Executive Order Deferring Payroll Tax Cut Just Adds To The Mess President Donald Trump, citing inaction by Congress, decided to use his favorite tool as president, the executive order, to provide his own idea of economic relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but just minutes after Trump signed the executive orders many experts indicated these… Read more »
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Tips On Having A Successful Phone Hearing
Social Security is conducting phone only hearings on disability cases and has done so since mid March due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the future of in-person hearings now in doubt. Having a phone hearing typically does not allow a claimant or a representative to present the best case possible to obtain benefits. People with… Read more »
Campaign Spotlight Focuses On Social Security
President Donald’s Trump’s decision to use an executive order to defer the payroll, which allows employees to forego paying Social Security and Medicare taxes through the end of the year, has opened the topic of Social Security as the presidential race approaches the final stretch. There are many criticisms of Trump’s decision, including from Trump’s… Read more »
Social Security Revamps Benefit Verification Letters
Social Security beneficiaries are learning about new benefit verification letters the agency is making available. These new letters are a response to recommendations made to the agency of how to improve these letters. These letters are very important for beneficiaries. Many times beneficiaries rely on these verification letters to show proof of income for loans,… Read more »
Social Security Must Consider If Long Term Effects Of COVID-19 Are Disabling
The United States has already lost 160,000 people to COVID-19. Most people know only a small percentage of people infected with the coronavirus succumb to the virus, but that doesn’t mean there are no long-term effects after someone has recovered from the virus. Because the virus is so new it is difficult to determine what… Read more »
President Still Pushing For Payroll Tax Cut
President Donald Trump has pushed the idea of a payroll tax cut as one way to stimulate the economy as part of a new COVID-19 stimulus package, but he is getting push back from nearly everyone with the exception of members of his administration. A payroll tax cut may sound like a great idea to… Read more »
Social Security Subcommittee Seeks Answers On Medical Records In Disability Cases
U.S. Rep. John Larson, (D-Connecticut) and U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, (R-New York) recently sent a letter to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) seeking answers on the agency’s current process of obtaining medical evidence in disability cases. Larson serves as the chair of the Social Security Subcommittee and Reed is the Republican leader on the… Read more »
Labor Department Says SSDI Recipients Are Eligible For PUA
The enhanced unemployment benefits that were part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided addition funds to people who lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but at least two states in the country, Wisconsin and North Carolina, have a law preventing Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries from collecting unemployment. The… Read more »
Phone Hearings And Visiting SSA
As we have said in previous blog posts local Social Security offices have opened on a limited basis for what is considered “critical services” for people who have made appointments. These appointment opportunities are very limited as Social Security remains closed to walk-in service. If you do receive one of these appointments you should be… Read more »
Bill Introduced To Protect Beneficiaries On Overpayment Demands
A new bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives July 29, 2020 that would stop Social Security from trying to collect overpayments from beneficiaries during the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many times Social Security makes mistakes when it comes to calculating benefit amounts for seniors or people with disabilities. When the mistake… Read more »
