On June 27, 2012 the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Social Security held hearings on the Social Security Disability appeals process. I’m linking to two interesting statements, one from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, and one from the president of the Association of Administrative Law Judges. I found the disparate opinions between… Read more »
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What Can a Social Security Disability Attorney Do for You?
Under the Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income system, a claimant can file on their own. They can do so online at www.socialsecurity.gov, or by calling 1-800-772-1213. However, while a claimant doesn’t need an attorney to file for Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income, having an attorney provides a great deal of advantages…. Read more »
Nationwide Practice
The attorneys at Greeman Toomey represent Social Security disability claimants across the United States of America. In June 2012 alone, we represented clients at hearings in 15 states: Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin, and across our home state of Minnesota. Nationwide representation means… Read more »
Expedited Hearing Request
Due to the high volumes of Social Security Disability claims waiting for a hearing by an Administrative Law Judge, the average wait time is between 12-15 months. This can be financially straining for many people pursuing disability claims. Clients frequently ask me if there is any way to speed up this process. The Social Security… Read more »
Social Security Disability is Not Charity
Most people who file for Social Security disability never dreamed they would be asking the government for assistance because they could not longer work, but eventually they realize they have no other choice. As Americans we are told at an early age the importance of a hard day’s work, but what happens when you are… Read more »
Impairment Related Work Expenses
If you work, Social Security may deduct your Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) from the amount of earnings they use to figure your SSI benefit. This means that Social Security will not reduce your SSI benefit as much because they will not count all of your earnings. IRWE may include out-of-pocket expenses for: (1) medical… Read more »
Affordable Care Act Ruling Good News for Our Clients
Today the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act colloquially known as “Obamacare.” For the vast majority of our clients, the most important result of today’s ruling is the broad expansion of Medicaid, the joint federal-state insurance program for people with low incomes. The Affordable Care Act expands insurance… Read more »
Worker’s Compensation and Other Disability Benefits
Many people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits became disabled due to a work-place injury or had private disability insurance. It is not unusual for a claimant to be eligible for many types of disability-based benefits, but these various benefits affect one another and can limit how much a claimant can receive. The SSA utilizes… Read more »
SSD Trust Fund Depleted by 2016
Here’s a recent Washington Post article about the projected depletion of the Social Security disability trust fund by 2016. According to the article, the aging baby boomer population and the country’s economic troubles have placed increased strain on the program over last several years – applications have risen more than 30 percent since 2007. … Read more »
GAF Scores Part II
We discussed Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores and how they may be helpful in your Social Security disability claim. But why are GAF scores in particular helpful? GAF scores serve two purposes. First, they summarize your mental health status. Mental health conditions can vary wildly from person to person; two people with identical diagnoses… Read more »
