Yes, they always have short deadlines. However I've had one so short I couldn't meet it and called them to say so and they were fine. But you always, always want to tell them so they don't have a reason to say you weren't complying with the application process. I think mine was late because of a holiday weekend or something that left me 2 days to do a huge form and my disability makes that impossbile. So it actually worked in my favor to have called and to document on the form that it took _____ hours to fill it out. They think the forms should be short and only take a certain amount of time (I think I've seen this specifically somewhere) and it takes me several times that long. I make sure they know that. I think the short turnaround is partially a test.

One benefit of an attorney is they pay the fax fees. I did mine without an attorney and never had to pay to fax anything (because I cleared the late form with them) but if I had to that might have been a factor in the decision.