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A lawmaker in South Boston is arguing in favor of a bill to mandate state contractors hire enough disabled workers to perform contracted services so employees with disabilities make up 10 percent of the workforce. Hiring disabled workers would become a condition for any contract for services, including landscaping contracts, custodial work, mail room work, trash removal, manufacturing, and management of state and local facilities. SSDI

While the Boston Herald reports critics argue the bill would add significant costs to contracts with the state, proponents believe it would help to ensure jobs are made available to disabled people who want to work. Currently, unemployment rates in Massachusetts are very high for people with disabling conditions. With it so difficult to find work, many people who have physical or mental conditions want to try getting jobs but are not actually able to get hired.

This puts disabled workers into difficult positions, especially if they have hard time getting approved for Social Security Disability benefits. Many initial applications for disability benefits are denied, and disabled individuals often must seek help from Boston SSDI lawyers to be able to get benefits. The process can be very stressful, especially when disabled workers know their condition prevents them from having a job and recognize high unemployment rates for the disabled make the likelihood of finding work even worse. Continue reading

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In the past few decades, autism has been getting a lot more attention, as the number of cases has grown exponentially. Research and related therapies have followed.

Boston SSDI LawyerWhile there are more services in place now than in years past to help children with autism and their families, including components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), those attending school will either graduate or age out. For those who are on the severe end of the spectrum and their families, this can raise a host of new challenges.  A recent article from Disability Scoop discusses how the U.S. Department of Education needs to start transitioning students earlier than they do now, with a current start at the age of 16.
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College is more expensive than ever. Undergraduate tuition has risen to seemingly astronomical amounts in the past couple of decades to where most students will have no choice but to borrow huge amounts of money to attend college.  Just to get an idea of the numbers, tuition at Boston College for undergrad is just under $50,000 a year, with the cost of total attendance estimated to be more than $65,000.  People who also go graduate school are incurring around half a million dollars in debt on average, and that trend does not seem to be slowing anytime soon.

Boston SSDI LawyerThis seems okay at the time, because the plan is to go to school and then get a job that allows the borrower to pay back the loan one month at a time for the next thirty years.  However, things don’t always go as planned.  What happens to a person who takes out $250,000 in loans and then becomes disabled? There is no way a person can live on Social Security Disability Income of around $1,200 a month and still make loan payments.  One might think that this would mean you default on your student loans and don’t have to pay until you can, but that is not how it works in many cases. Continue reading

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There are currently around 11 million Americans who are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.  While this may seem like a very large number, it is actually much smaller than the number of Americans who are disabled and should be getting benefits, but there is not enough funding in the budget, and the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) makes it unreasonably difficult to qualify for benefits in many cases.

wheelchair7One thing to keep in mind, however, is that when a person becomes disabled, he or she is not likely the only one affected.  For example, let’s say that mother of two children who is married becomes disabled and can no longer work.  This happens all the time.  If she applies for benefits, she will likely be denied at first and will face a long road ahead if she plans to eventually qualify for much-needed Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Continue reading

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According to a recent news article from Disability Scoop, there is a bipartisan effort among some in Congress to make some changes to the Achieving a Better Life Experience bill more commonly referred to as the ABLE Act, or simply as ABLE.

workABLE was passed into law in 2014, and it was something that had never been done before.  It created a way for disabled Americans who receive government benefits to save a certain amount of money in special accounts without running the risk of losing their disability benefits. This includes Social Security disability as well as other types of benefits provided by the federal government.  This program does apply to Medicaid in certain situations. Continue reading

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During the populist candidacy of Donald J. Trump, he promised to make a lot of cuts to so-called big government. At the same time, he promised to leave the Social Security system alone.  This includes both the Social Security disability benefits system and the Social Security Old Age and Retirement system.

cashThe likely reason he made this promise is because many of those in his base survive solely off the Social Security disability benefits system and the Social Security retirement benefits system.  In fact, recent reports have shown that many who are unable able to find jobs in many areas that strongly voted for Mr. Trump have turned to the disability system to make ends meet. Continue reading

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A recent case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit involves claimant who applied for both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).   As often happens whenever a claimant first applies for Social Security disability benefits, the application is denied.  We would say quickly denied, but as those who have worked with the system know, there is not all that much that happens quickly at the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).  The SSA is the federal agency created by Congress to oversee the Social Security disability and retirement benefits programs.

nurseIn this case, claimant applied for Social Security disability benefits based upon claims that he has asthma, diabetes, hepatitis C, liver damage, uveitis of the eye, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression, hepatomegaly, coronary artery disease (CAD) and various other serious medical conditions. Continue reading

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It takes a long time to finally be awarded Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits beginning from the date of filing a first claim to the final benefits decision. For many, this process will take over a year, and, in some cases, it will take two years.

workIn addition to the wait, successful claimants will probably have to file at least two appeals and have a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ).  In some cases, the claimant will have to file an appeal with the U.S. District Court or even the U.S. Court of Appeals.  Continue reading

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In this past presidential election, many Americans and much of the world were shocked by the seemingly impossible result of Donald Trump’s victory.  One of the major reasons that Mr. Trump was ultimately elected was his huge support among those who live in what have become known as “flyover states.”  This term largely refers to the states in the geographic middle of America, which most people only see from airline windows when flying on transcontinental flights, and, rarely, if ever, actually go to as a destination.

SSDI benefitsOne thing that cannot be denied is that many in these areas are struggling economically, and according to a recent news article from the Washington Post, many are turning to disability benefits for help.  Interestingly, this article is suggesting these people may be “just desperate” rather than disabled.  Another interesting point is that the White House is using the increase in numbers on the Social Security disability roles due in large part from these residents of flyover states as justification for cutting the program. However, the White House is blaming the Obama administration and strongly implying the increased number of disabled Americans receiving benefits is a result of those in the inner cities of America instead of rural America. Continue reading

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There is no question it takes a considerable amount of time to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. In fact, the wait can be over a year is some places. In some jurisdictions with an even greater backlog, the wait is approaching two years.

stopwatchBefore we discuss issues dealing with the SSDI’s Compassionate Allowances program, it may be helpful to first look at how the application and approval process works in a typical case.  The first thing that happens is a claimant will get a letter form their treating physician that says claimant is unable to perform work or otherwise engage in substantial gainful activity. Continue reading

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