For the last two years, we have been hearing a lot about how the Social Security disability fund will run out of money in late 2016 if nothing is done. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program comprise what people are talking about…
Alaura v. Colvin, an appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, involves a claimant who was hit in the back of his head by an attacker armed with a barstool. The 22-year-old claimant suffered a shattered skull as a result of the attack. After victim…
As many are now aware, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs are facing a major budget shortage if Congress does not fix the problem soon. Specifically, by late 2016, there will be a 19 percent budget shortage for the disability programs, which will…
Brown-Hunter v. Colvin, an appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, involved an interesting issue about what an administrative law judge (ALJ) is and is not allowed to do with respect to denying Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. An…
Stepp v. Carolyn Colvin, an appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, involved a woman who used to work as a correctional officer, a training supervisor, and parole coordinator, who applied for social security disability benefits after suffering from a degenerative disc disease. In addition…
Same-sex marriage has been recognized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 2004, when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued its opinion on the landmark case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. While this was a great stride forward for same-sex couples, it did not mean that they could…
When you have a disability that was not caused by an on-the-job injury, and you do not have private long term disability insurance, Social Security disability insurance is probably your best way to get disability benefits to allow you to pay your bill and make ends meet. However, getting approved…
Those who watch the Discovery Chanel or National Geographic on a regular basis know that fishing reality shows have become very popular. First, there was the Deadliest Catch, which started the craze for these types of shows, and, since then, there have been numerous other similar shows about sword fishing,…
Aside from the budget crisis facing the Social Security program next year, one of the recurring themes is that many beneficiaries currently receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are basically gaming the system and collecting a check when they really could be working. This criticism is often made along…
With the presidential election drawing closer, Republican candidates have ramped up their number of comments about what do to fix the program. While the candidates appear resolute in their vows not to fund the program in the near future, Congress recently passed a resolution making it more difficult to shift…