Welcome! This site is written for Social Security disability claimants, for their legal representatives, and for the network of people involved in the Social Security disability claim process. I hope you find it helpful.
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I talk with many prospective disability clients who are clearly unable to perform their past relevant work. I spoke recently with a person who had been a welder for  years, but could not continue due vision and to degenerative back problems. He clearly is not going to be able to work as a welder, his…

There are many benefits to being a Social Security disability lawyer. You are able to help people who really need the help, and it is very gratifying when a claimant receives disability benefits.

I received a Fully Favorable decision on a claim where, in addition to getting disability benefits for the client, I may have…

Back in 2006 or so, the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals changed its name to the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR), as part of a reorganization at Social Security and new regulations. The name was widely panned at the time.

Now, a decade or so later, the Hearings office has been renamed the…

Each year, the Social Security Administration releases statistics about the disability and SSI programs in an easy-to-understand format, called the “waterfall” chart. The waterfall chart shows the percentage of claims approved and denied at the various levels of review.

Much has changed since the baseline years 2008 & 2009, when ALJ allowance rates at the…

It is tax time, and each year I hear from clients who won their cases the previous year and are wondering about the tax consequences of their disability benefits. This topic is particularly important for those who received a significant payment of past-due benefits.

The answer is part of your disability benefits may be taxable.…

I get calls and emails from people who are still working, but are struggling, and are considering Social Security disability.

Depending upon a person’s individual circumstances, this is typically what I say to those who are currently working, but are exploring the disability process:

It is hard to plan for disability. First, there is no…

Trial work is a concept that applies to people already entitled to Title II disability benefits. Sometimes Title II recipients will attempt to return to work to see how it goes. Social Security encourages this, and allows a 9-month period for a person to still receive disability benefits while testing his or her ability to…

Each year, the Social Security Administration releases statistics about the disability and SSI programs in an easy-to-understand format, the “waterfall” chart. The chart shows what claimants can expect, statistically, for their claim for Social Security disability benefits.

The latest chart, for FY 2014, shows an ALJ allowance rate of 45% for claims at the hearing…

Working on initial disability claims, from the application itself through the DDS review process, is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job as a Social Security disability lawyer.

Most of my practice involves preparing disability claims for hearings before administrative law judges, but a certain percentage of my cases are initial claims or…