For a decade, between 1940 and 1950, few changes were made to Social Security after being established in the 1930s. Payment amounts were fixed and no legislation was offered to change aspects of the program, but the 1950s brought new amendments to Social Security and significant changes. During this time Social Security was underfunded and… Read more »
Categorized: Legal News
New Proposal Could Mandate Video Hearings
For most applicants who apply for Social Security disability benefits, the hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is the ultimate decision maker whether the applicant qualifies as disabled and is entitled to benefits, but now Social Security wants take any choice the applicant has in the matter away. The Office of Management and Budget… Read more »
More Social Security Scams To Be Aware Of
Several new Social Security scams are being used to obtain personal information from people as reported by the Detroit Free Press. Below we chronicle each of the new scams and how they are targeting individuals. Medicare Cards Social Security has been announcing that new Medicare cards are being sent out to millions of Americans, something… Read more »
Conference Committee Intends To Protect Integrity of ALJ Appointment Process
After a Supreme Court ruling was released earlier this year that seemed to limit the authority of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order changing how ALJs were appointed. The order gave broad authority to agency and department heads to appoint ALJs, but a congressional Conference Committee is saying that the… Read more »
Report: More Medical Visits Does Not Equal Disability
Social Security asked the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to examine health care utilization, including in-patient hospitalizations, emergency department visits and hospital readmissions, to determine whether these medical visits equaled severity of conditions as it relates to the Social Security disability process. Big surprise, this group was unable to correlate health care utilization… Read more »
Markup Of Tribal Social Security Fairness Act of 2018
The Subcommittee on Tax Policy, Health, Social Security, and Oversight scheduled the markup of several bills June 21 including the Tribal Social Security Fairness Act of 2018. When legislators “markup” a bill it is a process of session debates, amendments and rewrites of proposed legislation. The origination of the bill amended Social Security Title II… Read more »
Social Security Now Offers Online AC Appeals
Social Security has added a new online tool where disability claimants can file an appeal of an unfavorable decision they receive from an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). All appeals of ALJ decisions are considered by the Appeals Council. Prior to this an appeal of an ALJ decision could only be filed by mail or fax…. Read more »
Does Social Security Disability Reflect What Congress Envisioned In 1956?
Congress established the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program in 1956 after more than 20 years of debate. Prior to 1956 there was no safety net for people who became disabled and were unable to work. Despite substantial opposition to SSDI, Congress managed to establish one of the most important social programs in the country’s… Read more »
The Re-determination At Age 18
Just like adults, there are many children who are found disabled by the Social Security Administration. If these children’s families meet the non-medical rules related to financial resources, they are entitled to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The definition Social Security uses is “a child under 18 will be considered disabled if he or she… Read more »
Maximum Taxable Earnings Through The Years
Social Security taxes do not necessarily apply to all income earned. All self-employment income and wages that are covered by Social Security are taxed up to a certain amount, which is set by law. Since 1937 Social Security has set a maximum taxable earnings amount, which started at $3,000. Today the maximum taxable earnings amount… Read more »
