Social Security Disability

President Trump recently signed a bill into law that will affect individuals who handle Social Security payments for people with disabilities.  It is known as the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018 and was approved unanimously by Congress. The law bars individuals with certain criminal convictions from…

“Susan” applied for Social Security Disability benefits last April due to mental health issues that prevent her from working.  Her initial application, like two-thirds of all disability claims, was denied, so with the help of an attorney, she applied for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). “Susan waited…

Disability benefits are based on how much you earned when you were working and how much money you paid into the system.  This calculation is called your primary insurance amount. You can generate an estimate of your likely payment using an online tool on the Social Security Administration’s website. You…

The Social Security Administration’s budget has been cut by almost 11% after adjusting for inflation since 2010.  Since that time, the agency has lost 3,500 employees. Under the funding level for fiscal year 2019 proposed by the Trump Administration, another 1,000 field office staff will be cut. The House Ways…

During 2016 and 2017, the number of people who died while waiting to learn if they qualified for Social Security Disability benefits increased to 18,701, according to a Social Security Administration report.   This unfortunate reality is the outcome of increasingly long wait times before claimants find out if they…

The Social Security Administration defines disability as the inability to perform substantial gainful activity because of a medical problem that has lasted or is expected to last twelve consecutive months or result in death.  There are some strategies you can employ once you have filed for SSD benefits to help…

A recent bipartisan agreement to raise the caps on discretionary spending in 2018 and 2019 calls for more funding for the Social Security Administration’s operating budget.  The SSA’s budget shrank by 11 percent between 2010 and 2017, even as the SSA’s workload grew. A consequence of these deep cuts is…

If you find you can’t work due to a severe injury or illness, you should consider filing for Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.  These benefits will provide a modest income that will help pay your rent or mortgage, and cover other basic needs. To qualify…

From the time you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, it could take more than three years to receive a final decision if your claim is denied initially, and most claims are. The Social Security Administration has a strict definition of what qualifies as a disability.  To qualify you must…

Social Security Disability Insurance is not a welfare program.  It is a social insurance program that works for people who have paid into the system over the course of many years.  The program is meant to protect against a risk that one day an employee’s body will fail him or…