It has been a little while since the Best Practices for Claimant’s Representatives was published on the SSA’s website. It is one of those lists that is full of useful reminders, and is therefore worth revisiting every 6 months or so. So please take another look.
One of the best practices is:
ESTABLISH A GOOD WORKING
Here is the Friday roundup of recent posts from the Social Security disability blogs. After you click on a featured link below, please explore the rest of that site. You will find other interesting material there.
It was another good week for notable blog posts:
Vocational rehabilitation records can provide persuasive evidence for a Social Security disability claim.
First, the records show that a claimant has been trying to find work, in spite of his or her impairments. This can be important, because an ALJ often considers the claimant's motivation to work when determining a disability claim.
I also like voc
At step 4 of Social Security’s sequential evaluation, the SSA considers whether or not you have the ability to return to your past relevant work. The SSA considers your past work, both as you performed it (and described it in your Work History Report), and how that work is generally performed in the
I follow a lot of Social Security disability blogs. When I see an interesting article, I will often link to it from my twitter account. Those twitter updates are displayed on the sidebar to this blog. That way, there is always something new when you visit this site.
Several notable articles have been posted just this
Fatigue is a frequently encountered symptom in Social Security disability claims. Fatigue can be a component of many conditions, including fibromyalgia and Lyme disease. Fatigue is often secondary to conditions involving chronic pain, because it is exhausting to be in pain all the time. Fatigue can also be secondary to severe depression. And of course, there is chronic fatigue
Typically in a Social Security disability claim, DDS only obtains the medical records for one year prior to your alleged onset date. DDS is concerned with the severity of your impairments during the period of disability. They understandably focus their efforts on that time frame.
However, older medical records can be important. First, older
I recently submitted an on the record (OTR) request to the Manchester, New Hampshire hearing office. It was a particularly strong case, with compelling evidence of disability. Further, much of the evidence (school records, vocational rehabilitation assessments, medical source statements from treating doctors) had not been developed by DDS or considered when the claim was initially
AV-rated attorney Geri Kahn has an excellent article on her California Social Security Lawyer Blog entitled It helps to be local.
Geri tells a story of visiting the local Social Security office to resolve a payment issue for a client. A supervisor approved the payment on the spot.
Geri concludes her post with this thought:
I
Autism is certainly a basis for a Social Security disability claim, and there is a listed impairment for “Autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental issues” See Adult Listing 12.10 and Childhood Listing 112.10.
Typically we see autism as the basis for a childhood disability claim. However, we also see it quite a bit with a