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...
W. Christopher Freiberg
Social Security to Resume In-person Disability Hearings
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,...
Will Congress Eliminate Disability Waiting Period?
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...
What Happens if You Miss a Disability Phone Hearing?
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....
In 2022 Should You Wait for an In-person Disability Hearing?
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...
Social Security Benefits Will See Large Increase in 2022
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...
Social Security to Begin Limited In-person Disability Hearings
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...
Should You Appeal or Refile After an ALJ Denial?
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...
Why Does it Take So Long to Get a Disability Decision?
Many clients I speak with seem to think that they’ll be approved for disability at their hearing and start receiving benefits almost immediately after. Unfortunately, the reality is that it can still take quite awhile to receive a decision and benefits after a...
Social Security Announces New Compassionate Allowance Conditions
Last month, the Social Security Administration announced a dozen new additions to its list of conditions that qualify for an expedited approval under its Compassionate Allowance rules. The Compassionate Allowance List made up of more than 200 serious or...
When Will In-Person Disability Hearings Resume?
It’s now been well over a year since the Social Security Administration closed its hearing offices due to the Covid-19 pandemic and began holding all hearings over the phone or video, and there’s still no clear timetable for when in-person hearings will resume....
Does Long Haul Covid Qualify for Disability?
More than a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, one phenomenon that continues to be overlooked by many people is so-called “long haul Covid.” There’s no specific definition for what exactly constitutes long haul Covid, and it’s unclear even how many people experience it....
Can You Go From SSI to SSDI?
Recently, someone who had been receiving Supplemental Security Income for several years asked me if they could switch to receiving Social Security Disability Income. The short answer to this question is yes, it’s possible, but it’s rarely doable. First, a quick...
Biden Fires Social Security Commissioner
The Social Security Administration has a new interim commissioner. Earlier this month, President Biden fired Andrew Saul, who was appointed by President Trump in 2019 to a six-year term to oversee the agency. The position of Social Security commissioner doesn’t...
Biden Seeks to Boost Social Security Budget
President Biden is seeking to increase Social Security’s annual budget by nearly 10 percent -or $1.3 billion- in 2022. The money would largely go to better customer service, which is badly needed for the agency. It’s not uncommon for claimants to tell me that it takes...
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