There is an interesting wrinkle on the issue of missed days at work in the Second Circuit case of Sczepanski v. Saul, 946 F. 3d 152 (2nd Cir. 2020). That case probably merits wider attention.
During the ALJ hearing in that case, the vocational witness was asked about tolerated levels of missed days, specifically
Often at a Social Security disability hearing, there is testimony from the claimant and the vocational witness about missed days at work.
Many disability claims at the hearing level are decided on the basis of missed work days. This is because a claimant’s symptoms and limitations often do not fit neatly into Social Security’s physical
The fee cap imposed by Social Security on the 25% Representative contingency fee for direct payment of successful disability claims will be raised from $7,200 to $9,200 this Fall. Here is the press release from Social Security.
Update: the fee cap will be raised effective November 30, 2024.
Social Security relies primarily on medical evidence to evaluate disability claims. However, they also look at nonmedical evidence, including the forms that claimants complete during the disability evaluation process. See 20 CFR 404.1513(a)(4).
Nonmedical evidence can also include a statement from parent, spouse, other family member, or a friend. That statement is typically 1
Social Security now provides a check sheet, in the form of an online fillable PDF, for on the records requests.
An “on the record” (OTR) request asks Social Security to grant your case on the record without a hearing. This request is for claims awaiting a hearing at the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO). On the
Each year, the Social Security Administration releases statistics about the disability and SSI programs in an easy-to-understand format, called the “waterfall” chart. The waterfall chart shows the percentage of claims approved and denied at the various levels of review.
The chart shows what claimants can expect, statistically, for their claim for Social Security disability benefits.
Last Fall the Social Security published a proposed rule change that would reduce the period of PRW from 15 years to 5 years. As I have said before, I strongly support that change, which would reduce the paperwork burden of disability claims and lead to more realistic determinations.
The Federal Register published today its semiannual
There is a good article in the January 2024 issue of The Forum (NOSSCR’s monthly newsletter to its members) by North Carolina disability lawyer George Piemonte regarding cross-examination of the vocational expert at hearing regarding obselete jobs listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). It is reprinted below:
Many times, the VE will list
Social Security has added Initial and Reconsideration cases to its status report in Electronic Records Express (ERE).
Here is a screenshot:
The status report now allows a Representative to quickly determine whether or not they have been associated with a particular client’s disability claim file. Previously, we would have to try to access the claimant’s