Disability applicants have many questions when a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is scheduled. Questions about the atmosphere of the hearing, how the hearing is structured and what will the judge do during the hearing. At a disability hearing the ALJ has the power to approve disability cases and deny them under Social… Read more »
Blog
Good Thing President’s Social Security Budget Won’t Be Implemented
President Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal for the Social Security Administration was recently released and there was nothing surprising about it. Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 2019), which begins Oct. 1, 2018, looks very much like the FY 2018 budget. The FY 2019 proposal is flat, meaning it does not increase spending for operating… Read more »
Disability Reviews And When A Disability Ends
Social Security may conduct a continuing disability review from time to time to determine if your disability continues. Some examples of situations that may generate a continuing disability review are: Occurrence of the date of a scheduled medical reexamination in cases in which your impairment is expected to improve or in which improvement is possible;… Read more »
Independent Determinations On Disability Claims
Social Security makes independent disability determinations. This determination is based on all of the evidence from all sources in your individual case. Do Disability Decisions By Other Agencies Affect SSA’s Determination Of Disability? A decision by any other governmental agency or a nongovernmental entity about whether you are disabled, blind, employable, or entitled to any… Read more »
How Social Security Is Supposed To Treat Results From A CE Exam
Medical evidence is king in a Social Security disability case. If a claimant does not have the medical evidence showing they are limited, they are not going to be found disabled by the Social Security Administration. Sometimes there is not enough evidence to make a determination as to whether someone is disabled, when that is… Read more »
House Passes Bill To Strengthen Rep Payee Program
By a vote of 396-0, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018. The aim of the bill is to better protect vulnerable Social Security beneficiaries who are unable to manage their own funds. Social Security appoints a payee to manage the funds of a vulnerable beneficiary… Read more »
Congress Stops SSA From Closing Offices When Policy is Under Review
A previous blog reported that Social Security had plans to close one of its field offices in Milwaukee due to heating issues, a broken elevator and increased crime in the area, but Congress has now informed Social Security, at least temporarily, it can’t close the Milwaukee office. Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending package and… Read more »
It’s Not What You Have It’s How Severe It Is
Many Social Security disability claimants get caught-up with what conditions they have been diagnosed with. A diagnosis of a serious condition is an important part of the disability process, but what is more important is how severe the impairment is and how it impacts a claimant’s ability to work. Here is some information about how… Read more »
Understanding Social Security’s Trial Work Period
People receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits face a difficult decision if they feel they would like to try and work. Do they go to work and risk making too much money, which would cutoff their disability benefits, or do they decide not to work and continue collecting benefits? Luckily people don’t have to… Read more »
Social Security’s 4-Year Strategic Plan To Improve Services
Social Security has released its strategic plan for fiscal years 2018 to 2022. The document, which you can find here, is 19 pages long, but one of the main topics, and focuses of the plan, is to deliver more services effectively and to improve the delivery of services. There is no doubt this should be… Read more »
