: a claimant asks for reconsideration of an initial determination in writing within 60 days after receiving the notice, unless SSA extends the time for good cause (20 CFR 404.909).
- VA: only accredited agents and lawyers may receive fees from claimants, and recognized organizations such as VSOs may not (38 CFR 14.636(b)). Fees generally start only after VA has issued notice of an initial decision on the claim (38 CFR 14.636(c)).
- VA: fees that don't exceed 20 percent of past-due benefits are presumed reasonable, and fees above 33 1/3 percent are presumed unreasonable (38 CFR 14.636(f)). VA's own FAQ adds that it must have a signed fee agreement and the form appointing the representative.
For marketing, that means the cost per signed case has to sit well under the fee you can actually collect, judged across the cases you win and the ones you don't. It also means paid VA campaigns usually aim at veterans who already have a decision. This is a plain summary for marketing planning, not legal advice.
Intake
Where disability and veterans firms lose good appeals.
The pipeline in this practice is long, so the losses are quiet: a deadline missed before the first call, or a good case that went cold while it waited.
Ask for the date on the letter
The decision date tells you how much time is left. Capture it on the form and the first call, and move files close to the 60-day line to the front of the queue.
Sort by stage before anything else
Initial application, reconsideration, hearing, VA supplemental claim, higher-level review or Board appeal: each fits a different fee arrangement and a different workload. A short set of stage questions keeps the team on cases it wants.
Make the first call easy for someone who is unwell
Short forms, a callback at a time the person chooses, and room for a family member on the line. People who can't sit through a long questionnaire still have good cases.
Keep in touch through the wait
Clients who hear nothing for months stop answering, and some sign with someone else. A simple update schedule protects the case and the review you'll ask for later. Our guide to law firm intake metrics covers how to track signed cases by channel.
See it for your firm
See what we work toward for your firm.
Pick "Disability & Veterans Benefits" in the demo on our AI search page, type your firm and city, and see the kind of AI answer we work toward for someone appealing a denial. It's an illustration of the goal, not a real result.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Two disability results: an appeals firm that got higher-quality cases at acquisition costs that finally made sense, still on the same system more than 18 months on, and a firm running SSDI and veterans' appeals together that grew enough to expand its team.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
“I've found ad hoc to be professional in all their work. Santiago is a reliable communicator and we are starting to see results!”
FAQ
Questions disability and veterans benefits lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
Are Local Services Ads worth it for disability firms?
In the US, often yes. You pay per lead instead of per click, which suits a practice with a capped fee, and Google reviews charged leads and credits low-quality ones automatically. Our Local Services Ads vs Google Ads guide shows when each fits.
How much can a disability firm afford to spend to sign a case?
Work back from the fee. Under SSA's fee agreement process the fee can't exceed the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or $9,200, and not every case wins. Our guide on law firm marketing costs lays out typical monthly ad spend by platform. That money goes to Google or Meta on your own card.
Should we market SSDI and VA appeals together?
On the same site, yes, with separate pages and campaigns. The searches, the rules and the families are different. One of our clients runs both side by side, and the setup doesn't depend on any single channel staying cheap.
Can we advertise help with initial VA claims?
You can explain the process, but accredited lawyers generally can't charge until VA has decided the initial claim, and VA points veterans to free VSO help. Most paid campaigns aim at veterans who already have a decision to challenge.
How long before marketing pays off in this practice?
Calls can start in the first weeks of paid ads. Fees come much later, when cases are decided. Judge the early months on signed fee agreements and the quality of the cases, not fees collected.
Do you work with disability firms outside the US?
Yes. The SSA and VA rules on this page are US rules, so pages for firms elsewhere are written for their own benefit systems. Google doesn't offer Local Services Ads for lawyers in Canada or Australia, so there we start with AI search, the Business Profile and Google search ads.
Further reading
Guides for the next question.
Longer answers to the questions that come up once a firm starts spending on marketing.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- Social Security Administration, Fee Agreements
- SSA POMS GN 03940.003, Evaluating the fee agreement
- eCFR, 20 CFR 404.909, How to request reconsideration
- eCFR, 38 CFR 14.636, Payment of fees for representation by agents and attorneys
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA accredited representative FAQs
- Google Local Services Ads Help, business screening requirements (US)
- Google Local Services Ads Help, lead credits
Written by
Co-founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads social media and content, runs onboarding for new client firms, and is on the regular check-in calls with clients.
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