Greeman Toomey is currently representing a seriously ill client who we will call Mr. E. Mr. E was born with type I diabetes, and at the time of his hearing before an Administrative Law Judge was in his mid-twenties, with diabetic neuropathy in his feet. Mr. E. was denied benefits by the Administrative Law Judge…. Read more »
Categorized: SSDI
I received a Notice of Decision – Partially Favorable. What does that mean?
There are two types of partially favorable decisions. One is for a closed period of disability. The other is for an alternative disability onset date. A closed period of disability means the Administrative Law Judge finds that you are disabled for only a certain period of time. You will be paid benefits for this period,… Read more »
What is a Consultative Exam?
When a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claim is filed and Social Security confirms that the applicant meets the technical requirements for at least one of the disability programs, Social Security will send the file to a state agency for disability determination purposes. The agency that determines whether an applicant… Read more »
Finally! Social Security Ruling on Evaluation of Fibromyalgia
After years of promising to do so, the Social Security Administration issued its long-awaited ruling on how to evaluate disability claims for people with fibromyalgia. Prior to the issuance of this ruling, social security claimants had to make arguments under other, vaguely related disorders like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or pain disorders. SSR 12-2p will provide… Read more »
Auxiliary Benefits
Sometimes a family can receive Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) beyond the impaired person’s benefits. The unmarried children of a successful claimant can receive children’s benefits or auxiliary benefits.” There are three types of unmarried children who qualify for auxiliary benefits under 20 C.F.R. § 404.350: a child under the age of 18, an adult child… Read more »
The Affordable Care Act and People With Disabilities
Interesting piece from Forbes magazine about the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act on people with disabilities. The article makes the rather dubious claim that once the ACA is fully implemented, people with disabilities who are currently covered by Medicaid will leave the public health market in droves because they would not be ‘held… Read more »
Ask a Case Manager: What information will I need to complete the Initial Application?
There are two portions to the Social Security Disability Initial Application. The first portion is called the Adult Disability Report (ADR) and the second portion is the Benefit Application. The ADR asks questions regarding your medical conditions, medical treatment, work background and education level. It is important to have a list prepared of all of… Read more »
Proposed Reforms to Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Based on Disability
Earlier last week the Education Department proposed new rules to revamp its program for forgiving federal student loans of borrowers who become disabled. While the proposed reforms would not use Social Security disability findings as a basis for discharging loans – as many student borrowers’ advocates had hoped – they would streamline the application process… Read more »
What to expect at your Social Security hearing
The day you’ve been waiting two years for is finally here. It’s time for your Social Security hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). You are happy the day has finally arrived, but also nervous because you don’t know what to expect. At Greeman Toomey we ask that our clients arrive at our office 90… Read more »
The Reconsideration Level
In a previous post on this blog entitled “The Initial Level” we discussed the first of the four main levels of an application for Social Security disability benefits and/or Supplemental Security Income. This entry discusses the second level which is commonly referred to as the “Reconsideration Level.” If an individual’s application was denied at the… Read more »
