Recent Blog Posts
Disability Benefits for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Unfavorable childhood experiences can severely impact a person well into their adult years. In fact, someone who was abused or suffered extreme trauma as a child might find that those experiences shape the rest of their life, creating conditions that make it difficult, if not impossible, to function long-term. These traumas might be the… Read More »
What is a Closed Period of Disability Benefits?
Many people believe that they are only eligible to obtain disability payments if they are permanently disabled. This is only partially true. If you apply for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you may be eligible to receive a closed period of disability benefits. What is a Closed Period of Disability Benefits? A… Read More »
What’s being done to help with the Social Security Backlog?
At the end of 2015 there were nearly 1.1 million cases awaiting Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Hearings before the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR). These cases had an average processing time of 17 months. That is, on average, from the time a Request for Hearing was filed until… Read More »
Part 4-The Hearing Decision
Following the hearing in your Social Security Disability (SSD) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) case the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is required to issue a written decision. Assuming all evidence is before the ALJ at the hearing, and there are not medical records outstanding, most ALJs will issue their written decision within 60-90 days… Read More »
Part 3: The Social Security Hearing
You finally get a hearing date and are anxious about what will happen at the hearing and what can be done to give you the best chance of winning. Who will be there? What should I say? These and other questions often come to mind when your hearing is set. The hearing is typically… Read More »
Part 2: Your SSD and/or SSI Claim was denied. What’s next?
You have provided the Disability Determination Service (DDS) everything they have requested. You may have seen a doctor for an evaluation. You know that you can’t work but your initial application was denied. What’s next? If your initial application is denied the next step is to file an appeal called a Request for Hearing…. Read More »
The Social Security Claims Process-Part 1
People are often overwhelmed with the prospect of navigating the tricky waters of filing for Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Hopefully, this series of posts will help simplify things and give you the information you need to make it through each step of the process. I will discuss the… Read More »
