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In Lesterhuis v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, claimant was 47 years old and had an 11th grade education. He was employed as commercial truck driver for a food distribution company. While working for employer, claimant injured his back in 2008.

901196_driverIn the years following his injury, claimant had a variety of treatments, including various surgical procedures, but there had not been much improvement in his condition.   He filed a claim for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in 2009 with his disability date listed as 2008. His claim was initially denied, so he filed a request for an administrative hearing. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits hearings are presided over by an administrative law judge (ALJ) who is employed by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA). Continue reading

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According to a recent news feature from Huffington Post, people seem indifferent about the recent budget deal designed to prevent 11 million beneficiaries from facing 20 percent cuts in their benefits, hire new administrative law judges (ALJs) and make some changes to how the system operates. Had this or some other deal not been reached, the 20 percent benefits reduction would have been imposed across the board starting in late 2016. There would also be an increase in Medicare Part B premiums of over 50 percent had a deal not been reached.

white-house-washington-dc-november-2006-658257-mAdvocacy groups involved in the process of creating the legislation were essentially strong-armed into supporting it, because failure to support such a deal would result in the needless suffering on millions of Americans for which they purport to speak. One of the things they did not like about the bill was that it ends one program used by nearly half the states to award disability benefits to applicants, in some cases where they did not have independent medical exams. They obviously see this as a loss. Continue reading

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According to a recent news article from Mother Jones, the United States Affordable Care ACT (ACA), more commonly referred to as Obamacare, may be able to offer assistance to those struggling with the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits application process.

673854_doctor_patient_relationshipOne man interviewed for the news feature was diagnosed with a very rare medical condition that was also very expensive to treat.   He had just lost his job and knew that it was not worth looking for another one, because, with his medical condition, he would not be able work enough hours at a low paying job to come anywhere close to being able to support himself. Instead, he decided it would be better to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Continue reading

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For at least the past year, we have been hearing a lot from the media and politicians running for presidential nominations about how the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits program and the Supplemental Security Income programs would run out of money in late 2016, resulting in a reduction of benefits by 19 percent across the board.   This across the board 19 percent budget cut would mean for the nearly 10 million Americans currently collecting disability benefits, their respective checks would be cut by 19 percent, leaving many of them below the federal poverty line with no way to take care of themselves and their families.   The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) runs both disability programs, as well as the Old Age and Retirement Program of which most people are familiar.

writing-a-check-2-701013-mWhile this budget crisis was getting closer, many politicians, mostly Democrats, were advocating for a reallocation of resources from the Social Security retirement program to the disability benefits programs. Even though Social Security Administration runs both the disability and retirement programs, the money comes from different funds, because they are not designated for the same purpose in terms of who the beneficiaries are. This would be relatively easy to do, since the retirement program is funded through the year 2034, according to most estimates, and it would only take enough money to reduce that number by one year to fully fund the disability program for at least the next 15 years. Continue reading

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More and more Americans with disabilities are striving to overcome their disabilities and show the world that they can do anything they want.   As we find ourselves in National Disability Employment Awareness month, the idea of people being able to work despite their disability becomes a major focus.

1078874_word_work_on_the_dicesA recent article from Logan Daily News looks at how this fight to overcome disabilities works in relation to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits program. First, the article discusses one major misconception the general public and politicians have about those who are receiving disability benefits. This misconception is that people who collect disability benefits from Social Security have never worked a day in their lives and choose to sit at home collecting benefits instead of working. Continue reading

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Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can be a long and daunting process. The reason for this is because the system is basically set up in a way that is designed to reject more than half of applicants, and, in many of these rejections, there is little relation to the merits of the claim.

609764_playing_it_safeA recent article from The Global Dispatch looks at some common mistakes when filing for Social Security Disability and some tips for how to avoid making these mistakes. One of the first tings you can do to avoid making mistakes is be prepared.  Continue reading

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After years of fighting the Global War On Terror, there are more disabled veterans living in America who can no longer work and are no longer in the armed forces. Many of these disabled veterans are receiving benefits from the United States Veterans Administration (VA), but these benefits are not enough to make ends meet. Many of these veterans are asking whether they can apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits while also collecting VA benefits. A recent article from PBS deals with this issue.

peacekeeping-soldiers-1202476-mThe article focused on a question from a person currently collecting VA benefits. He said the VA awarded him benefits with a 100 percent disability rating in 1994. He went on to say that when he applied for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, he was told he didn’t qualify, because he was already collecting VA benefits. Veteran said he accepted what they told him and didn’t pursue his case any further. He did feel bad about that fact that he had even bothered them by asking about benefits. However, he also felt a little upset, because he had paid into the system since he was 16 years old. Continue reading

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In addition to the ridiculous claims that many people who are collecting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are not really as disabled as they are claiming to be, there are some allegations that people are committing outright fraud to obtaining disability benefits under false pretenses. While we see these claims surface on the news from time to time, they really represent a very minor problem in light of the nearly 10 million Americans who are truly disabled and very much in need of their monthly benefits.

hand-cuffs-12754-mAccording to a recent news article from Star Telegram, a woman who is now 53 claimed she was suffering from severe hallucinations from the age of 15. She also claimed she had other family members with severe mental illness.   According to court records, she also told screeners at the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) that her entire family was stricken with mental illness. Prosecutors are claiming this was part of an elaborate ruse to fraudulently obtain more than $500,000 in public benefits to which she and her family was not entitled. Continue reading

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According to a recent news article from the Los Angeles Times, there is not likely going to be a cost of living allowance (COLA) for beneficiaries of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program and the Social Security Retirement and Old Age benefits system.

tightened100dollarrollWhile it may seem the reason there is no cost of living allowance for Social Security disability benefits recipients is because the money will run out in 2016, and there will be a 20 percent reduction in the budget, this is not the reason being suggested. It is now being suggested that gas prices are to blame. Continue reading

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Since there has been no movement toward fixing the impending budget shortfall facing the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, experts are still predicting funding for the program will run out in late 2016, and this will mean that the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) only has enough money to pay 80 percent of all disability benefits claims.

948188_learning_with_pencilBased upon the way in which the system works, there will be about nine million Social Security Disability Insurance benefits recipients who will be facing a 20 percent reduction in benefits late next year. In order to prevent this from happening, several think tanks and public policy organizations have been making suggestions as to how Congress can avert the budget shortfall and help make sure the this same thing does not happen again in the future. Continue reading

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