As if the Social Security disability process wasn’t confusing enough, the federal agency, for some time now, has operated differently in deciding disability claims depending on which state a claimant lives in. This doesn’t sound logical, considering Social Security disability is a federal program, but it is true. The standards in which Social Security makes… Read more »
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The Latest With Social Security
We realize it may be a stretch for ordinary people to want to keep up with the comings and goings of the Social Security Administration, but sometimes circumstances permit where someone does want to follow the latest news regarding the agency due to a possible retirement or disability interest. This blog is an ongoing piecemeal… Read more »
The Appeals Council Process
We have talked many times about the Social Security disability process from the initial application stage to a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), but we don’t often talk about something that may come after the ALJ hearing, the Appeals Council. Many people have misinformation or no information about what the Appeals Council’s function… Read more »
The Future of Social Security Disability Benefits
Each year, the trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds draft an annual report detailing the current and projected financial status of the Social Security program. The purpose of the report is to advise Congress on issues facing the program. In the most recent “Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal… Read more »
Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA) POMS: DI 23022.500
Ataxia is the scientific term for a lack of coordination or clumsiness. The part of the brain most commonly associated with coordination is the cerebellum. According to Social Security, Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA) refers to a group of genetic disorders characterized by slowly progressive difficulties with gait, hand movements, speech and abnormal eye movement. Spinocerebellar ataxia is… Read more »
More Specifics on Hearing Wait Times
During the Social Security Disability process you have to expect to do some waiting, a lot of it. The waiting game is no more evident than when you have filed a request for hearing before an administrative law judge. This is where the vast majority of disability claims end up, if a claimant keeps appealing… Read more »
Gun Control And Social Security Disability
Most people would not expect things like gun control and Social Security disability to coincide, but they do in association with new regulations Social Security just published and will go into effect prior to the new president taking office. These new regulations relate to Social Security’s authority to report disability claimants who are appointed a… Read more »
Social Security Disability And Your Primary Insurance Amount
A common question clients at our law office ask is “how much will I receive in disability benefits?” There is no quick answer and as with most questions related to Social Security disability, the answer begins with, “it depends.” There is not set amount someone receives in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments as the… Read more »
What Does Mulvaney Appointment Mean For Social Security?
President-elect Donald Trump has named U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, a Republican from South Carolina to be the new director of Office of Management and Budget. Basically, he is Trump’s top budget chief and is described as a budget hawk that is looking to curtail government spending and reducing debt. Limiting government spending and reducing the… Read more »
Appealing Your Social Security Disability Onset Date
There is no denying that the most difficult objective of the Social Security disability process is to get the Social Security Administration to agree that an applicant is disabled, but even if that happens there is still a possibility that a claimant will disagree with Social Security’s decision. This sounds ludicrous, but it is true…. Read more »
