Welcome! This site is written for Social Security disability claimants, for their legal representatives, and for the network of people involved in the Social Security disability claim process. I hope you find it helpful.
Free Claim Review

April 2010

Social Security classifies the physical exertion requirements of jobs as sedentary, light, medium, heavy and very heavy. See 20 C.F.R. 404.1567. Social Security gives those terms the same meaning as they have in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

The light exertional level involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with

The latest average processing time statistics for the Social Security hearing offices were distributed by NOSSCR in the March 2010 Social Security Forum, a newsletter for NOSSCR members. The average processing time for the Portland hearing office is now 357 days, just shy of one year. 

Processing time runs from the date of your hearing request

The latest average processing time statistics have been distributed via the March NOSSCR newsletter. The average processing time for the Manchester, New Hampshire hearing office is 447 days, just shy of 15 months. 

Processing time runs from the date of your hearing request to the day a decision is issued. The 447 days is an 

Every now and then I encounter a case that potentially involves a claim for benefits by a disabled surviving spouse. This is a claim for disability benefits based upon the work record of the deceased spouse.

A claimant without enough quarters of coverage for Social Security disability insurance on his/her own work record

Sometimes a denial of an initial Social Security disability application is due to something of a time lag between your medical condition and your medical records.

Unless your impairment had a sudden onset, it can be difficult to determine from your medical records when a condition became disabling. Particularly for those who apply for