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I wrote two weeks ago about the amazing timeline of one of my Social Security disability cases. To recap, because the bank was foreclosing on the claimant's home, both the local Social Security office and the Portland, Maine hearing office expedited the disability appeal. A hearing was scheduled within 5 weeks from the claimant's receipt of the Reconsideration denial notice

 

The Social Security Administration can move quickly in certain circumstances. One such circumstance is a dire need case. Dire need is a type of critical case, and these claims are expedited by the SSA.

In this particular case, the claimant received a Reconsideration denial letter on February 27th and contacted me. We had

NOSSCR has published the state-by-state statistics for Social Security allowance rates in 2008. Charles Hall has republished the state-by-state numbers on his blog, Social Security News.

In Maine, 35.7% of Social Security disability claims were allowed at the initial determination. At the Reconsideration level, 15.5% of the claims appealed after the initial denial were

The Portland, Maine hearing office has an average processing time of 258 days for Social Security disability claims, according to the latest backlog report distributed by NOSSCR. Of the 150 hearing offices around the country, Portland's processing time is the second shortest. Congratulations to Philip Smith, the Hearing Office Director, to the administrative law judges, and

Judge Joseph Shortill is being transferred to the Portland Maine hearing office. His first day of hearings will be Easter Monday, April 13th.

Judge Shortill has been a Social Security administrative law judge in the Springfield, Massachusetts hearing office. I have had several hearings with him there, and in Worcester. He will be a terrific addition

The latest statistics on processing times at Social Security hearing offices have been released. The Portland, Maine ODAR is now number 3 in the country, with an average processing time of just 252 days. This is a remarkable achievement. With 5 resident ALJ's and a "guest" ALJ hearing claims by videoconference for the next few

At the Portland, Maine Social Security hearing office, attorneys are asked to submit a "statement of the case," or hearing memorandum, several days prior to the hearing. This request comes from the Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge, in a letter that is mailed when the claim is ready to schedule for a hearing.

Social Security's regulations