Category Archives: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

A person may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) based on severe, such as chronic heart failure. If a person is not working and has been diagnosed with this severe condition, the Social Security Administration will determine whether the person is disabled under a listing or whether jobs exists

There is more bad news on the horizon for claimants and recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). At the end of 2014, Congress passed the federal budget. The money allocated to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for its administrative budget was less than requested and less than fiscal year

If you are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), please read the following bulletin and contact your Congressman or Congresswoman! Proposed House Rules Will Prevent Congressional Debate on Social Security Solvency. Congressional Republicans proposed heavy-handed rules that would forbid the House from considering certain legislation about Social Security. These rules would not allow the House to

After a Claimant has been approved for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SS)), the Social Security Administration (SSA) will periodically review the Claimant’s case for continued eligibility. This review is called a Continuing Disability Review (CDR). How often a case is reviewed varies. The SSA sets a date for performing the

I periodically report on the increasing processing times for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claimants waiting for hearings. One of the reasons for these increases is the dramatic decrease in on-the-record (OTR) decisions issued by Senior Attorney Adjudicators (SAAs). SAAs can issue fully favorable OTRs usually in cases where the

My periodic summary and review of hearing office wait times and approval rates for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and SSI shows the bad news continues. Just since October of 2014, the national average processing time for claims before the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review is up 16 days to 421 days, which is

In July of 2013, the SSA released guidance to adjudicators regarding the usefulness of GAF scores in Social Security Disability and SSI claims. With the publication of the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), GAF scores are no longer included and the question arises of what will the SSA do with

Social Security Disability or SSI claimants and representatives often are faced with Unfavorable Decisions from ALJs or non-referrals or reviews by the Appeals Council.  Here are ten reasons that sometimes prevent a favorable outcome. 1. Failure to formulate a complete and detailed theory of the case, covering ALL FIVE steps of the sequential evaluation. 2. Failure to ask for the

Some Social Security Disability benefits can affect amounts recovered under other federal, state, and/or private benefit policies. First, amounts received under Title II can affect a claimant’s eligibility for SSI benefits under the federal statutes or can at least reduce those amounts to a smaller amount. Benefits paid under Title II of Social Security can also

As noted recently, the average processing times for Social Security Disability and SSI hearings continue to grow at hearing offices across the country. Claimants are getting increasingly desperate as the wait times increase. When I first meet with someone about SSD or SSI, I always try to be upfront and honest about the length of

As noted in a recent post, Social Security Disability and SSI recipients will see a 1.7% increase in benefits for the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) starting in January of 2015. The COLA is based on the Consumer Price Index from the third quarter of the current year. However, the COLA affects many important aspects of the

Unfortunately, the news for Social Security Disability and SSI claimants waiting for a hearing continues to worsen in terms of wait times for hearings and percentage of people awarded disability. Since September of 2014 when I lasted posted on the subject, the situation has not improved in terms of wait times or average approval rates. The

Social Security Disability and SSI recipients will see a 1.7% increase in benefits due to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) starting in January of 2015. Every year in October the government announces the COLA.  The COLA is based on the Consumer Price Index from the third quarter of the current year. The COLA affects many important aspects

In Social Security Disability and SSI claims involving mental conditions, the claimant must show that through evidence that the conditions are severe and disabling (click here for information on evaluation of mental claims in general). In its regulations, the Social Security Administration describes various types of evidence it considers when determining these factors. The SSA

For several years now, the Social Security Administration has been trying to implement video teleconferencing (VTC) for Social Security Disability and SSI hearings. There are several proffered rationales including decreasing the disparity of wait and approval times between different hearing office. I personally do not like participating in VTC hearings and believe that they are

In Social Security Disability and SSI claims, the main focus almost always is proving the Claimant’s residual functional capacity (RFC) is such that he or she qualifies for disability under the Social Security Administration’s regulations.  Last week, I discussed showing limitations through lay testimony and this week the focus will be on proving a claimant’s RFC

In my Social Security Disability and SSI claims, the question often comes up whether it is a good idea to have witnesses other than the claimant testify at the hearing.  This is also known as “lay testimony.”  Most ALJs frown on bringing a load of lay witnesses if the testimony will be duplicative. However, sometimes

As noted in the past, Social Security Disability and SSI claimants continue to see a worsening trend in terms of hearing office processing or wait times and percentage of claims being approved at the hearing level. This trend has steadily continued over the last few years and has worsened since just July of 2014. The

As discussed previously, Social Security Disability and SSI claims involve consideration of vocational factors. One of the main resources for vocational information for the Social Security Administration is the Dictionary of Occupational Titles or the DOT. The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) was developed in response to the demand of an expanding public employment service

As discussed recently, in deciding Social Security Disability or SSI claim, the Social Security Administration follows a sequential evaluation process. At step 4 of that process, the SSA looks to see if the person applying for disability can do her past relevant work. But what is past relevant work? The term “work experience” means skills