tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172073962024-10-03T12:45:25.879-07:00Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-74497841206487886222021-11-27T16:39:00.004-08:002021-11-27T16:41:42.836-08:00

It's been a very long time since I wrote anything on Disability Blogger. And that's a bit sad, because I used to write here all the time. I enjoyed this blog so much that I wrote a lot of "off-topic" content as well. Some of that I saved and I may repost it, because it usually had to do with things that are not even slightly related to SSD. But Google ruined that completely. Ever notice that

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-31813445219419800322018-09-24T14:15:00.002-07:002018-09-24T14:20:21.035-07:00

BULLSHIT ALERT! BULLSHIT ALERT! Whenever a republican member of Congress talks about "reforming" the disability system, they are really talking about one of the following: 1. getting rid of the system, 2. taking people off their benefits, or 3. making it harder for people to get disability. Here's a link to the article: How a bold new Disability Insurance proposal would benefit individuals

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-69001928556622906412018-07-12T10:09:00.002-07:002018-07-12T10:09:41.263-07:00

The disability system is federal. It operates under the same rules regardless of state. To be more precise, there is only one definition of disability, one set of grid rules, and one process for arriving at decisions on claims. That process entails evaluating a person's medical records to determine if they meet or equal a listing in the adult or childhood listings and, if a listing award is

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-32115694654995344102018-07-11T11:39:00.003-07:002018-07-11T11:46:03.178-07:00

This article from the NY Times details how disability applications have come down markedly from their peak at the low point of the recession. It's fairly common knowledge that economic downturns in a locality, state, or even the nation can have a serious impact on the numbers of claims being filed. And this last financial crisis and recession bore that out. However, there are other reasons

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-45609565405996719302018-04-18T10:53:00.001-07:002018-04-18T10:54:40.954-07:00

Being denied at a disability hearing is not necessarily the end of the road for a claim. Without a doubt, it can be difficult to endure since getting to a hearing in the first place can take 2-3 years (from the time of the application) and getting a decision from a judge can take months. The further thought of having to start over with a new claim or wait on an answer from the next appeal (

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-64066571885779282622018-04-18T10:50:00.002-07:002018-04-18T10:51:25.590-07:00

Very often, individuals assume that a certain diagnosis of a medical impairment may possibly result in a certain decision, or that the diagnosis is really what a disability examiner or judge at a hearing is looking for. And there are somewhat rare situations in which a simple diagnosis is enough to decide a claim. Usually, that's not the case, though. Most of the time, Social Security needs

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-28442447584249532602018-04-18T10:46:00.002-07:002018-04-18T10:47:58.817-07:00

Quite a few years ago, I regularly blogged about how Congress deliberately withheld funding from the Social Security Administration. This was usually under the guise of saving the taxpayer, or moving into the electronic age (i.e. pushing online disability applications and somehow thinking that you reduce the workforce because of it). The outcome was that only 1 out of every three employees who

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-31872065580137178092018-04-16T17:02:00.001-07:002018-04-16T17:16:11.630-07:00

So, apparently the Government Accounting office was tasked with delving into whether or not the expansion of private disability insurance, obtained through employers, would result in savings to the Social Security Disability Program. When I read things like this, I get a little suspicious. So someone in the govt has the idea that expanding employer-sponsored disability might result in savings to

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-61100344510658711002017-05-23T07:14:00.002-07:002017-05-23T07:16:03.825-07:00

Sadly, this is not "fakenews". It comes from the Trump Administration's Office of Management and Budget's director, Mick Mulvaney. 1. "The budget will call for a $72 billion cut over 10 years to the Social Security Disability Insurance. Mulvaney said this would inspire more people to get off disability and back to work." 2. "According to Bloomberg, the cuts to the food-stamp program in the

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-81383524630865849522017-05-23T07:12:00.000-07:002017-05-23T07:12:03.525-07:00

Will your SSD or SSI benefits increase if your condition worsens? Every once in a while, this question comes up. The answer is No, and that's because you get the max benefit you are entitled to when you are approved. For SSI, this is a set amount. For SSD, what you get is based on what you paid into the system through your years of work activity (your fica deductions from your paychecks).

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-39836777097647856902017-05-23T07:11:00.001-07:002017-05-23T07:11:06.575-07:00

Yes, the rules that govern most decisions are a little easier if you are at least 50 years old. However, individuals under 50 can also be approved provided their medical evidence satisfies the requirements of Social Security Disability and SSI. Regardless of whether a person is over 50 or under, the vast majority of all people who apply for disability will usually have to file appeals and

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-27190167922048754262017-05-23T07:10:00.000-07:002017-05-23T07:10:03.538-07:00

Most disability applications will receive a decision in under 90 days. If a person is denied and has to file a reconsideration appeal, that appeal will usually be faster, most often in under 60 days. This is largely because the reconsideration appeal is largely just a repeat of the application process. To speed up and help the appeal, make sure the disability examiner knows about your most

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-18370155658665448642017-05-23T07:08:00.002-07:002017-05-23T07:08:35.987-07:00

As a former disability examiner, I can tell you that the process does not rely just on your medical records. Examiners try to categorize the type of work you have done in the past to see if you can return to it, and also to see if you have skills that would transfer to some other type of work. This is why it is very important to provide accurate and detailed descriptions of your past work. #

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-31923090321385184032017-04-17T13:43:00.002-07:002017-04-17T13:43:33.403-07:00

How important is Social Security (and, by extension, Social Security Disability, since that is simply a person getting their Social Security early due to disability)? This is how important: "If Social Security income weren't available, the CBPP (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) estimates the senior poverty rate would be north of 40%! Data from the Social Security Administration (

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-15821593482242109672017-04-17T13:42:00.000-07:002017-04-17T13:42:05.900-07:00

Yes, as the article linked below states, if you cut payroll taxes (meaning that pesky fica deduction that comes out of a person's paycheck), then you cut the funding mechanism for Social Security and roughly half the country at retirement winds up with nothing, and nearly half of the rest winds up with much much less. The majority of Americans have less than $1000 on hand to deal with any kind of

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-83494585712888208632017-04-17T13:39:00.001-07:002017-04-17T13:39:31.417-07:00

According to a recent article, "In 2002, 44.6 percent of applications were approved. Since 2002, approval rates have declined, with rates hovering around 32 percent since 2014." This, of course, illustrates why it is important to submit an application that fully documents one's medical treatment sources and accurately lists all employment and job descriptions. And, it highlights the need for

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-8989078526465997102017-04-12T11:25:00.003-07:002017-04-12T11:26:50.241-07:00

This comes from a conservative rag, National Review, and it once again espouses the seriously screwed up mentality that when people fight to get their disability benefits, they are somehow choosing the easy road and taking a copout. I don't know where these people get their beliefs but they've obviously never had to see a friend or relative go through years of disability, pain, financial ruin,

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-24413862353535091862017-04-12T11:14:00.001-07:002017-04-12T11:14:34.630-07:00

How many people are denied disability? The figures on this vary by state and by year. Historically, about 70 percent of applicants for SSD and SSI have been denied at the application level. In recent years, about 77 percent have been denied and 23 percent have been approved. Truly, for the last 3 decades, getting approved for disability has been fairly difficult...despite the fact that members

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-32811184172396471222017-03-27T09:11:00.002-07:002017-03-27T09:12:28.288-07:00

No. This is one of the dumbest ideas imaginable. Why? 1. Stock market crash of 1987. 2. Stock market crash of 2000-2002. 3. Stock market crash of 2008-2009. Why does this question resurface now and then? Think about who promotes it. Wall Street does, because they can skim from it, just like they did with the rise of 401(k)s which, compared to traditional retirements, are a disaster.

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-8082246667119644522017-03-27T09:01:00.001-07:002017-03-27T09:01:19.755-07:00

People die waiting for a disability hearing (while Congress and the White House debate cutting it further) I have to admit I am a bit surprised to read this article in the Washington Times, a conservative leaning paper. Very often, such papers facilitate attacks on the disability system. Here are some quotes from the article. “The situation is really bad for the claimants right now. . The

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-45390776464190451482017-03-24T08:30:00.000-07:002017-03-24T08:57:33.591-07:00

If you thought Donald Trump wasn't planning to make an attack on Social Security Disability (remember: he promised never to touch Social Security and SSD is part of that), think again. And if you think this is "fake news", watch the video clip of Trump's budget director speaking. This Post article quotes his own budget director. Three of the most salient excerpts are: 1. "Office of

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-4976168063049203782017-03-24T08:17:00.001-07:002017-03-24T08:18:09.066-07:00

LIHEAP. It stands for "low income home energy assistance program". It's hard for me to believe that the new administration actually thinks its ok to cut this program. I mean, where are their brains? 6 Million people get heating assistance from LIHEAP which the Trump administration plans to cut. Before I became a disability claims examiner, I was a case worker for two separate

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-57006139891306466892017-03-24T08:13:00.002-07:002017-03-24T08:13:25.678-07:00

Meals on Wheels budget cuts amount to 32,000 fewer meals in one county alone. Meals on Wheels, the national nonprofit that provides food for the homebound elderly. "In Collin County, where the population of senior citizens has ballooned, Meals on Wheels will serve over 250,000 meals in 2017." This is a good example of what happens when you have a cabinet composed almost entirely of

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-34986852971950825342017-03-24T08:07:00.002-07:002017-03-24T08:08:40.217-07:00

These Congress members referenced in this article want to cut Social Security Disability benefits. This is not surprising since I've been watching these types of attacks on the disability system since the early 2000s. How are they attacking? Here's how: in the current system, if you prove you are disabled, the assumption is made that you may never work again at a substantial and gainful

Disability Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890188944381642816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17207396.post-21463945781233285952016-11-29T07:51:00.001-08:002016-11-29T07:54:12.460-08:00

Question: Who is entitled to back pay for children over eighteen if they are still in school and you have been paying everything for him or her. As to who is entitled to disability back pay for children over 18, the child (adult) who is eighteen is entitled to the back payment of benefits and the ongoing monthly payments. Social Security begins to pay all children their own benefits.

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