For the last two years, we have been hearing a lot about how the Social Security disability fund will run out of money in late 2016 if nothing is done. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program comprise what people are talking about…
Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability Benefits – A Closer Look
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are available to workers who paid taxes long enough to have “paid into the system” and have become disabled for reasons other than an on-the-job injury. On-the-job injuries are typically covered by workers’ compensation benefits. However, in the case of disabled children, the elderly,…
Alaura v. Colvin: SSDI Denials
Alaura v. Colvin, an appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, involves a claimant who was hit in the back of his head by an attacker armed with a barstool. The 22-year-old claimant suffered a shattered skull as a result of the attack. After victim…
Majority of Americans Believe Social Security Disability Insurance Program in Trouble
As many are now aware, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs are facing a major budget shortage if Congress does not fix the problem soon. Specifically, by late 2016, there will be a 19 percent budget shortage for the disability programs, which will…
Brown-Hunter v. Colvin: Standard of Proof in Social Security Disability Cases
Brown-Hunter v. Colvin, an appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, involved an interesting issue about what an administrative law judge (ALJ) is and is not allowed to do with respect to denying Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. An…
Stepp v. Carolyn Colvin: SSDI Appeals Process
Stepp v. Carolyn Colvin, an appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, involved a woman who used to work as a correctional officer, a training supervisor, and parole coordinator, who applied for social security disability benefits after suffering from a degenerative disc disease. In addition…
Same-Sex Marriage Legalization and Social Security Disability Insurance
Same-sex marriage has been recognized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 2004, when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued its opinion on the landmark case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. While this was a great stride forward for same-sex couples, it did not mean that they could…
Social Security Disability Denials and Appeals Process
When you have a disability that was not caused by an on-the-job injury, and you do not have private long term disability insurance, Social Security disability insurance is probably your best way to get disability benefits to allow you to pay your bill and make ends meet. However, getting approved…
Errors in SSDI Benefits Calculations
According to a recent news story from ABC News, miscalculation of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a major problem that affects more disabled Americans than one might think. One woman interviewed for the news article failed to get the correct amount of Social Security disability benefits for over 14…
Obama Proposes Not Allowing Gun Sales to Some SSDI and SSI Beneficiaries with Mental Illness
It is an unfortunate reality that mass shootings happen across the United States. These horrible events happen without warning, result in the death or injury to many innocent people and capture the nation’s collective attention. There have been numerous reports of these shootings this year alone, including the incident involving…