This is the 2023 Social Security disability “waterfall chart.”  It shows the approval/denial rates at all stages of the SSD process.  Compared to 2022, hearing approvals are down by around 6% (45% approval in 2023 vs. 51% approval rate in 2022). The post SSD Case Approval Rates – the 2023 Waterfall Chart appeared first on Social Security Disability | Expert Help | Free Case Evaluation ..read more

This is a news story from a Colorado TV station.  If the video doesn’t play this is a news story about a Colorado woman with chronic back problems, sciatica, diabetes with neuropathy and other severe impairments who became homeless while waiting for Social Security to make a decision on her application for benefits.  She waited over a year and a half before receiving a denial notice. Her attorney was interviewed by the reported and commented that the attorney’s office was having a huge problem getting documents to SSA.  They submitted the same documents – presumably medical reco ..read more

I previously wrote a post about Social Security’s trial work period program but that was back in 2007 so its time for an update. On of my YouTube viewers wrote me the following which I decided to answer here. I was recently contacted by SSDI to verify income they have had reported to them since my onset of 2017. I am currently approved as of 2019 and receive benefits for myself and 2 minor children (auxiliary beneficiaries). All of the income for the first 18 months was from an LTD carrier so I think I can easily explain that. Here’s my question if you have any time to add a thought. I was ab ..read more

If you are receiving SSI payments you know that your monthly check does not go very far. In 2022, the maximum an individual can receive from SSI is $841 per month. Obviously $841 per month does not go very far. Do you have the option to “upgrade” to SSDI disability benefits? Unfortunately the answer to this question is most likely “no.” SSDI is only available if you have sufficient earnings credits based on past work you have done and taxes paid into the Social Security system. If you applied for and were awarded SSI in the past, that means that you met SSA’s definition of “disability” but tha ..read more

Why does Social Security make it so difficult to qualify for SSDI benefits due to PTSD and what do you really need to win? I have represented hundreds of clients in PTSD cases – some are military veterans who served our country in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and many other places. Their PTSD often arises from seeing bombs explode nearby, seeing fellow soldiers or civilians killed by roadside bombs, or sometimes just living for months under unrelenting stress, never knowing from one minute to the next whether your life will be at risk. Other PTSD cases arise from sexual abuse, physical abuse, and ..read more

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: Filing for Disability After Age 62 – How the Numbers Work appeared first on Social Security Disability | Expert Help | Free Case Evaluation ..read more

The Social Security Administration recently announced a small increase to the maximum attorney fee that lawyers representing disability claimants will be paid. As usual, SSA took a simple idea and made it unduly complicated, causing confusion for everyone. Currently, if you hire a disability attorney to represent you under a “fee agreement” SSA will withhold 25% of your past due (lump sum) payment with a maximum fee of $6,000 if your case is approved and past due benefits are payable. The lump sum represents your monthly benefits that have accrued while you have been waiting for a decision. In ..read more

I have written about this issue before but, given the stress of the coronavirus pandemic, I think this question deserves another look because just about every case evaluation I see contains allegations of some mental health concern. I suspect we will be dealing with the repercussions of Covid-19 for years. In Atlanta, where I live, it seems that every night we see news stories of road rage shootings and other violent crimes. Entire sectors of the economy have been devastated, causing upheavals in the job markets. How many restaurants have closed over the past year? How many men and women in th ..read more

Several times a month I hear from a potential client who expresses dissatisfaction with their current attorney (or non-attorney representative) and wants me to review their claim for possible representation. In some cases the potential client has already dismissed the representative and is looking for new representation. Unfortunately Social Security makes it complicated to change attorneys – although it can be done. Delays in Your Case Arise from SSA’s Massive Dysfunction First, I would tell anyone who is thinking about firing their current representative to think twice about this step. The S ..read more

In my Social Security disability law practice I am seeing an increasing number of case inquiries from men and women struggling with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This surge in inquiries is in addition to our case inquiries from potential clients who are dealing with more organic mental illnesses like schizophrenia or the after effects of traumatic brain injury. Like many others, I suspect that the Covid pandemic is a trigger for increasing numbers of depression and anxiety related claims. Onsite work is stressful both because of concerns about becoming infected and ..read more