Alea Harmon
Alea Harmon knows how hard it can be for sick and injured people to obtain Social Security benefits after resources and other remedies have run out.
She’s handled hundreds of these cases, and she knows how frustrating the process can be.
“These are people who have no Plan B,” she says. “They desperately need help because they don’t have any other source of income, no medical benefits, and they’re sick. And Social Security can be a truly frustrating maze, so our practice is determined to help guide clients through the process and help them successfully obtain the benefits they are entitled to.”
Alea has long been committed to helping people in tough situations. As a teenager, she interned at a law firm outside Philadelphia and knew then that she wanted to pursue a legal career devoted to public service. After receiving her undergraduate degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, she attended the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, which emphasizes training students for legal careers in public service. While in law school, Alea spent two semesters working at the school’s Juvenile and Special Education Law Clinic, helping youngsters with special education needs.
After receiving her juris doctorate there in 2008, she took a position with the Georgia Department of Labor, where she handled unemployment matters as an administrative officer. Then she began practicing Social Security law in Florida, working for a Massachusetts-based firm, and handling a heavy schedule that called upon her to represent clients in administrative hearings all over the U.S. Alea joined Monge & Associates in August 2011 to be part of the firm’s new Social Security practice.
Social Security law is complex, and Alea is the first to admit that these cases can often be difficult.
“It definitely takes some determination,” she says. “The biggest obstacle for us is that Social Security requires evidence of a disability. They don’t just take our word for it. If the person can’t work anymore, they have to go to the doctor and receive the treatment—but that’s a catch-22 because if they have no income it’s not likely that they can go and see the doctor. So we have to find other ways to get treatment records through public-health programs, so people can be seen and we can have the evidence we need to win the case.”
Social Security is notorious for denying people who request benefits, dragging the procedure out at a time when they are lacking in resources. Alea says she has found that one of the keys to reducing the waiting time and achieving success in dealing with Social Security is writing compelling legal briefs.
“You need to demonstrate in writing that this person meets the criteria necessary to receive Social Security benefits,” she says. “I’ve had a good number of successes doing that in the past—and it’s a strategy we plan on using here to get the cases awarded sooner.”
Although the work can be demanding and sometimes frustrating, Alea points out that the rewards are worth it.
“The real reward is the feeling you get after you win. The clients are smiling and happy and they’re hugging you. You work so hard to get that done—it’s a great feeling.”
