SSD – Social Security Disability Process And Benefits

As technology move our culture towards automation, so do our methods of decision-making. Social Security Administration (SSA) aims to have a uniform process in determining which disability claims to approve or deny, yet it employs thousands of various adjudicators and...

The majority of claims for Social Security disability benefits are awarded by administrative law judges (or ALJs). These judges are typically attorneys who have spent several years practicing Social Security law. Many have worked for the Social Security agency in some...

Long waits for Social Security Disability (SSD) are heartbreaking. Many people literally pass away while awaiting approval for the disability benefits they need. During this time, they struggle to live. Some go without the care they need.In one story, a man reported...

If you are suffering from a disability and are unable to work, the amount of time spent waiting to be approved for benefits can be a nightmare. Many clients ask me how they are supposed to get by while they wait to get in front of a judge or wait for the judge to...

Before a case for Social Security disability benefits may be filed in federal court, applicants must give the Social Security Administration (SSA) an opportunity to review the claim and render a final agency decision. Administratively, there are typically four stages...

At every disability hearing, there's the claimant, their representative, the judge, a hearing reporter who records the proceedings, and a vocational expert who testifies whether the claimant can perform any jobs. But while it's become less common in recent years, and...

The most confusing part of a disability hearing for claimants is always the vocational expert testimony.After the judge and attorney question the claimant, the judge again considers the medical evidence and testimony and asks the vocational expert several questions...

If you're collecting Social Security disability (SSD), you may have a question about whether or not it will affect your retirement or when you can retire. Many people choose to postpone retirement until they're 70 years old, because this maximizes their benefits, but...

At the hearing stage of your case, you will have the opportunity to appear before an Administrative Law Judge. This judge only hears cases concerning claims for disability benefits and is an employee of the Social Security Administration. The judge will look at a...

An unfortunate fact of life is that disabilities and serious health problems do not discriminate based on age. Many young adults suffer from debilitating conditions that seriously impact their ability to work or preclude them from being able to work. If you or someone...

Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits are an important set of benefits for people who struggle with injuries or inherited illnesses that make it difficult or impossible to hold a job. There are many people who have worked for years for the benefit of America but...

Last month, the Supreme Court in Lucia v. SEC (2018) held that Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are "Officers of the United States" subject to the Appointments Clause. In a subsequent effort to mitigate concerns over the selection of ALJs and reduce the likelihood of...

Odds are that you'll be denied the first time you apply for disability benefits. Only about 35 percent of applications are approved at their initial filing. At the next stage of review, called reconsideration, even fewer applicants receive benefits. Roughly 15 percent...

There was some unexpected news in the New York Times earlier this summer: disability applications are way, way down. In 2017, 2.18 million applied for either Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. That's down from 2.94 million in 2010,...