Basically, the issue before Social Security is: is there some job which you can do on a full time basis? It doesn’t matter if you are a professional, or a laborer, white collar or blue. If you were a surgeon but now can only sit and take tickets at a toll booth on a regular… Read more »
Categorized: SSDI
Do I really have to go before a judge at a hearing?
A hearing? A Judge? Sounds scary. At the hearing stage of the disability determination process, a claimant goes before an administrative law judge to explain why they are disabled. This may seem scary or intimidating, but it’s not like going to criminal court. This is actually your best chance to be awarded benefits, because you… Read more »
Demystifying Entitlement Programs through Technology
It’s an election year, and the two political tickets, Obama/Biden and Romney/Paul, have very different visions for the future of your Social Security disability benefits. Mitt Romney has unleashed significant misinformation campaigns to keep voters from casting an educated vote in November, and these misinformation campaigns involve lies about programs like Social Security, Medicare, and… Read more »
Do I Qualify as a Disabled Adult Child?
In order to qualify for a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) claim, you must have a parent who is collecting Disability Insurance Benefits, retirement benefits, or is deceased. If you meet the requirements for a DAC claim, you will be eligible for benefits based on your parent’s earnings record. To be entitled to receive these benefits… Read more »
Expediting Claims Due to Financial Distress
Knowing that the majority of Social Security disability claims can take the better part of two years before they are ultimately resolved can create a financial crisis for those applying. Those who apply for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are claiming that they can’t work on a full-time… Read more »
Why are my Social Security Disability Checks being Garnished?
Social Security operates several different programs for people with disabilities. The programs have identical standards for medical eligibility, but different standards for financial eligibility. Retired Survivors and Disability Insurance (DIB) is based upon workers’ earnings history and FICA taxes. On the other hand, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program (which covers children, those with low-incomes,… Read more »
PUT UP MY DUKES?! . . . CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!
Is this supposed to be an adversarial process? At a senate hearing in June 2012, the president of the Association of Administrative Law Judges presented the senate committee with several proposals which they felt would help make the Social Security disability process more efficient and more effective. Perhaps the most controversial of these suggestions is… Read more »
Are my doctors and Social Security at odds?
My doctor tells me I am disabled, and still the Social Security Administration says I am not….what gives? Disability by its very nature is a measure of degree. How much pain? How many limitations? How many breaks are required? How much rest? And so on. The fact that your doctor says you are disabled is… Read more »
Professional Football Players Suffer Long-Term Health Consequences
Interesting piece in our local paper about some of the long-term health consequences faced by former professional football players. Greeman Toomey represents many former NFL players in their Social Security disability claims, for mental and physical health conditions ranging from traumatic brain injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy to degenerative conditions of the knee and spine…. Read more »
Obliterative Bronchiolitis added to compassionate allowances
The conditioned called obliterative bronchiolitis or constructive bronchiolitis was included in the new compassionate allowances made effective on August 11, 2012. Obliterative bronchiolitis is an irreversible lung disease where the portions of the lung have been narrowed, greatly restricting one’s ability to breathe effectively. Some veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq have been diagnosed… Read more »
