Articles Posted in Boston SSDI

Anyone who thinks that obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance benefits is a cakewalk (i.e., numerous political pundits) has obviously never had to endure the process.

Even for those with clear impairment, a benefits awared can take years, and is often complicated by several denials before claimants win final approval.

Our Boston SSDI lawyers mention this not to discourage claimants from filing, but to encourage them to be fully prepared. A big part of that involves making sure the chosen legal firm has a wealth of experience in successfully guiding clients through the process.
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There is definite relief associated with receiving approval of your Boston Social Security Disability Insurance claim.

But that might not be the last time you need an attorney. If the Social Security Administration determines at any point that you’ve been overpaid benefits, the agency can come after you to collect the difference. This is true regardless of whether the error occurred because of an administrative oversight or your own failure to provide updated or sufficient information to the agency.

Our Boston SSDI lawyers have handled numerous cases in which we have successfully requested waivers in these cases so that clients can avoid paying hefty lump sums or penalties.
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The Social Security Administration makes it notoriously difficult for people to secure federal disability benefits. In fact, a rigorous process is applied to almost every case, and the denial rate is over 50 percent.

Now, our Social Security Disability Insurance attorneys in Massachusetts have learned that a number of upcoming changes may make the process even tougher. This makes having strong legal representation all the more important for applicants moving forward.

As reported recently by The Wall Street Journal, those changes include updating listings for use by vocational experts, updating qualification requirements, require full disclosure of all medical records, initiatives to reduce backlogs, anti-fraud investigations and further scrutiny of Social Security Administration judges.
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Filing for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in Boston is a notoriously tedious process, which is why you won’t find many people doing it out of anything but necessity.

However, there are situations in which an applicant’s health is likely to deteriorate far more rapidly than the average applicant. In these cases, unlike most others, a diagnosis alone is basis enough for receiving benefits. In turn, the Social Security Administration fast-tracks these applications as part of the Compassionate Allowance program.

In these cases, submission of the proper paperwork to the correct location in a timely manner is still essential, which is why hiring an SSDI attorney is highly recommended. The difference is if you have a condition on the Compassionate Allowance list, you can expect to receive benefits a lot sooner – in some cases within just 20 days.

And now, the SSA has announced it is adding 25 new conditions to the Compassionate Allowance list, bringing the total number to 200. (Thirty-five new conditions had last been added to the list in December 2012.)
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A recent report indicates that the number of adults newly diagnosed with cystic fibrosis is on the rise.

Cystic fibrosis is a disease with a reputation for destroying the lungs of children. It’s an incurable genetic condition that often claims the lives of sufferers before they reach adulthood. In the 1950s, few children with the disease lived to attend elementary school.

Today, many people with the condition can expect to live into their 30s, 40s and even beyond. In some cases, people the disease may not even recognize they have it until they reach middle age.
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Many a Boston Social Security Disability Insurance claim has been denied because the claimant was unable to prove disability so severe that it rendered him unable to perform even sedentary work.

Of course, one must consider that for someone who worked in a very physical occupation, such as nursing or construction, opportunities for employment will be extremely limited for someone who has severe limitations with regard to sitting, standing, walking, squatting, pushing, pulling and lifting.

Yet this is the standard that is so often applied by the Social Security Administration and the Administrative Law Judge, who is responsible for reviewing the claim if it’s rejected and then appealed.
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A 40-year-old former construction worker suffered from a host of alcohol-related ailments when he first applied for federal disability benefits in 2010. He had been employed full-time, but was unable to work due to abdominal pain resulting from cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis C, an umblicial hernia and low platelet count.

According to the court records, these conditions had been diagnosed years earlier and without exception, had been either caused or exacerbated by alcoholism. However, that does not rule him out as a candidate for federal benefits.

Anyone seeking to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in Boston should know that addiction alone doesn’t preclude a person being able to successfully obtain benefits.

But it is important that you stop using.
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Disabled individuals often have a very difficult time finding work, despite laws requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for those with a disability. Unfortunately, a new study now indicates that those who are disabled who are employed are paid around 10 percent less than other workers who hold similar jobs.

The lower pay rate is just one of many obstacles faced by disabled workers who are trying to make a living. Our Boston disability insurance lawyers know that many people with severe impairments struggle to find enough income to survive, either through a job or through disability benefits programs. Those who are disabled need to understand their rights so they can protect themselves in a system that seems stacked against them.
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