Social Security will begin an “Augmentation Strategy” where it will allow the Appeals Council to start conducting hearings on disability cases after decisions have been issued by Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). Using this as a strategy to reduce the number of hearing requests before ALJS, Social Security will utilize Administrative Appeals Judges (AAJs) to conduct… Read more »
Blog
Are SSA Office Closings A Good Thing Or Bad Thing?
Earlier this year the Senate Special Committee on Aging reported that Social Security closed more than 20 local field offices within the last year thus reducing access to retirement and disability services the agency provides. Many other organizations picked-up on this story and suggested this was a master plan by Social Security to, in the… Read more »
The Largest Backlog In History
Wait times for disability hearings before Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) at the Social Security Administration have never been worse according to Inspector General Patrick O’Carroll Jr. There are more than 1 million people across the country that are waiting for hearings before ALJs and the national average wait time to process disability claims for hearings… Read more »
The Disability Date
Nothing may be more important to a Social Security disability case than the Alleged Onset Date (AOD). This is the date a claimant contends that impairments they suffer from have become disabling enough that they are unable to maintain gainful employment. Now, gainful employment may mean different things to different people, but for the purposes… Read more »
Social Security Trustee Wants To Privatize Program
Social Security has been around for more than 80 years to provide millions of Americans with retirement, disability and survivor’s benefits every year. The program has had its critics over the years and the Republican Party has always seemed to launch attacks on the disability program, but party officials have also gone after agency’s old-age… Read more »
Deputy Commissioner Nominee Advances
Anything attached to the phrase Social Security seems to move at a snail’s pace even if Social Security itself has nothing to do with the process. Andrew Eanes, who was nominated to become the deputy commissioner of Social Security, had been waiting for the Senate Finance Committee to consider his nomination since it was originally… Read more »
Beware Of Social Security Disability Scammers
A client of Greeman Toomey Law Office recently contacted us to inform that he was called by someone who indicated they could help him with a Social Security disability case and get him money, which rightfully set off some alarm bells for him. This client was suspicious because he was already a client of ours,… Read more »
News Reports Attempt to Rile Taxpayers
The Associated Press recently released a story about Social Security disability judges “improperly” approving disability cases over the last seven years, which has cost the American taxpayers $2 billion. This blog is not an attempt to justify these judges’ actions, but is intended to provide some context. The story is based on a government report,… Read more »
Filing A Disability Claim After Someone Dies
At our law office sometimes the unfortunate happens, one of our clients actually passes away while they are in the middle of a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim. There are many reasons that contribute to this, namely the severity of the claimant’s conditions, but also because claimants have to wait for the better part… Read more »
Social Security Disability and Early Retirement
Despite the fact that Social Security disability and Social Security retirement are two different programs, those who seek benefits from these two programs may not be aware that you cannot collect both Social Security disability and Social Security retirement at the same time. This is better understood when you realize that Social Security Disability Insurance… Read more »
