The Social Security Administration’s website has a list of Best Practices for Claimant’s Representatives, which was significantly updated last November.
The best practices are organized into categories:
This list of best practices is required…
Back in the day, the vast majority of granted Social Security disability claims were decided by Social Security’s listed impairments, which set forth medical criteria of a condition that is presumed to be disabling at step 3 of the sequential evaluation. Today, however, the majority of allowed claims are determined based upon medical-vocational…
Binder & Binder, a nation-wide firm of advocates for those seeking Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income benefits, is roughly $40 million in debt and is preparing declare bankruptcy under Chapter 11, according to the Wall Street Journal.
For those of us who represent clients before the Social Security Administration, this is quite…
Here in Maine, we have the original L.L. Bean retail store, which has a well-deserved reputation for outstanding customer service and a knowledgeable staff. We visited over the weekend, and got outfitted for Spring tricycle season with our (almost) 3-year old daughter.
Whenever I experience great customer service, as we did at the L.L. Bean…
The onset date is the beginning of your Social Security disability claim. It is the date when your impairments prevented you from working at the level of substantial gainful activity.
In our current climate for Social Security disability claims, onset dates have been under pressure from both DDS and from administrative law judges. Even very…
I have a number of claims with clients who are age 55 or over. These cases are handled in a specific way in my office, and there is extensive development regarding past relevant work. In my experience, many of these claims are denied initially and at Reconsideration because the claimant did not fully…
The local Social Security hearing offices have had an uptick in requests for information regarding a person's Social Security information from attorneys before a disability claim has even been filed.
The correct form in these circumstances is the Consent to Release Information, form SSA-3288 (link opens a PDF of the form) rather than the…
I cannot overemphasize the importance of meeting with clients as early as possible in the disability claim process. You rarely get a complete picture of a claim until you meet the client in person.
The more time you spend talking with the client, the better the claim is developed and presented to the judge.…
For those who are enrolled in Social Security's online Representative Services, you have instant access to the ALJ's decision, on the day the decision is made and the case is closed.
Once you see on your hearing office status report that a particular case has been closed, access that claimant's electronic folder online. The ALJ's…
I frequently remind readers of the importance of medical source statements for Social Security disability claims.
I try to get medical source statements as early as possible in the claim process. Get them while you can, because you may not be able to get an opinion from that treating source later.
I recently had a conversation…
