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A recent report coming out of Southern Illinois identified a terrifying episode where a Jackson County, Illinois man has been indicted for threatening to kill an employee of the Social Security Administration. It is an appalling story, but unfortunately not all that surprising. According to WSIL, the ABC affiliate in Carbondale, IL, Steven Vizcarrondo, 22,… Read more »

A recent Urban Institute report on the economic status and demographics of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients indicates that a large portion have limited education, low income and few assets. According to the report, about 44 percent of SSDI recipients aged 31-49 are considered “poor” or “near poor” based on income that is between… Read more »

Ever heard the old adage, “money doesn’t solve all problems?” This is never truer when you are talking about Social Security disability. It is an unfortunate fact, but the vast majority of people who are applying for Social Security disability benefits will face some sort of financial hardship prior to receiving benefits. It is a… Read more »

For several years Social Security has encouraged Americans to access Social Security’s website to take advantage of the agency’s services. Now, Social Security has announced it will offer access to 1099s to those who received either Social Security retirement or disability benefits. Previously, Social Security would mail 1099s each January to beneficiaries. The 1099s indicated… Read more »

There are two types of partially favorable decisions. One is for a closed period of disability. The other is for an alternative disability onset date. A closed period of disability means the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) finds that you have been disabled for only a certain period of time. You will be paid benefits for… Read more »

If history lessons have taught us anything, we should all know the impacts of the Wall Street Market crash of 1929, which led to President Theodore Roosevelt being elected and the enactment of some social and government safety nets for Americans prior to which none were available. In 1935, the Social Security Act was passed… Read more »

President Barack Obama recently released his 2016 fiscal year budget. This budget rejects the Republican’s scheme to forbid transferring funds from Social Security’s retirement trust fund to its disability trust fund. Projections estimate that the SSDI trust fund will be depleted by as early as 2016, and if nothing is done, 11 million Americans will… Read more »

Social Security disability claimants who have been denied repeatedly by the Social Security Administration for benefits will sometimes lose track of where they are in the process or how many times they’ve actually been denied benefits. One thing they commonly remember though is the first time they applied for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)… Read more »

A technical denial is issued to a claimant who does not meet the non-medical requirements for one or more of the disability benefit programs through the Social Security Administration (SSA). If you do not meet the non-medical requirements for any of the SSA benefits programs your claim will not be evaluated for a medical determination…. Read more »

Despite the fact that most people are aware that anyone who has been deemed disabled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) is entitled to disability benefits, most of these same people are unaware of dependent benefits. Social Security provides benefits to children of insured workers who die, become disabled, or retire. According to SSA, approximately… Read more »