Helping People With Disabilities Nationwide
Many times when I call a client about an upcoming hearing, one of the first things they’ll say to me is that they have a friend or family member that they want to testify on their behalf at their hearing. And most of the time, I strongly recommend against having...
In the vast majority of Social Security disability cases, when an administrative law judge awards a case, that’s the end of it. The claim goes through processing, and after a few weeks or months, the claimant is awarded, and they receive disability benefits...
Something that surprises many people is that you actually are allowed to work while waiting for disability benefits. However, the amounts vary from year to year and can have all sorts of different impacts on a disability claim. The Social Security Administration has...
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Social Security disability hearings were held either in-person, or from an approved Social Security remote hearing location with the judge appearing by video, and the claimant and their attorney in another location. If a claimant couldn’t...
One thing in Social Security disability law that can often be just as important as medical conditions, is your work history and whether you are working while seeking benefits. A common misconception among clients is that jobs only “count” if they receive an actual pay...
No matter how strong a disability case looks before a hearing, for reasons that often aren’t even clear to an attorney, administrative law judges deny good cases. When this happens, the first instinct of most clients is to appeal. They feel wronged, and they want to...
An estimated 38 million Americans, or more than 11 percent of the U.S. population suffers from diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And it’s likely that a quarter of those individuals don’t even know that they have it. But as anyone living with...
Assets and income (even if it’s not from working) can have a drastic impact on a disability case, though that can depend a lot on what kind of case you’ve filed and what exactly those assets consist of. Usually, if you own your home, your application for disability...
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common, yet complex, mental health diagnosis that many people are familiar with. It usually develops when someone experiences a traumatic event (abuse, combat, a violent attack), often leading to ongoing re-experiencing of...
Of course, when I talk to clients about their disability cases, they want to tell me about their medical conditions. But an unusual feature of the disability system is that in some cases, how and when they performed their past work can actually be more important than...
A few weeks after your disability hearing, you’ll receive a letter in the mail explaining the administrative law judge’s decision. In the best case scenario, it’s a fully favorable decision. Social Security processes your backpay, and you’re able to begin collecting...
Here’s something all too frustrating and common at disability hearings: We gather all the medical records. There are hundreds of pages of medical records detailing my client’s mental and physical limitations. Their testimony? Almost perfect. They explain to the judge...
It can take years for a Social Security disability claim to get in front of an administrative law judge, so often my clients expect they’ll get a decision at their hearing. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case. And even if a judge says they plan to approve your case,...
After years of waiting, you’ve had your disability hearing before an administrative law judge. It seems to go well. And then there’s more waiting. It’s usually another 30-60 days after a hearing before the decision arrives in the mail. And sometimes the wait can even...
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a critical safety net designed to provide financial support to individuals who are unable to work due to disability. For those facing uncertain times, understanding the average payment of SSDI benefits can be essential in...
Find out if you can collect Work Comp benefits too