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You can’t put a price on saving lives. Recent research reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities show that the expansion of Medicaid in some states has saved close to 20,000 people, which is why states that objected to the expansion should rethink that decision. The CDPP cited a research paper on Medicaid… Read more »

In August of 2019 Social Security issued a briefing paper regarding the trends in the Social Security disability program (SSDI). The major news coming out of the issue paper from Social Security is that the incidence rate and the number of SSDI claims has been declining over the last few years. This has enabled Social… Read more »

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 »

Social Security disability was never meant to be a permanent disability program, even though many people who medically qualify for the program never end up being able to work at a full-time level, so as part of the program, Social Security setup the Continuing Disability Review (CDR) process. This process puts disabled beneficiaries in categories… Read more »

A few months ago there were rumors swirling that Social Security was toying with the idea of closing the Decorah Iowa field office and now one member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, is looking into the matter. A news release from Finkenauer’s office Oct. 25 indicates that community members reached out to the… Read more »

There are several plans floating through Congress right now focused on Social Security. The majority of the plans provide ways to improve dedicated funding for future benefits, and some plans even call for an increase of benefits. Earlier this year the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) released Social Security Benefits, Finances, and Policy Options,… Read more »

About seven years ago Social Security started a pilot program for close to 12,000 Social Security employees that allowed these employees to work from home part of the time, which is known as telework. Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul recently announced that the practice of working from home would be coming to an end in… Read more »

Injured U.S. military veterans may qualify for both Veteran Administration (VA) and Social Security disability benefits, but the process is different for the two benefits and being found disabled by one agency does not necessarily mean you will be found disabled by the other. These benefits are crucial for veterans, but people who apply for… Read more »

The Trump administration proposed changes to Social Security’s rules last month that would make it easier to cut off benefits to disabled Americans, but this was just the first move by an administration that seems focused on targeting the poorest and most vulnerable Americans. If it wasn’t bad enough for the administration to propose new… Read more »

Earlier this year the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) released new recommendations on the future of hiring Administrative Law Judges (ALJ), after the hiring process was changed due to a Supreme Court decision and an executive order by President Donald Trump. The ALJs preside over thousands of hearings annually, specifically disability hearings related… Read more »