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…
Those representing clients before the Social Security Administration must file Reconsideration Requests and Hearing Requests for medically denied Title II and Title XVI disability claims online. The requirement went into effect Friday, March 16, 2012.
The new mandate applies to representatives who request and are eligible for direct fee payment, which is pretty much everybody. …
Kaizen is the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, usually in the areas of manufacturing, engineering, and business management. It involves taking frequent small steps to improve your process. After months or a year of making small improvements, you are way ahead of the place where you started.
I have adopted this approach to my…
I had a stretch of time this summer where our little Social Security disability law firm had very few hearings scheduled, due to slowdowns at the Portland, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire hearing offices. I devised a four-point strategy to use the extra time of our two lawyers, our paralegal, and our legal assistant.
Now…
NOSSCR (the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives) sent out a good reminder to its members recently by email: SSA will divide the authorized fee among all appointed representatives in the same firm.
Here is an excerpt of that reminder:
When a claimant appoints more than one concurrent representative in the same firm and
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