It is not uncommon for my clients to be receiving unemployment compensation during the same time period that they are seeking Social Security Disability benefits, so I often get questions about whether it harms an SSDI claim to tell one government agency, “I’m ready, willing, and able to work,” while simultaneously telling another agency, “My… Read more »
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What to Expect When Filing for SSA Disability:
My name is Michelle Mathison and I have been a case manager at Greeman Toomey for the past 18 months. During this time I have assisted hundreds of clients with their Social Security Disability claims. I wanted to go through the typical application process and timeline our clients can expect. The first step for SSA… Read more »
Online SSA Statements
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced an online version of the Social Security Statement is now available at www.socialsecurity.gov. The new online Statement provides eligible workers with secure and convenient access to their Social Security earnings and benefit information. An SSA Statement can provide you with important information detailing how much you will… Read more »
Determining the Onset of Disability
As mentioned in a previous post entitled “Failure to Follow Prescribed Treatment,” medical evidence is a cornerstone in proving a Social Security disability claim. However, some individuals are sometimes not able to receive the necessary treatment due to various factors including lack of medical insurance or other economic barriers. In many cases, individuals experience symptoms… Read more »
DON’T PANIC YOU HAVE 60 DAYS TO KEEP YOUR CLAIM ALIVE: REQUESTS FOR RECONSIDERATION AND REQUESTS FOR HEARING.
So you have waited anywhere between 2 and 6 months to hear something from the Social Security Administration after filing your initial application. You got all that paperwork that Disability Determination Services sent you about your work and day to day life, and sent it back, filled out (and taking a lot of time and… Read more »
SSDI Myth # 1: People on SSDI are Lazy
“Why don’t they just quit complaining and look for work like the rest of us?” As an attorney practicing exclusively in Social Security disability law, I hear these kind of misguided and misinformed assumptions about my clients all the time: “people on SSDI are lazy whiners trying to milk the system,” “drug-addicts,” “scam artists” …… Read more »
The Importance of Treating Sources
The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) rules require approved disability claims to be supported by evidence obtained by the SSA and provided by you, the claimant. Medical opinions are a common form of evidence and often form the basis of an approval or denial of a claim. Although the SSA might be able to determine whether… Read more »
Objective Medical Evidence
Lots of people ask what they can do to help make their Social Security disability case stronger. As we discussed in a previous blog entry, the Social Security Administration primarily bases its decisions on your medical record. For the SSA, the strongest type of medical evidence is called “objective medical evidence.” Objective medical evidence means… Read more »
The Initial Stage
When an individual files an application for Social Security disability benefits, there are essentially four levels an application may progress through. This post discusses the first stage of the process, the initial level. The remaining stages will be discussed in future posts. The Initial Level The first level of the disability process is commonly referred… Read more »
"Disability Insurance Causes Pain"
A recent New York Times article, “Disability Insurance Causes Pain,” categorizes Social Security disability as an unnecessary drain on our national economy. According to the article, “[d]isability insurance takes too many workers out of the job market prematurely. It reduces their lifetime income and…slows economic growth.” The article’s author, Eduardo Porter, attributes some of the… Read more »
