Midwest Disability
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This Social Security Disability blog by Midwest Disability, P.A. discusses significant legal issues of disabled people for residents of Minneapolis, Minneapolis. If you're seeking Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, complex laws and procedures stand between you and the help you need right now. In both cases, it is very important to have a lawyer who focuses exclusively on these..
Midwest Disability
1w ago
This will depend on the type of benefits for which you are eligible. If you are eligible for Social Security Disability Income (“SSDI”) benefits, the maximum individual payment in 2024 is $3,822. If you are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits, the maximum individual payment in 2024 is $943, while the maximum payment for a couple is $1,415 ..read more
Midwest Disability
1w ago
Congress and Social Security disability rules prohibit people from being given disability benefits if their ONLY conditions are alcoholism or drug addiction. Other underlying conditions, either mental or physical, must exist and be disabling for benefits to be received. Often, treatment for addictions and/or significant periods of sobriety established in medical records is required before benefits will be given. This is especially true of cases that involve mainly mental health issues. Claimants can help their case by seeking counseling, psychiatric treatment, addiction counseling or medicatio ..read more
Midwest Disability
1w ago
The social security administration has the requirement that all impairments must last at least 12 months, or be expected to, or result in the claimants death. What this means in practice, is that if someone has an accident and breaks their leg, the Social Security Administration will not consider this an impairment for disability until it has lasted at least 12 months. This is due to the fact that most fractures heal and do not leave lasting impairment. Obviously this can differ from person to person, and many people do have lasting impairment that keeps them from working, which is why the Soc ..read more
Midwest Disability
2w ago
Each year millions of people apply for Social Security Disability benefits. However, majority of these individuals are denied at the initial and reconsideration level. While every case is extremely different with its own set of issues and factors to consider, there are four things you can do to help improve the strength of your case when filing for benefits. First, educate yourself about what the Social Security Administration considers as disabled. This definition of disability has a lot to do with your medical issues, age, education, and past work. Second, make sure to receive treatment and ..read more
Midwest Disability
2w ago
You may have heard of the term “alleged onset of disability” (AOD) before. Your alleged onset of disability is essentially the date you met the criteria of disability and became unable to work (See blog post Alleged Onset date or “AOD”: What it Means and Why it is Important to learn more). Your alleged onset date is often the date you stopped working due to your disabling impairments. However, it is important to note that these alleged onset dates are not set in stone. They can be changed by a judge or by your own motion to amend. An administrative law judge has the ability to amend your onset ..read more
Midwest Disability
3w ago
Work is often monotonous. People perform the same tasks throughout the day. If they keep the same job, they may do the same work for many years. Consistently performing the same job functions can lead to increased skill. Employees who have always worked in specific professions can become experts in their fields. Manufacturing employees may learn all of the tasks on a production line. They may even learn how to troubleshoot equipment. However, doing the same work for years has its downsides. The longer someone performs the same work, the more likely they are to injure their bodies. Repetitive s ..read more
Midwest Disability
3w ago
As pandemic regulations have largely subsided and Social Security has again opened hearing offices, I’ve encountered some clients who insist on having their hearing in-person instead of over the phone, which has become the standard format for these hearings. The thinking behind this is that it’s better to be seen by a judge who is in the same room, and that if a judge can see you are in pain, or have difficulty walking, the judge will be more likely to approve your case. While this seems like common sense, in my experience, in-person hearings seem to do almost do more harm than good. Even befo ..read more
Midwest Disability
3w ago
While filing for disability, some claimants decide to pursue a college degree. There are some good reasons for this. It’s something many people put off while working, and it’s easier than ever to get a degree now that many classes are online. The good news is that Social Security does not have any explicit regulations that state that someone who is going to school full or part-time cannot collect disability benefits. However, it can certainly make it more difficult to qualify for disability benefits. While going to school and working are two different activities, Social Security may use the fa ..read more
Midwest Disability
1M ago
Social Security will often schedule a claimant for what is called a consultative examination. They might even schedule you for multiple! Often, there is one physical examination and one psychological examination. These examinations are done by doctors who Social Security pays, so you will not be expected to pay a co-pay or anything at all for the visit, or for any x-rays or tests they may do. Social Security sends claimants to these examinations to get more evidence in the file so they have enough evidence to make a decision, so if you are scheduled for consultative examinations, it is very im ..read more
Midwest Disability
1M ago
Unfortunately, the Social Security process is extremely lengthy from start to finish. It is not uncommon for it to take years to finally receive a decision awarding you benefits. Therefore, when you are finally awarded benefits, it is likely that you are entitled to collect some sort of backpay in your case. In order to correctly calculate this, you must consider the type of benefits you are eligible for (SSDI v. SSI) as well as the date of disability (determined by the judge in the decision), date of filing (your application), and the 5-month waiting period for SSDI claims. These backpay rule ..read more