Before you a claim for Social Security disability benefits is taken to the hearing level, claimants receive two denials from the Social Security Administration. Assuming there is sufficient evidence in the file (and in most cases there is), Disability Determination...
Most disability claimants understand that after receiving two denials from the Social Security Administration, they’re entitled to a hearing before an administrative law judge. The good news is that in most cases, only one hearing is required to receive a decision...
In recent years, the Social Security Administration has gotten better about reviewing cases that meet its criteria for dire need. These are typically cases where a claimant has been diagnosed with a terminal illness or is facing homelessness. In these situations,...
A question many clients have been asking me lately after their hearings is whether they should return to work. There are several reasons for this. One, is that the disability hearing itself really isn’t the end of the road. In most cases, it still takes 30-60 days for...
If you’re feeling the pinch of inflation right now (and who isn’t?), there could be good news in store later this year when Social Security announces its annual cost of living increase. The Senior Citizens League, a nonprofit advocacy group, is currently estimating...
After closing field officers for more than two years, Social Security has started to hold limited in-person hearings for certain cases, but the process now looks very different from what it did two years ago before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. While I have yet...
As a disability hearing approaches, many clients will tell me that they have friends or family that they want to speak on their behalf at the hearing. While Social Security’s rules do allow you to call witnesses, this is generally not something that I recommend. It’s...
It’s a long process to be approved for disability benefits. From the initial application to the hearing in front of an administrative law judge, most cases take around a year and a half to resolve. Even in a case with a “quick” turnaround, it’s rare to see a hearing...
After more than two years, in-person hearings will again be available to all disability claimants in 2022, though some logistical questions remain. Social Security disability offices are tentatively scheduled to reopen to the public on March 30. Beginning May 4,...
Congress is again considering the Stop the Wait Act, which would eliminate the lengthy wait disability recipients have before they receive benefits and Medicare. The seemingly arbitrary waiting periods are constant sources of frustration for claimants who have usually...
For almost two years now, the Social Security Administration has conducted disability hearings almost exclusively by phone (with video hearings also available on request). This has worked surprisingly well, especially since SSA converted to a centralized phone system....
This March will mark two years since the Social Security Administration closed all hearing offices and began holding hearings by telephone and video. Of course, you don’t have to go through with a remote hearing if you don’t want to. Since the beginning of the...
The Social Security Administration has announced that retirees and disabled individuals will see a whopping 5.9 percent increase in their benefits next year. The cost of living adjustment applies to those receiving both Social Security Disability and Supplemental...
It’s been nearly two years since the Social Security Administration closed its hearing offices due to the Covid-19 pandemic and moved all hearings to telephone or video. But the SSA has announced that it will finally bring back in-person hearings in a limited capacity...
Try as we may, it’s unavoidable that administrative law judges deny some very strong disability claims. When that happens, clients inevitably ask me what to do next. Should we appeal, or they should they refile? This is one of those situations where there is rarely an...
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