Articles Posted in Social Security Disability Insurance

According to a recent news article from The San Diego Tribune, the wait for a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) appeals hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ) is averaging 540 days for many claimants. These are the hearings held at the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) offices around the nation.

stopwatchWhen someone first becomes disabled to the point where he or she can no longer work, that person will typically apply for a type of disability benefits known as Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. This program was designed to help those who have worked for a large portion of their adult lives before suffering a disability that no longer allows that person to work.  In some cases, we are dealing with former members of the U.S. military that have already exhausted their options with the Veterans Administration (VA), and, in other cases, we are dealing with people who have been injured on the job and have already reached Maximum Medical Intervention (MMI) in the workers’ compensation cases and are in need of Social Security disability benefits. Continue reading

Crowd source online funding campaigns are getting increasingly more popular these days.  While we first saw these services used for new inventors trying to raise the money to develop prototypes and get their new ideas to markets, we now typically see these funding campaigns when someone becomes serious ill or a family suffers some other type of tragedy.

cashWhile these online funding campaigns can certainly be helpful and can result in a lot of money being raised, they can also result in the termination of Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) benefits, according to a recent report from AOL News. Continue reading

According to a recent article from GoUpstate.com, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are a lifeline to those who are too young to retire, but can no longer able to work due to an injury or illness. The article takes a look at what happens when you work for a living for many years and that hard work takes a real toll on your body and you can no longer work and earn an income.

948188_learning_with_pencilThere are some that suffer a muscle and skeletal breakdown for many years of working.  Others will become sick with an acute illness, such as cancer or organ failure, have a stroke, or be in a car accident.  While there are possibly lawsuits that can be filed and workers’ compensation, you may eventually be out of options and need help to make ends meet. Continue reading

While the United States Social Security disability program has become somewhat of a partisan issue in recent years, it once had a broad base of support from both sides of the aisle.  This was certainly true when it was created, and the enabling act was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.  When it was first created, there was a six-month waiting period to get benefits, there were no benefits to children or spouses, and the program was only available to adults 50 years of age and older.

stopwatchOver the past several decades, there have been a lot of changes to the program.  Formally, there were two separate programs created.  One is called the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, and the other is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.  The SSDI program is the larger of the two programs and is designed to pay benefits to working Americans who have become disabled and can no longer work and take care of themselves and their families. Continue reading

A recent news feature from USA Today answers the question of a reader who is wondering what happens to her Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits when she turns 67 and begins receiving her Social Security Old Age and Retirement benefits.

magnifying-glass-1254223When most people think of getting Social Security benefits, they are likely thinking of the Old Age and Retirement program that provides everyone who was worked and paid taxes with a monthly benefits award when you reach retirement age.  In an effort to reduce the amount of benefits paid out by the program in order to save money, Congress has raised the age of eligibility, so that people must be older to get retirement benefits. Continue reading

In Harvey v. Colvin, a case from the United Sates Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, claimant applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, and his application was rejected.  The federal agency responsible for running this and other disability programs is the United States Social Security Administration (SSA).

hospitalIn this case, claimant asserted that she suffered from various severe impairments, including a mood disorder, anxiety, lasting effects from a brain tumor that had been removed, various spinal conditions including scoliosis, and various other medical conditions.  However, the SSA found she was not disabled, because, while her medical conditions were in fact severe, they were not listed impairments. Continue reading

In Igo v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, claimant appealed the United States Social Security Administration’s (SSA) denial of his application for disability benefits.

woman2Claimant filed for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits because he had been suffering from painful osteoarthritis in his hip, as well as degenerative disorder of this hips, chronic shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and various other musculoskeletal disorders. Continue reading

There is an oft-made argument this election that many people receiving disability benefits would rather sit at home and collect a monthly benefits check than go work.  This could not be farther from the truth, as the vast majority of people on disability would much rather be healthy and working than collecting a Social Security disability check.

1078874_word_work_on_the_dices-300x214There are a few reasons we know this to be true.  One is that when Congress set up the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) systems, they set the monthly benefits award at an amount lower than what they consider substantial gainful activity.  In fact, they wanted the maximum benefits award to be around 80 percent lower than what someone could make if they were working.  The reason for this is very clear in that they do not want any extra incentives to sit at home and collect an SSDI benefits check instead of working. Continue reading

There is no question that applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can be a long a daunting process.  The first thing a claimant must do is to file an application with the Social Security Administration (SSA).  This application should be accompanied by supporting medical documentation to show that claimant is actually disabled.

pencil-tip-1251776Once the application is submitted, unfortunately, SSA will probably deny it.  In fact, most applications are rejected on their first pass, and it has little to do with whether the claimant is actually disabled.  This is basically an unwritten rule that the applications are rejected a lot of the time.  The reason for this is because it is a way to save money. Continue reading

According to a recent news feature from the Wisconsin Watchdog, the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) has fired a whistleblower – and some members of Congress are not happy with this action by the administrative agency.

whistle-1419514For those who are not familiar with SSA, it is the federal agency that is responsible for administering the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSDI is a disability program designed told help disabled individuals who have worked long enough to accrue the requisite number of quarterly credits to qualify for benefits.  Every time a worker pays his or her taxes, a portion of that tax money goes to the fund the SSDI program and the SSI program as well as the Old Age and Retirement benefits fund, which is also run by the SSA. Continue reading

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