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,...
SSD – Disability Hearings
Telephone hearings? Video Hearings? Should I ask for an in person hearing?
Throughout the last two years the Social Security Administration has had to make major shifts in the way hearings are run in order to keep serving the public. First all hearings were cancelled, however they quickly shifted to telephone hearings. A short while later,...
Disability Benefits Could be in for Record Increase Next Year
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...
What to Know Before Your In-Person Disability Hearing
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...
Should You Call a Witness at Your Disability Hearing?
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...
Will receiving a workers’ compensation settlement affect my SSDI?
Workers’ compensation could reduce your SSDI payment. This is true for both types of workers’ compensation settlements: lump-sum and periodic payments. The general rule is that the combination of your SSDI and workers’ compensation payments cannot be more than 80...
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,...
Thyroid Disorders
The thyroid creates hormones that tell the body’s cells how much energy to use, thus regulating your metabolism. While at first glance a thyroid disorder may not be disabling, disorders of the thyroid can affect changes in other body systems which may warrant a...
Assistive Devices
An assistive device is any equipment that you use to improve your stability, dexterity, or mobility. An assistive device can be worn (i.e., a prosthesis or orthosis), used in a seated position (i.e., a wheelchair or rollator), or hand-held (i.e., a walker, cane, or...
Do traumatic brain injuries qualify for SSD benefits?
Any sudden blow to the head can result in crippling and life-altering traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries, or TBI’s, are some of the most debilitating injuries anyone can suffer. The symptoms of a TBI can be very extensive and severe. These types of...
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...
What Should You Say at a Disability Hearing?
One of the most common questions clients ask me in preparing for a hearing is “What should I say?” Ethically, I can’t tell you what to say. Even if I could, there are no magic words that will convince a judge to grant you disability benefits. There are, however, a...
Social Security Disability Hearing: Past Work Inquiry and Importance
What past jobs you held or may have worked at prior to filing for Social Security Disability is an important issue. The issue of past work is important both prior to your hearing as well as at your hearing. To begin, prior to your hearing, the Social Security...
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...
Injured At Work?
Find out if you can collect Work Comp benefits too