The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for Social Security issued a report November 9, 2020 indicating Social Security needs to improve its efforts to identify individuals the agency has found totally and permanently disabled (TPD) who may be eligible to have their student loans discharged. Social Security is supposed to identify these beneficiaries and… Read more »
Blog
Overpayment Notices
If you have received a notice that Social Security has overpaid you benefits that you were not entitled to do not panic. It is natural to develop some anxiety when you get a letter in the mail indicating you owe money, but Social Security put in new procedures regarding overpayment matters due to the COVID-19… Read more »
AAJs Will Be Able Adjudicate Disability Hearings As Of December 16, 2020
Under the Trump Administration a regulation allowing Administrative Appeals Judges (AAJs) to hold hearings and issue decisions on disability cases will be exercised as of December 16, 2020. The final regulations were recently published in the federal register. The idea behind the move was for AAJs to assist Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) with hearings to… Read more »
Biden Announces Social Security Transition Team
President Elect Joe Biden is moving quickly to prepare to take office January 20, 2021 as his transition team recently announced a slew of agency review teams, including one for Social Security, so the new administration can be up-to-speed on matters once Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris are sworn into office. The four-member… Read more »
Suspension Of Benefits Can Occur For ‘Miscellaneous’ Reasons
A little known fact is that Social Security can suspend benefits for a variety of reasons even for what the agency calls “miscellaneous” reasons. Most of the time benefits are suspended, reduced or eliminated due to factors that impact a beneficiary’s qualifications to receive benefits. One example is when a disability beneficiary is receiving benefits,… Read more »
When You Have To Prove To Social Security That You Are Still Alive
A recent story from a CBS affiliate detailed the story of Julie Hutson, a great grandmother who the Social Security Administration declared deceased, but she was still and is very much alive. Apparently there was some mistake made when Julie, and correctly when this situation occurs, contacted Social Security to report the death of her… Read more »
Man Pleads Guilty In White Powder Case
A New York man pled guilty in October of 2020 to sending letters and white powder claiming the substance was anthrax to federal offices, including multiple Social Security offices in upstate and central New York. Jason Pantone, 35, of Hyde Park, New York is facing up to 5 years in prison for his acts, but… Read more »
Disability Trust Fund Up From 2019
It might seem curious, considering we have been living in the middle of a pandemic since March of this year due to COVID-19, but the Social Security disability trust fund has actually increased some compared to early 2019 when there was no pandemic. The Social Security trust funds, both the retirement and disability funds, rely… Read more »
Social Security Has Expanded In-Office Appointment Availability
Since mid March Social Security offices have remained mostly closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that is going to change somewhat for people who need assistance with benefit claims or people who need Social Security cards. The agency recently announced it would be expanding in-person services to customers by appointment only. Social Security will… Read more »
Data Shows Number Of Disability Claims Are Declining
Typically when the economy is in shambles and unemployment is high more people turn to other resources for sources of income. Many Americans suffer from impairments that make it difficult to work on a full-time basis, so when these Americans lose employment they sometimes turn to the Social Security disability program, but that does not… Read more »
