SSD – Social Security Disability Process And Benefits

As we have talked about before, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD) benefits are based on your work history. The more time you spent working (and the higher your income) before you became disabled, the higher the benefit amount you might qualify for. There is...

There may be few things in life as harrowing as losing your ability to perform everyday tasks or maintain gainful employment in Minnesota. The onset of a physical or mental health condition could disrupt your life in various ways and leave you with questions about the...

A vocational expert is also called a VE. A VE is a professional trained in the labor market who usually has education and experience in the field of vocational rehabilitation. A VE is not an employee of the Social Security Administration (SSA); however, SSA pays the...

A medical disability can severely limit an individual’s exertional capacity to work. Exertional capacity addresses an individual’s limitations and restrictions of physical strength and defines the individual’s remaining ability to perform activities in the areas of...

Many people recognize that a disability can impose exertional restrictions on performing physical activities at work. However, the inability to work does not just depend on exertional limitations. A medical impairment or combination of impairments can also affect...

When you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, all medical records during the relevant time period of disability must be requested and submitted. Along with submitting mandatory medical records, you also may ask your treating doctor or health provider to fill...

Along with the judge, every Social Security Disability hearing has a vocational expert who appears and testifies at the hearing. By definition, a vocational expert is a professional who provides impartial expert opinion evidence about a claimant’s vocational...

So from the five step process we know we need to prove you cannot do other work, not just the work you have done before.  There are a few rules we can use to help us rule out other work, one discussed here (link to first post). Another way in which we can rule out...

The process of obtaining Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits may be easier for some applicants, due to a little-known provision in the law known as the "worn-out" worker rule. Under this rule, applicants who would not normally qualify for benefits would gain...

The answer depends on what type of disability you receive – SSI or SSDI. The amount you can have in assets (like a savings or checking account) is limited with SSI. To get SSI, your countable resources must not be worth more than $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for...

The short answer is yes, but it is a little more complicated than that. While you can work part time in most cases while awaiting your hearing or even while collecting benefits, the amount you can work is based on the amount of dollars you earn not the hours worked....

Proving disability, whether before or at a hearing with a federal Administrative Law Judge is different than any other kind of court you may have been to or seen. It is an informal process with different rules. Below is the five-step sequential process Social Security...

We all know at least a little about Social Security. Odds are it’s something you’ve heard a family member talk about quite a bit. But how much do you really know about disability? While many Social Security issues can be managed on your own by calling your local...

The Social Security Administration has been generally closed for in-person services since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the nearly two-year closure, Social Security Administration has had to adapt with the ever-changing Covid-19 surges and safety...

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...