Shannon M. Dillehay Bennett
South Carolina Social Security Disability Attorney
Shannon M. Dillehay Bennett is a Social Security Disability attorney at Robertson Wendt Disability who helps people through the complex process of claiming vital financial assistance when they can’t work because of life-altering health problems.
She has helped hundreds of people with their disability claims in South Carolina, North Carolina and across the Southeast United States.
Shannon’s office at Robertson Wendt Disability is in Charleston, SC, but because Social Security Disability is a national program with the same rules everywhere, Shannon helps people in multiple states.
Shannon answers questions about claiming disability benefits, builds cases for her clients with strong, and often overlooked, forms of medical evidence, represents people in their disability hearings with Social Security administrative law judges, and appeals disability denials to the most advanced level, federal court, when needed.
She went to college at Indiana University Bloomington, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice, graduating in 2017.
She attended Charleston School of Law, earning her Juris Doctor in 2020. She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2020 and started work at Robertson Wendt Disability. In 2023, she was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar.
Shannon’s background in psychology helps inform her work in disability law, where some of the most complex cases are for mental health and other conditions that, as she says, “cannot necessarily be seen on an X-ray.”
Having studied a health care field and being familiar with medical terms and medical issues also gives her advantages in building disability claims that rely heavily on medical records.
“The people we represent are all going through the worst time of their lives,” she said.
“As Americans, we tend to associate our identity with our job. As humans, we tend to value ourselves with our ability to provide for ourselves, our friends and family.
When you are suddenly injured or suffering from a medical condition you never asked for and can no longer work, you often lose the ability to do those things. By going through the disability process and being approved, you can regain a sense of financial freedom that can be critical to you and your family.”
Why Shannon Became a Social Security Disability Lawyer
From a young age, even in elementary school, Shannon was drawn to helping people with disabilities. She participated in a Students with Disabilities program serving as a buddy for a classmate with autism, and considered becoming a special education teacher.
She was also inspired by different members of her family who were in medical and legal professions and ultimately looked for ways to use legal training to help people with medical limitations.
She worked as a law clerk for a leading South Carolina disability attorney, Robertson Wendt, founder of our firm, who helped her decide to dedicate herself to the special area of disability law.
“When I met Rob and his team, and saw how they were helping so many people in our community with disabilities, I was drawn to this area,” she said. “I have had the chance to experience other areas of law, but always found myself thinking about how I could take my knowledge from that area to better serve my clients seeking disability. I enjoy what I do and getting to know on a personal level so many people in our community.”
In addition to Social Security Disability cases, Shannon can advise clients on private long-term disability insurance claims and short-term disability claims.
She can help people with evidence they need for workers’ compensation claims after job injuries, veterans’ disability claims for former members of the armed forces and other legal situations involving injuries and disabilities.
“I grew up in Georgia and spent a lot time in the mountains of north Georgia and North Carolina,” Shannon said. “Being able to help friends and families in these communities also drew me to this practice.”
The team of disability lawyers at Robertson Wendt Disability has helped thousands of people in Charleston, Columbia, across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and our region seek disability benefits to stabilize their lives.
Questions About Help You Get from Disability Attorney Shannon M. Dillehay Bennett
You may never have worked with a lawyer for anything like this before, or had to deal with the complicated Social Security Disability system.
A disability attorney like Shannon Dillehay Bennett eases the process for you, handling the in-depth work that goes into proving a case, keeping you informed along the way, and potentially improving your chances of getting approved in a program known to deny people.
Below are some common questions about working with a disability attorney. You should know this up front: You don’t pay a disability attorney fee until you win benefits.
Does Shannon Help with Initial Applications for Disability Benefits?
Yes, Shannon and the team at Robertson Wendt Disability can help you from the very beginning of your disability claim, including filling out forms and filing your claim.
Not every disability lawyer does this. Some will say to file on your own and seek their help when you’re denied.
But Shannon can help you avoid issues with your initial application and make sure you have the kind of evidence in your file that helps you win benefits later on.
Does Shannon Handle Every Level of Social Security Disability Appeals?
Most people are denied disability benefits and need to appeal. Appealing has four levels: asking for reconsideration, attending a hearing with an administrative law judge (ALJ), requesting a review by Social Security’s Appeals Council, and asking a Federal District Court to review your disability claim and previous denials.
Most disability lawyers help with the first steps of appealing a denial, but some don’t handle more advanced steps—the Appeals Council and federal court.
Shannon can stay with your case as far as it needs to go, including writing legal memoranda for federal courts arguing that Social Security made mistakes in denying your claim.
Most people get approved at the ALJ hearing level. It’s a vital step in the process. Shannon spends a great deal of time working with her clients at this level to strengthen their cases.
She holds prehearing conferences with clients, so they know exactly what to expect when they get to a hearing. Some attorneys only meet their clients on hearing day.
Shannon helps develop evidence, obtain supporting medical opinions, and presents your case in a clear and concise manner to the judge to help increase your chances of success.
Can a Disability Lawyer Improve My Chances of Winning Benefits?
It is possible for a disability lawyer to improve your chances of winning approval for disability benefits.
Lawyers cannot guarantee a certain result in any individual case, but government numbers have shown that people who had lawyers with them in their disability hearings were almost three times more likely to win benefits.
Lawyers also cannot control how long it takes Social Security to decide your claim, but they can make sure you don’t experience additional denials and delays because of missing, incorrect, or weakly presented information on your part.
“I can sometimes help people get there faster by building their case and presenting it to the Social Security Administration in an efficient manner the first time,” she said. “Many people who go through this process alone, or with poor representation, find themselves being denied and having to restart the whole process, which can be a huge burden when you are facing health and financial challenges.”
To work with Shannon and the team at Robertson Wendt Disability, start with a FREE telephone consultation.