Increasingly the Social Security administration is utilizing video conferencing technology to conduct hearings in less urban locations and to ease the current back log. However, the claimant’s have always been given the opportunity to “opt out” of … [Read more...]
Payment of Retroactive Benefits
SSI claimants are often disappointed when they learn that their past due benefits will be paid in installments after a finding of disability. Often times it can take a full year for social security to pay all the money owed. However there are … [Read more...]
Social Security Moves Forward With Plan to Re-instate Reconsideration Level Appeal Nationwide
The SSA experimented with removing the reconsideration appeal level in 10 “proto-type states” for the last few years. Claimant’s living in these states were able to file a request for hearing immediately after receiving their initial denial. The … [Read more...]
Changes to Social Security Coming in 2019
More Money in Recipients' Checks Social security recipients will see more money in their checks every month starting in January of 2019. The government approved a 2.8 percent increase to cover cost of living adjustments. This is the largest such … [Read more...]
Importance of Medical Care, Treatment Compliance, and Medical Records, at Social Security
The first step in any claim for social security disability is proving that you have an impairment that prevents you from sustaining gainful activity. To prove the existence of an impairment, the social security administration looks to your medical … [Read more...]
Social Security is Extending the Attorney Advisor Program
The Attorney Advisor Program allows certain staff attorneys to conduct certain prehearing proceedings and issue certain fully favorable decisions on the record (OTR), when appropriate. The Attorney Advisor Program was originally enacted as a two-year … [Read more...]
Social Security Disability Award Rate Continues to Drop
Recent studies indicate a continuous drop in favorable decisions coming from Social Security administrative law judges. For the fiscal year 2018, of the 423,224 decisions made by administrative law judges, only 43% of the claims were awarded. More … [Read more...]
Importance of Medical Records, Continuing Treatment, and Treatment Compliance at Social Security
The first step in any claim for Social Security disability is proving that you have an impairment that prevents you from sustaining gainful activity. To prove the existence of such an impairment, Social Security looks to your medical records, your … [Read more...]
Hearing Wait Time Decreases, but Overall Processing Time Continues to Rise at the Social Security Administration
As is often the case with Social Security, good news usually is followed by bad news. First, the good news: the number of cases awaiting Social Security hearings continues to drop. The bad news: the average time it takes for a claimant to receive a … [Read more...]
Study Reveals Positive Effect of Professional Representation at Social Security Hearings
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of hearings-level award rates for disability claims revealed that “claimants who had representation at their hearings, were allowed benefits at a rate nearly 3 times higher than those without … [Read more...]
Potential Changes to Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2018
On January 11, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance to state Medicaid directors, allowing them to waive the current Medicaid rules and impose more restrictive eligibility standards. Among the permissible changes to the … [Read more...]
Where should I file my disability claim?
SSA is a federal program and the rules do not vary state to state, but the approval rates and even the time it takes to get your case heard, vary greatly by region, state and hearing office. There are just parts of our country where the Judges tend … [Read more...]
