Heatherly was recommended to me by a professional who has worked with them many times in the past. I do my homework. I had already checked out their Yelp reviews and so I said, "But what about their Yelp reviews? They've got a couple of 1-Stars that give me pause." The professional spoke of her experience with Heatherly and told me something I already knew: "1-Star reviews on Yelp don't necessarily paint an accurate picture". I had a choice to make: trust in a scant few reviews or in the professional's words and experience? I opted for the latter and I'm glad I did! The folks at Heatherly really put in the time, working closely with me, and fastidiously making sure every last detail on my application was correct. They also went the distance with me as we not only had to file a written appeal, but, ultimately requested a hearing in front of a judge. In the end, we received everything we asked for! I literally couldn't have (and wouldn't have) done it without their help. Thank you, Heatherly! read more

My daughter and I fired them today. They are the WORST. Treat the clients like dirt, especially "Senior Disability Representative" Amanda W. The communication is very poor. We'd send her vital info and she would just ignore it half the time. Medical updates! She failed to get a report that was a very key piece of evidence for my daughter's case because she never read the email when we notified her of the upcoming procedure, months ago. Then she called and literally yelled at me like a maniac because she said she hadn't been notified about this procedure. I sent her a screenshot of the email where we did. Incompetence. But the yelling at clients is a deal breaker. I thought my daughter with ASD and lots of physical illnesses was exaggerating when she told me how bad Amanda talked to her - until this happened to me. Amanda was mad at herself for screwing up, that was obvious. So she chose to try to cast the blame elsewhere, and she threw a tantrum. I've read about similar treatment toward other people by her, on here, that goes back to 2020. Why does this person still have a job there? Her boss, Dr. Kathryn Heatherly made her send an apology email saying she was sorry if she "came off" as rude? and that it was "not her intention"? Seriously? (What does your rude with "intent" sound like?) It is so unprofessional of Dr. Heatherly, as well, to keep defending and overlooking Amanda's actions. This is a very dysfunctional legal team to stay away from. Find someone who treats you with respect. We'll be looking for that ourselves, starting again. read more

After talking to the staff in charge of screening or similar, I could not use them. She can be neutral, or not. I was noticably uncomfortable with a disrespectful tone and assumptions she made. The attorney (Heatherly is not a law firm) I talked to later, with a law firm, recommended I not collect my medical records. I had already spent hours on this at her direction before deciding not to go with Heatherly. read more

I contacted Heatherly Disability Representatives for assistance with getting permanent disability. I have found them to be very pleasant to work with, informative and reliable. For something so stressful it was great to talk to Amanda, Matt, Tess or Dr. Heatherly, who are always positive and supportative. I will recommend them to anyone that needs to file social security disabilities. read more

I am a healthcare professional of 25 years and I have a law degree. I understand how the disability system works. I have a family member on SSDI who unknowingly gave authority to Heatherly Disability to represent him with Social Security. I called Heatherly to try and figure out who they even are (I have been his DPOA for going on two decades) because my family member said he had never heard of them. I was met with the rudest most hostile unprofessional behavior I have ever been subjected to. The woman I had the misfortune to interact with identifies herself as the supervisor, Amanda, and denies that there is any manager above her to take complaints. I guess they'd rather I leave my complaint here. The clients I work with also have a right to confidentiality. This isn't news to me, but Heatherly Disability's conduct goes far beyond the pale. The supervisor, Ananda, rudely interrupted me throughout my description of concern for my family member, derisively called me "honey" and slammed down the phone. I called a second time to reiterate my concern about my family member and she slammed the phone down in my ear again. This person who identifies as a supervisor is a disgrace and a discredit to the profession. My family member then got on the phone. Heatherly looked my family member up and told him he is not a client. Um...then why are you accessing his confidential records and talking with SSA in his place? These people are absurd. Be very wary---my family member didn't even know Heatherly had obtained this significant legal privilege in his name. Their behavior toward me was also sketchy, to say the least. If Amanda is screaming at me, using insults, and slamming the phone down as I'm speaking, how do you think she is treating disabled clients? Consider your options. Not the only game in town. read more

As the other reviewer stated, they do not answer questions clearly, if they respond at all. They pray on the sick who are unable to understand how to file claims or read the fine print. We go to them for help because we need it. They take advantage. I wasn't getting any clear answers, and when I was trying to ask important questions, they either didn't respond and I would have to spend a month getting up the nerve to call them out on their lack of response, or I would get a very wrong answer. I finally went directly to my Disability Adjudicator, and was getting some amazing answers and felt like I got much further in one short phone call to them, than the 6 months I have been *trying* to work with Heatherly. When every phone call to them makes me flare up, and makes me sick as well as puts me in an anxiety attack, thats not someone you want representing you. Please stay far away. I wish there had been more reviews for me to know to avoid them long ago. The messed up part, they still get 25% of my first check if I get approved. Even if I don't think they have done even 1% of the work. read more

Not the best place to go if you are looking for help filing a disability claim. I started the process on my own, with no real idea what I was doing. I came to Heatherly Counseling (run by Katherine Heatherly) to help me understand the system better, and to help me file my claim. They did the second, but not the first. Throughout my time with them, my questions were never clearly answered, and often were answered incorrectly. At least 3 times, I was told one thing and later told the complete opposite. For example, I was told that I could bring someone to my hearing to testify on my behalf, so I brought my family, only to have Katherine tell me at the hearing, for the first time ever, that no one else was allowed in. She had told me multiple times previously that I could bring my own witnesses. There were other things as well, some big and some small, that were either explained incorrectly or not at all. I lost my case, and while I don't blame them for that, I am frustrated that my questions were not answered, and the filing process was never clearly explained to me, no matter how many times I asked for help. Also, I was there for over a year before I got any face time with Kathy. In the meantime, I was only allowed to talk to her staff, and they range from good to bad. Some were friendly and helpful, but ultimately uninformed (I later got much different answers from Kathy than the ones they had given me) and some were downright terrible to talk to. One woman grilled me on my past sexual history, including sexual assaults I'd suffered, even though it had no relevance my disability claim. It left me feeling shaky and anxious. In the midst of all of this, I called another lawyer because I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay with Heatherly. He was immediately available, and spent a half hour on the phone with me simply answering questions. I told him up front that I was already working with someone, since I didn't want to waste his time, and he still talked to me and explained many things in simple terms. In over a year of working with Katherine's people, I never got such clear and concise answers! I am fed up with Heatherly, and I am looking for someone new for the next step in my appeal I don't know if I would have won my case if I had had different representation, but I do know that it would have been a smoother process with less anxiety and misinformation. read more

I want to say that all the employees here worked very hard for me. I highly recommend them ,they were kind professional,they explained all aspects of SSI and I thank them . read more

I first went to Schneider...(as seen as TV) for help in filing for disability. Merrill Schneider said he would be there to stand up for me throughout the hearing. The day arrived and a young man showed up, late and said he will represent me!?! We didn't even have time to talk because he was LATE. He didn't say a word for me and I was intimidated and when the panel said I can work he didn't say a thing. I was denied disability. I found out later there was something wrong done on my case and so it was going to be extended and I would get another chance in front of the judge. There was no way I would trust Merrill Schneider again. He lied and didn't even apologize for not showing up. I felt worthless and undeserving of help. This is when someone told me about Heatherly Disability Representatives. All of Kathryn Heatherly's background and experience put me at ease. She told me upfront that she will be honest and after hearing my story she would tell me if I have a case. She told me I would be working with the other members of her team to gather information but she would be beside me at the hearing. She explained exactly what would be happening in front of the judge and helped me throughout the hearing. If I didn't know how to answer the judge or didn't understand the question she would look me in the face and explain it all. Even if I didn't get the disability accepted, it didn't matter as much as how the judge and Kathryn Heatherly made me feel. I walked out of the room with my head held high. There are so many people who need help but afraid to reach out perhaps because of people like Merrill Schneider who belittle you by sending people with no voice to defend you. I whole-heartily recommend Heatherly Disability Representatives to give you the support you need to go in front of the judge. It was a very long process and I wanted to give up but you must keep in touch with her office. If you believe in something then be persistent. THANK YOU, again to all the people at the Heatherly Disability Representatives office. read more

We were referred to Heatherly Disability to make a SSI claim for a traumatic brain injury disability case - in which I represent and advocate for the claimant. Through the process we were under the impression that Kathryn Heatherly was 'the lawyer', while the rest of the team were her assistants. She is NOT a lawyer, nor is a disability representative upheld to the same ethics of law as a lawyer. In the same manner as the other 2 visible reviews and the 1 'hidden' (but also valid) review below, we were routinely given incomplete information, having to constantly prompt answers for the process, next steps and what to expect. Even worse is we were outrightly lied to about the claimants rights when we asked very specific questions directly to Kathryn in regards to SSA rules and process. #1 The right to view the file BEFORE the date of the hearing #2 Having a witness on the claimants behalf at the hearing. Both of these were crucial for a TBI case versus a physical case. We were told NO after repeatedly asking about these issues on several occasions. Then on the day of the hearing 5 minutes before the hearing was to start, Kathryn sprung the information on us that incorrect files and records were submitted to the judge and there was no time (or importance) to correct the false information. It was also only on the day of the hearing while I was in the waiting room reading through the fine print that I discovered we had been misled and lied to (because I mistakenly relied on the validity of her answers as our advising representative previously). After the hearing I calmly confronted Kathryn Heatherly about these 2 CRUCIAL points and was immediately met with arrogance, defensiveness and dismissal, telling us we could get someone new if we didn't like the service she was providing. Ironically - unknown and withheld from us (even though we had asked several times as well ) is that if she didn't win the hearing, she wasn't even eligible to represent us further at the appeal level...so we would have had to get someone new anyway! Consequently after waiting 2.5 years, we did not win the hearing with Heatherly's assistance and now have to go to the higher appeal level. The clincher on the cake is that after telling us to go elsewhere and after we secured an actual LAWYER, she filed a fee petition with exaggerated hours spent on this case and wants to get paid AFTER LOSING the hearing and misleading / misrepresenting our rights. The filing of this fee petition broke even more SSA rules / laws because she didn't send one to the claimant. It's true that a representative only gets paid IF THEY WIN. She didn't win her portion of the case, nor even make true efforts to make sure correct facts were on record when we prompted her to or uphold the claimants rights...and now she wants to get paid. After speaking with several Portland community lawyers and brain injury advocates, it turns out Heatherly has a very poor reputation locally, on top of the other reviews here that share a similar story. By all accounts this woman feeds on the disabled and is a certified QUACK. Make sure you research and question whatever representative you go with....and make it an official LAWYER, so you have adequate representation and recourse. I can't believe I didn't see these reviews sooner. We now have a reputable lawyer who has assured us that this is a vaild disability case that should have been addressed and fought at the hearing level with a much more competent approach. read more

I was referred to Heatherly Disability when I got denied my disability. I was concerned about using them since I did read the reviews of their business. The thing I liked the most about this business is that they kept track of all my health records. That is no easy task. I reported to them for over 3 years every time I went to the doctor, Emergency Room, medical tests, new medications. There is no way that I could have done this on my own. Sometimes the communication was lacking. What I liked best was that even when my case seemed hopeless she was willing to jump into the ring with me and fight along side of me. I might feel differently had I lost my case but I did not. She helped get all my medical records admitted into court. She is not an attorney but she does have a PHD. With something as important as disability cases I would recommend doing your research. I would meet with a few different businesses before committing to the first person that says yes. Utilize the free consultations and don't make a decision on the spot when choosing who is going to represent you. I am grateful for this place as they did win my case for me. So now I can just focus on my health. read more

Kathryn Heatherly is a fraudulent human being, after a year and a half of waiting to even just speak to this inept, self-centered tool of the system I was told that she did not believe I had any case to present at all. So after 1 and a half years of waiting and giving her several reports from various psychologists, and calling several times to ask about the value of my case I received no information other than from her staff which basically said she "couldn't be bothered" to speak to me until the "time" which was conveniently for her a couple of months before my case to be. As someone with Asperger's an several other related issues my case was complex to say the least, what I recieved from her company was nothing more than reminders to file on certain dates (as if I couldn't figure that out myself) and a single request to SS to take some late paperwork. No updates until it was time for her majesty to allow me permission to be seen and no actual help or research of ANY kind. I know there wasn't any because I had to explain my entire very complex case to her staff twice and her majesty once. when I did meet with Kathryn she seemed to be far more intreested in % chance of victory over any potential for a win. Instead of pursuing the issues with the psychologists that explained their diagnosis, I got "tell me again why you can't work." After speaking with Kathryn I feel as if I can somewhat empathize with rape victims including the embarassment of having to tell the world how incredibly horrible this person was to me. read more