There has been quite a bit of chatter about a recent report and subsequent Associated Press article stating that the Social Security disability trust fund is running dangerously low. My strong advice to you is not to worry about it. The sky isn't falling.
Negative headlines about Social Security get repeated over and over
I frequently talk, or trade emails, with people who are thinking about applying for Social Security disability but are still working (and earning more than the SGA amount of $1,000 per month).
Sometimes people are surprised that they cannot still work and apply for disability benefits. Sometimes they want to discuss the likelihood of success for
Every other Friday I publish links to articles of note on the topic of Social Security disability:
Some Social Security disability claimants do not hire a lawyer because they believe they cannot afford one. However, the SSA-approved contingency fee process means that it does not cost a penny to hire a lawyer, and there is no fee unless a disability or SSI claim is successful. We do not get paid unless you
The Social Security Appeals Council tracked the reasons for the remands from the 102,062 claims it reviewed in FY 2010, and compiled a list of top reasons for remands. The summary was published in the July Social Security Forum, a newsletter for NOSSCR members. Download Top Remand Reasons (link opens a 1-page pdf file).
The Appeals
Every two weeks, I publish links to notable articles on the topic of Social Security disability. This week I published a rebuttal to a paper suggesting that Social Security administrative law judge decisions were inherently flawed, and that the entire ALJ system should be abolished. Please take a look, because I spent some time
The latest statistics for processing times for Social Security hearing offices around the country have been released by the SSA, and reprinted in the July 2011 NOSSCR Social Security Forum newsletter.
In Maine, the average wait for a hearing decision is now 365 days – exactly one year. Processing time runs from the date of
The real systemic problem with Social Security disability is that DDS denies claims that should be granted, not that ALJs grant claims that should be denied.
Continue Reading Administrative Law Judge Disability Decisionmaking
Social Security Ruling 11-1p, entitled "Titles II and XVI: Procedures for Handling Requests to File Subsequent Applications for Disability Benefits" was published today in the Federal Register.
The Ruling prohibits a new application for benefits while a prior claim of the same title and benefit type is at the Appeals Council. This is a change in
The phrase "lost in translation" aptly describes what often happens with a Social Security disability claim at Disability Determination Services (the state agency that makes disability determinations at the initial application and reconsideration levels).
DDS obtains your medical records and usually has them reviewed by a DDS in-house doctor (for physical impairments) and/or a psychologist