Law Office of Mark J. Keller

Admissions

Mark J. Keller is admitted to practice law in:

• The State of New York.
• The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
• The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
• The United States District Court for the Western District of New York.
• The United States Supreme Court.

These admissions allow him to handle Social Security Disability matters at both the administrative and certain federal‑court levels when necessary.

Education

• Juris Doctor (J.D.): St. John's University School of Law.
• Bachelor of Science: Business Administration and Finance.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA).

His combined legal and financial background is noted on the firm's site as especially valuable in disability cases, where medical evidence, work history, and procedural rules all intersect.

Professional memberships

According to the firm's website, Mark J. Keller is an active member of:

• Queens County Bar Association.
• National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR).
• The Brandeis Association.

Approach to client service

• The website emphasizes that when you call the Law Office of Mark J. Keller, you speak with a team focused on:
• Helping you understand your options.
• Explaining the SSDI or auto‑accident process in clear, direct language.
• Determining the most effective path forward for your situation.

For detailed information about services and case types, see the separate documents on SSDI Legal Services and Auto Accident Injury Legal Services.

Goals of representation

• Seek compensation for:
• Medical expenses (past and future).
• Lost income and reduced earning capacity.
• Pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
• Disability, disfigurement, and long‑term care costs.

New York auto accident law points highlighted on the site

• No‑fault insurance:
• Can cover certain medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused the accident.
• Comparative negligence:
• You may still be eligible for compensation even if you were partially at fault for the accident.
• Statute of limitations:
• Strict time limits apply to bringing auto‑accident claims in New York. The site emphasizes that you should not delay in pursuing your rights.

How the firm works with auto accident clients

• Offers a free consultation to:
• Evaluate the facts of the accident and your injuries.
• Explain your legal options.
• Develop a strategy to maximize potential compensation.
• With over 25 years of experience in auto‑accident matters, the firm notes that it will:
• Build a case supported by medical, accident, and financial evidence.
• Handle negotiations and communications with insurance companies.
• Take a case to court when necessary to pursue the best outcome available.

When to contact the office

• If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident in New York and you are facing medical bills, lost income, or other losses due to someone else's negligence, the firm encourages you to contact the office promptly so deadlines are not missed and evidence can be preserved.

How to get started

• Call the office to schedule a free consultation about your auto accident case.
• You can also contact the firm by email or through the website's contact form.

Focus of the practice

• The Law Office of Mark J. Keller focuses on representing individuals in Social Security Disability (SSDI) matters.
• The firm assists people who are:
• Preparing to apply for SSDI benefits.
• Appealing a denial of SSDI benefits, including reconsiderations.
• Pursuing hearings before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
• The Social Security process is described as complex, deadline‑driven, and unforgiving of mistakes. The firm emphasizes careful preparation and complete documentation.

How the firm helps SSDI clients

• Reviews your situation and the history of your condition and work.
• Evaluates the strength of your SSDI claim before or after filing.
• Helps gather and present medical evidence and other documentation.
• Navigates SSA procedures, deadlines, and required forms.
• Represents clients at key stages of the process, including:
• Initial SSDI applications.
• Reconsideration of denied applications, where available.
• Hearings before an Administrative Law Judge.
• From the first conversation, the office focuses on:
• Understanding your situation.
• Setting realistic expectations.
• Determining the most effective path forward for your case.

Experience

• More than 35 years of experience handling Social Security Disability cases.
• The firm states it has helped clients recover millions in SSDI benefits through well‑prepared applications and effective advocacy at the appeals level.

Who the office is best suited to help

• Individuals who:
• Have stopped working or significantly reduced work due to a medical condition.
• Are considering filing an SSDI application and want guidance on building a strong claim from the start.
• Have already applied and received a denial and want to pursue an appeal.

When to contact the Social Security Administration instead

• If you are already receiving SSDI benefits and have general questions about:
• Your payment amount,
• Ongoing eligibility,
• Or your existing case status,

the website directs you to contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) directly rather than this office.

Fees for SSDI representation

• For SSDI matters, the firm states:
• "No fee unless you win."
• This reflects a contingency‑fee structure: attorney fees are only owed if the case is successful and benefits are awarded, consistent with the statements on the firm's site.

How to get started

• Call the office to discuss your SSDI situation and whether representation makes sense.
• If you cannot call immediately, you may request a callback using the contact form on the firm's website.

The firm indicates that the best way to reach the office is by phone, so a direct conversation can clarify your situation and whether the office can help.

If you are unable to call during business hours, you may use the website contact form to request a callback.

Office location

• Firm name: Law Office of Mark J. Keller
• Address:
• 90-27 Sutphin Boulevard
• Suite 402
• Jamaica, New York 11435

The office is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

Who the office assists

• Individuals who are:
• Applying for Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits.
• Appealing a denial of SSDI benefits.
• Seeking representation for injuries from auto accidents.

If you are already receiving Social Security Disability benefits and have general questions about your case status or payments, the website directs you to contact the Social Security Administration directly, rather than this office.

Requesting a callback online

• The firm's website includes a callback request form that typically asks for:
• Your name.
• Email address.
• Whether you have applied for Social Security Disability before.
• Whether you have received a denial from Social Security.
• Submitting this form allows the office to review your information and follow up by phone.

Important legal notices

• The firm's website includes the following key notices:
• Attorney advertising: Information on the site is considered attorney advertising.
• No guarantee of results: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.
• No attorney‑client relationship from contact alone:
• Viewing the website or contacting the firm by email, phone, or online forms does not by itself create an attorney‑client relationship.
• An attorney‑client relationship is only formed once the firm agrees to represent you and you receive confirmation of that representation.

For the full language of all disclaimers and terms, refer to the Disclaimer and related policy pages on the firm's website.

Lists Easton, Keller, Jamaica, New York City, Queens, and University as a location. Names New York, Jamaica, United States, Keller, and Sochi as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

• Many initial SSDI applications are denied.
• A denial letter is not the end of the process; it is often the beginning of the appeals phase.
• Reconsideration and ALJ hearings are real opportunities to correct the record.
• The firm's materials note that approval rates at the ALJ hearing level are significantly higher than at the initial stage.

Myth 2: "You must be completely unable to do anything to qualify."

• SSDI's standard focuses on whether you can perform substantial gainful work on a sustained, full‑time basis, not whether you can do any activity at all.
• People with limited daily abilities or intermittent functioning may still qualify if they cannot maintain full‑time work.

Myth 3: "SSDI is only for physical conditions."

• Mental health conditions (such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and others) can qualify for SSDI.
• The key is consistent, detailed documentation of how the condition affects work‑related functioning.

Myth 4: "My doctor says I'm disabled, so I'll automatically be approved."

• The SSA makes its own disability determination and is not bound by your doctor's conclusion.
• A brief letter stating you are "disabled" carries less weight than detailed records explaining:
• Specific limitations on sitting, standing, walking, lifting, concentrating, and maintaining a schedule.

Myth 5: "I make too much money to qualify."

• SSDI is not needs‑based. Savings, investments, and a spouse's income do not affect SSDI eligibility.
• What matters is your own work earnings relative to the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold.
• The firm's materials note that for 2026, the SGA level is $1,690 per month in gross earnings for non‑blind applicants.

Myth 6: "I waited too long to apply, so I can't get benefits."

• There is no fixed deadline tied to the date your disability began.
• However, waiting can:
• Affect your insured status if you have been out of the workforce for a long time.
• Reduce potential back pay, which is generally capped at 12 months before the application date.

Myth 7: "A denial goes on my record and hurts future claims."

• Denials create a case record, but they are not "strikes" that count against you.
• That record becomes part of the evidence for appeals or later applications and can help document the history of your condition.

Myth 8: "I don't need a lawyer; I can do this myself."

• You are allowed to file and pursue an SSDI claim without an attorney.
• The firm's materials explain that lawyers can add value by:
• Knowing which medical evidence matters most.
• Addressing RFC assessments and vocational‑expert testimony.
• Structuring arguments tailored to the rules and procedures that apply.
• Attorney fees in SSDI cases are regulated and contingency‑based, so you typically pay nothing up front and nothing if you lose.

Myth 9: "SSDI benefits aren't worth the trouble."

• The firm notes that the average monthly SSDI benefit in 2026 is about $1,630, which can be significant for someone unable to work.
• Additional considerations include:
• Back pay covering the period between disability onset and approval (subject to statutory limits).
• Medicare eligibility after 24 months of receiving SSDI, regardless of age.

Myth 10: "Once you're on SSDI, you can never work again."

• SSA provides programs that allow SSDI recipients to test returning to work.
• The firm's materials highlight:
• A Trial Work Period of up to nine months (not necessarily consecutive) within a 60‑month window, during which you can work without automatically losing benefits.
• For 2026, any month with earnings over $1,210 is counted as a trial work month.
• An extended period of eligibility and possible expedited reinstatement if work attempts do not succeed.

When to seek legal advice

• If these myths have affected how you think about your own claim, the firm encourages you to:
• Call the Law Office of Mark J. Keller to discuss your specific situation.
• Take advantage of the no‑fee‑unless‑you‑win structure for SSDI representation, as described on the firm's website.

For information about how the firm handles SSDI cases and what representation includes, see the Social Security Disability (SSDI) Legal Services document.

SSDI denials generally fall into two groups:

1. Technical denials – before any medical review occurs.
2. Medical or evidentiary denials – after the medical review.

Technical denials (before medical review)

1. Insufficient work credits

• SSDI is an insurance program based on work history.
• To qualify, you must have worked long enough and recently enough in jobs covered by Social Security.
• The number of required work credits depends on your age when disability began.
• For many people over age 31, a key rule is:
• At least 20 work credits earned in the 10 years immediately before the onset of disability.
• Long gaps out of the workforce can prevent eligibility even if you earned substantial credits earlier in your career.

2. Earnings above the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level

• If you are working and earning more than the SSA's SGA limit, your claim can be denied at the first step before medical issues are evaluated.
• The firm's materials note that for 2026, the SGA threshold for non‑blind applicants is $1,690 per month in gross earnings (before taxes and deductions).
• Even part‑time work can exceed this amount depending on your pay rate.

Medical and evidentiary denials (after review)

3. Insufficient medical evidence

• The most common denial reason cited in the firm's materials.
• The SSA requires objective medical evidence from acceptable sources (treating physicians, specialists, hospitals, diagnostic tests).
• A diagnosis alone is not enough; records must describe:
• How your condition limits your ability to perform work‑related activities (sitting, standing, walking, lifting, concentrating, etc.).
• Gaps in treatment or sparse records can be treated as evidence that the condition is not as limiting as claimed.

4. Condition not expected to last at least 12 months

• SSDI requires that a condition:
• Has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 continuous months, or
• Is expected to result in death.
• Claims may be denied if records suggest the condition is likely to improve sooner.
• You do not have to wait 12 months to apply if your doctor expects your condition to meet this duration requirement.

5. SSA decides you can still perform some work

• The SSA assesses a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) – the most you can do despite your limitations.
• Even with a severe, long‑term condition, a claim can be denied if SSA concludes you can:
• Perform your past work, or
• Do other work that exists in the national economy.
• If a treating physician does not provide a detailed opinion on your functional limits, SSA may rely heavily on its own consulting doctors, who have not treated you.

6. Failure to follow prescribed treatment

• If you do not follow treatment your doctor recommends, SSA may deny the claim on the basis that your condition could improve with proper care.
• There can be valid reasons for not following treatment (cost, side effects, medical advice, or certain religious beliefs), but they need to be documented.

7. Failure to cooperate with SSA

• Denials can result from:
• Not responding to SSA requests for information or records.
• Missing a scheduled consultative examination.
• Failing to provide requested documentation.
• These are administrative denials that are often avoidable.

8. Issues with consultative examinations

• SSA may send claimants to a one‑time consultative examination with a doctor who is not their regular provider.
• You are required to attend; missing the exam without a valid reason can lead to denial.
• Reports from these exams may understate limitations because the examiner has only a brief snapshot of your condition.

How legal representation can help

• According to the firm's materials, an SSDI attorney can:
• Review your situation before you file.
• Identify likely weak points (work credits, earnings, medical evidence, RFC issues, treatment gaps).
• Help build the record SSA needs to approve your claim.
• Guide you through the appeals process if a denial has already occurred.

For advice about your specific situation, the firm's site encourages you to speak directly with the Law Office of Mark J. Keller. Initial discussions about SSDI cases are described as having no fee unless you win.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.