Well organized ODARs, like the Portland, Maine hearing office, send out a Representative Report T3 each month. The report lists all your clients' claims at that ODAR, sorted by the date of the hearing request. The report gives the status of each and every claim.
This report is a goldmine for the Social Security disability…
I recently read a good practice tip from Mobile Alabama Social Security lawyer Gilbert Laden in the April Social Security Forum, which is a newsletter published by NOSSCR for its members. Mr. Laden’s article is entitled Preparing a Detailed Work Background for the ALJ. Here is an excerpt:
I order a “Detailed Earnings…
The list of Best Practices for Claimant’s Representatives has been posted on the SSA’s website. The list is definitely worth reviewing if you are representing claimants before the Social Security Administration.
I like to submit a current medications list prior to a Social Security disablity hearing. Although a claimant's medications can usually be found in the medical records, it is very handy to have the meds listed in one place.
Filing a medications list is a nice final update to the disability claim file, and it is a gesture…
Social Security Adult Listing 1.04A is often met for claimants with severe back pain, when there is an MRI or CT scan showing impingement of the nerve root or spinal cord. The practical difficulty with the listing is that the other findings necessary to meet the listing, such as a positive straight leg raising test…
I asked one of our Portland, Maine judges this question: How far in advance of a Social Security disability hearing should the hearing brief be submitted?
The answer: 7 days ahead of the hearing.
The deadline for submitting new evidence is 5 business days (which equals 7 calendar days) ahead of the hearing. After the…
I was talking with one of our Portland, Maine judges yesterday between hearings. We discussed the amazing timeline of a recent Social Security claim. The judge said that it was helpful in that case to have a request for a bench decision in the hearing memorandum.
A bench decision requires some preparation, because there…
I am always concerned that a particular claim will not get the attention it deserves at the hearing level, due to the tremendous workload at the Social Security hearing offices. Each administrative law judge decides several hundred claims every year.
Furthermore, the medical basis for disability is often similar from one claim to another. Often, pain…
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…
One of the most important things you can do for a client as a Social Security disability lawyer is to request reopening of a prior claim. In my opinion, the issue of reopening does not get enough attention.
Reopening a prior claim can add substantially to the retroactive benefits payable to your client. At a recent hearing of…
