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Social Security Disability and On the Record Decisions

It is true that most people who continue to pursue a Social Security disability claim face the probability of going to a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) because they have been previously medically denied on their claim, but some claimants get approved while waiting for that hearing. Social Security always holds the ability… Read more »

What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

Medicaid is a federal and state program that provides health care coverage to low-income people, generally children, pregnant women, parents, the disabled and elderly. Many disabled people receive Medicaid through the Social Security Administration Supplemental Security Income (SSI), welfare based program. Medicaid is administered by each individual state and the federal government sets minimum eligibility… Read more »

Social Security and Special Veterans Benefits

There are more than 9 million veterans receiving Social Security benefits, which means that almost one out of every four adult Social Security beneficiaries has served in theUnited Statesmilitary. Two out of every five recipients either are veterans or reside with family members who are veterans. Fourteen percent of veterans receiving Social Security benefits have… Read more »

What services are available online for recipients of Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) or Supplemental Security Income benefits (SSI)?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides many online services to recipients of both Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) or Supplemental Security Income benefits (SSI). For people currently receiving benefits, the SSA allows them to create a “My Social Security” account. You can create the account by going to the SSA’s website. Please click here for a… Read more »

Benefits to Individuals with HIV/AIDS

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), all applications received from people with HIV/AIDS are processed as quickly as possible through their system. Once an application is processed, the claim is sent to Disability Determination Services (DDS) who decide whether the condition qualifies an individual to receive benefits. Individuals diagnosed and living with HIV/AIDS can… Read more »

Social Security While in Prison or Jail

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments generally are not payable for months that an individual is confined to a jail, prison or certain other public institutions for commission of a crime and a person is not automatically eligible for Social Security or SSI payments when being released from prison or jail. If you… Read more »

New Process for Wounded Veterans Applying for Social Security Disability

Military service members can receive expedited processing of disability claims from Social Security. Social Security benefits are different than those from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The expedited process is for military service members who become disabled while on active military service on or after October 1, 2001, regardless of where the disability occurs. The… Read more »

I received a medical denial on my disability claim, how do I file an appeal?

It is common for applicants who file a claim for Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to receive a medical denial, meaning the Social Security Administration (SSA) has determined their impairment(s) are not severe enough to keep them from working at a substantial level. At the Initial Application level approximately 75% of… Read more »

Classifying the Physical Demands of Occupations: Part III – Stooping

This is the third installment in the blog series titled “Classifying the Physical Demands of Occupations.”  When evaluating a claim for Social Security disability benefits and/or Supplemental Security Income the Social Security Administration (SSA) must classify the physical demands of your past relevant work and potentially the physical demands of other jobs that exist in… Read more »

Disabled Widow’s and Widower’s Benefits

We often discuss on this blog what sort of Social Security benefits a disabled worker can receive. As we mentioned in our Date Last Insured and Quarters of Coverage Credits article, you can only receive Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) if you have worked long enough a recently enough in relation to your disability. So, if you haven’t… Read more »