Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog

August 28, 2025

SSDI News You Can Use: What Changed in August and September 2025

As advocates for individuals living with disabilities, we utilize our SSDI blog to translate government updates into actionable guidance. The last two months have brought several meaningful developments that affect how benefits are paid, how quickly some claims are processed, and what to expect from next year’s cost-of-living adjustment. Below, our SSDI advocates break down each change, explain who is affected, and share simple action steps you can take now.

Electronic payments are becoming the rule: paper checks end September 30, 2025

The U.S. Department of the Treasury will stop issuing paper checks for most federal payments on September 30, 2025, and that includes Social Security Disability Insurance. If you are one of the relatively small number of people still receiving a paper check, you will need to switch to direct deposit or to the Treasury-sponsored Direct Express debit card. Treasury is steering the change to cut fraud, speed up delivery, and reduce costs. You can enroll in several ways, including contacting your bank, using your my Social Security account, visiting GoDirect.gov, or calling the Electronic Payment Solution Center at 800-967-6857.

July 20, 2025

Major July SSDI Updates: Faster Disability Approvals and New Overpayment Recoupment Rules

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

At Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, we are dedicated to keeping our clients and the community informed about significant changes to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. July and early August 2025 brought two significant developments that could have a substantial impact on current and future recipients. These changes include an expansion of the Compassionate Allowances list, which streamlines disability approvals, and a new overpayment recovery policy that could reduce monthly benefits by up to half for some recipients.

If you have questions about how these changes might affect your benefits, speaking with a knowledgeable social security disability lawyer can be invaluable. Our team can guide you through the application or appeals process, ensuring your rights and benefits are fully protected.

Faster Approvals Through Expanded Compassionate Allowances

June 30, 2025

Social Security Checks at Risk: What Seniors Need to Know Before June 2025

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Beginning with benefit payments issued in June 2025, millions of older Americans who are behind on federal student loans will see up to 15 percent of their Social Security income diverted to satisfy that unpaid debt. The Department of Education has already mailed some 195,000 collection notices, and every one of the roughly 5.3 million borrowers in default is expected to receive similar warnings over the summer.

At Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, we understand how disruptive and frightening this reduction can be. Social Security Disability Insurance is often the sole or primary source of income for retirees and for individuals living with disabilities. Below, we break down why the garnishments are restarting, who is most at risk, and, most importantly, what legal and financial tools you still have to protect your monthly check.

The Treasury Offset Program Is Back

November 8, 2024

New SSDI Updates in 2025

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Several updates to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are set to take effect in 2025, impacting beneficiaries and applicants alike. Our law firm provides an overview of the key changes:

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA): SSDI benefits will increase by 2.5% in 2025, reflecting the annual COLA designed to offset inflation. This adjustment raises the average SSDI benefit to approximately $1,580, with the maximum benefit reaching $4,018 monthly.

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) Thresholds: In 2025, the SGA thresholds, which determine the maximum earnings allowed while maintaining SSDI eligibility, will rise. For non-blind individuals, the SGA limit increases from $1,550 to $1,620 per month, and for blind individuals, it rises from $2,590 to $2,700 per month.

January 22, 2024

Social Security Administration Announces 2023 Cost-of-Living Adjustment

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Social Security Administration announced that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2023 is 8.7%. This is the highest increase since 1981. The COLA will go into effect on January 1, 2023, for approximately 65 million Americans receiving Social Security benefits. Those receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will see an increase in payments starting on Dec. 30, 2022.

What Will The Average Increase Be?

Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits will increase on average by $119 per month.

May 14, 2023

How Long Should You Wait to Apply for Disability Benefits?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When you become disabled and can no longer work to support yourself, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Unfortunately, myths and misinformation surrounding the application process could compromise your claim, such as waiting a certain period to apply. You must apply as soon as possible for your best chance at benefits as soon as you learn about your disability.

Social Security Wait Times Highest in Over a Decade

There are several reasons why you should not wait to apply for disability benefits. Most importantly, wait times are near an all-time high due to a significant staffing shortage and a growing claims backlog. As of December 2022, the average time for a decision from Social Security is seven months – the longest in 14 years.

May 14, 2023

What is the Difference Between SSD and SSI?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When you become disabled and can no longer work to support yourself, it could be a tremendous stressor for you and your family. Fortunately, Social Security Disability benefits are available for millions of Americans to rely on for vital financial relief.

However, there are different kinds of Social Security benefits, and the qualifications for each vary. To determine which benefits are right for you, speak with a skilled Boston Social Security Disability attorney, who will walk you through your options and handle the claims process every step of the way.

At Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, we receive many Social Security questions, with one in particular that is most frequent: what is the difference between two of the most common SSA programs, Social Security Disability (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?

July 31, 2019

SSDI Derivative Benefits for Exes, Spouses, Children

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

If you’re receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (or plan to apply) and are also weighing a divorce or in the midst of one, you should know there may be an impact if you are to receive spousal support. Marriage, too, can have an impact.

No one gets married presuming they may get divorced, just as no one anticipates suffering an injury that will leave them unable to work. Yet 40 to 50 percent of U.S. marriages end in divorce, according to the American Psychological Association, and roughly 130 workers out of every 1,000 are injured on-the-job or become sick as the result of workplace conditions.

(Although workers’ compensation benefits require proof that an injury/illness occurred in the course and scope of employment, the same is not true of SSDI. As our Boston SSDI attorneys can explain, one needs to show they paid into the system for a period of time AND that their condition is disabling for a year or more or terminal.) Continue reading

June 27, 2019

Politics & Social Security Solvency Threaten Disability Benefits

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Like clockwork, the politicians are trotting out plans to address solvency of the Social Security retirement and disability trusts, just in time for a presidential election year. However, for millions of Americans, the solvency of these funds, and the availability of the benefits for which they paid throughout their working lives, are of critical importance to their lives.

Media reports about various plans to address solvency of the Social Security retirement and disability trusts is ramping up as the Presidential election year approaches. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachsuetts, has been among those at the forefront of the issue. Warren says she vehemently opposes any reductions in benefits for the disabled, something proposed by the Trump Administration as part of a Republican plan to cut disability benefits and raise the retirement age.

May 21, 2019

Social Security Disability and the Americans with Disabilities Act

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A U.S. appeals court issued a ruling recently that rejected a disabled worker’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It’s the latest court ruling to undermine the rights and protections under federal law that are afforded to employees with disabilities who have been forced to apply for financial assistance from the federal government.

In Pena v. Honeywell International, Inc., No. 18-1164 (1st Cir. April 26, 2019), the First Circuit court ruled a Honeywell machine operator who claimed total disability on her Social Security Disability Insurance application failed to show she qualified for protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act 42 U.S. Code § 12101. The First Circuit hears appealed cases from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

The court ruled plaintiff failed to meet her burden of proof in showing that she was disabled under the American with Disabilities Act. The appeals court affirmed a district court’s summary judgment in favor of Honeywell, ruling that plaintiff’s insistence she was “totally disabled” did not support her ADA claim, for which she needed to prove she was capable of doing her job, with or without special accommodations.

Experienced Boston work injury lawyers know there are important and essential differences between protections offered by SSDI and those afforded under the ADA. As the U.S. Supreme Court has pointed out, the definition for SSDI “does not take the possibility of ‘reasonable accommodation’ into account,” as the ADA does. In the 1999 cases of Cleveland v. Policy Management Systems Corp., U.S. Supreme Court #97-1008, the Supreme Court ruled an employee who is receiving SSDI benefits can still sue an employer for violating rights under the ADA for refusing to make adequate accommodations under the law.

In that case, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer wrote judicial estoppel does not automatically apply to an SSDI claimant who pursues a claim under ADA. Judicial estoppel precludes a party from taking a legal position that is contrary to a previous position maintained at an earlier judicial proceeding. However, the court ruled the burden rests with the plaintiff to prove a disability claim under SSDI is not inconsistent with the special accommodations afforded under the ADA.