The majority of people who file a claim for Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receive a medical denial, meaning the Social Security Administration (SSA) has determined their condition (or conditions) are not severe enough to keep them from working at a substantial level. At the Initial Application level approximately 75% of… Read more »
Categorized: Legal News
Intellectually Disabled Men Successfully Sue the Social Security Administration
According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco office of the Social Security Administration has been ordered by a federal judge to accommodate the needs of two men with learning disabilities, schizophrenia, and autism. The men were wrongfully denied their benefits because they were unable to understand the complex Social Security… Read more »
Judge with Favorable Approval Rating Placed on Administrative Leave
Check out this recent Wall Street Journal article about Administrative Law Judge Gerald Krafsur. Judge Krafsur has been a Social Security judge in Kingsport, Tennesse since 1991. According to the article, he was one of the most productive judges among the roughly 1500 Social Security judges nationwide, and had one of the highest approval ratings. (You can… Read more »
SSA Will Soon Require Electronic Benefit Payments
The Social Security Administration (SSA) will require recipients of Social Security Disability benefits, Social Security Retirements and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to receive their monthly benefits electronically starting March 1, 2013. This means you will have your monthly check direct deposited into your checking or savings account. If you do not have a bank account… Read more »
Transgender Identities and the Social Security Administration: Part 2
Transgender Identities and the Social Security Administration: Part 2 In Part 1, we looked at how the Social Security Administration determines a person’s gender and sex within the confines of marriage. We discovered that it may be possible for the Social Security Administration to recognize a transgender person’s preferred gender or sex if… Read more »
Transgender Identities and the Social Security Administration: Part 1
On November 6, 2012, the United States of America re-elected Barack Obama to his second term as President. But more than that happened on Tuesday. For the first time ever, Minnesota became the first state to turn down a constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman at the ballot. While the laws… Read more »
Families face long waits for Social Security disability benefits
A recent article by Yvonne Wenger featured in the Baltimore Sun highlights one family’s lengthy battle to win a Social Security Disability claim. After nine years of pursuing his claim Jim Nichols is owed more than $206,000 from the Social Security Administration. The article focuses on the lengthy process most applicants are forced to endure… Read more »
Why Social Security Matters
Yesterday, Stephen Ohlemacher of the Associated Press issued a great article reminding us of the importance and scope of the Social Security program. The article, available on-line here, is entitled “WHY IT MATTERS: Social Security.” The most refreshing part of this synopsis of Social Security’s current situation and its upcoming challenges is the article’s upbeat… Read more »
Social Security Recipients to See Small Increase in 2013
The Social Security Administration announced today (October 16, 2012) that both Social Security retirement and disability recipients would receive a 1.7 percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2013. This is welcome news to the nearly 62 million Americans who receive Social Security payments. Unfortunately the amount of increase is not what these recipients had… Read more »
Congressional Inquiries for Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income Claims
Our clients often ask what steps they can take to help speed the processing of their claims. One option is ask for a congressional inquiry. A congressional inquiry is when a claimant contacts theirUSSenator orUSRepresentative, and asks them to contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding their disability claim. A congressional inquiry can be requested… Read more »
