Articles Posted in Boston SSDI

A stroke can happen in seconds and even go unnoticed, but the consequences can be lasting and life-altering. If someone you love has recently suffered a stroke, you may feel overwhelmed, not sure of what steps to take next. Whether your loved one has already been released from the hospital or you are still waiting to find out what impact the stroke has had, it is never too early to consider planning for the future. In the event of a stroke, families can apply for Social Security Disability Insurance to help protect financial security.

Our Boston SSDI attorneys are dedicated to providing effective counsel and advocacy to help families collect the benefits they need and deserve. Here are some facts to remember about filing for disability benefits after a stroke:

Stroke is the leading cause of adult long-term disability. Stroke is a serious medical event and can leave victims severely disabled. Statistics show that 15 to 30 percent of victims will be permanently disabled. Disability can range from paralysis and movement issues to sensory disturbances, inability to speak, memory and cognitive issues, as well as emotional disturbances. The inability to work after a stroke is not uncommon and may last for weeks, months, years, or even permanently.
Continue reading

Anyone who thinks that obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance benefits is a cakewalk (i.e., numerous political pundits) has obviously never had to endure the process.

Even for those with clear impairment, a benefits awared can take years, and is often complicated by several denials before claimants win final approval.

Our Boston SSDI lawyers mention this not to discourage claimants from filing, but to encourage them to be fully prepared. A big part of that involves making sure the chosen legal firm has a wealth of experience in successfully guiding clients through the process.
Continue reading

There is definite relief associated with receiving approval of your Boston Social Security Disability Insurance claim.

But that might not be the last time you need an attorney. If the Social Security Administration determines at any point that you’ve been overpaid benefits, the agency can come after you to collect the difference. This is true regardless of whether the error occurred because of an administrative oversight or your own failure to provide updated or sufficient information to the agency.

Our Boston SSDI lawyers have handled numerous cases in which we have successfully requested waivers in these cases so that clients can avoid paying hefty lump sums or penalties.
Continue reading

The Social Security Administration makes it notoriously difficult for people to secure federal disability benefits. In fact, a rigorous process is applied to almost every case, and the denial rate is over 50 percent.

Now, our Social Security Disability Insurance attorneys in Massachusetts have learned that a number of upcoming changes may make the process even tougher. This makes having strong legal representation all the more important for applicants moving forward.

As reported recently by The Wall Street Journal, those changes include updating listings for use by vocational experts, updating qualification requirements, require full disclosure of all medical records, initiatives to reduce backlogs, anti-fraud investigations and further scrutiny of Social Security Administration judges.
Continue reading

Filing for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in Boston is a notoriously tedious process, which is why you won’t find many people doing it out of anything but necessity.

However, there are situations in which an applicant’s health is likely to deteriorate far more rapidly than the average applicant. In these cases, unlike most others, a diagnosis alone is basis enough for receiving benefits. In turn, the Social Security Administration fast-tracks these applications as part of the Compassionate Allowance program.

In these cases, submission of the proper paperwork to the correct location in a timely manner is still essential, which is why hiring an SSDI attorney is highly recommended. The difference is if you have a condition on the Compassionate Allowance list, you can expect to receive benefits a lot sooner – in some cases within just 20 days.

And now, the SSA has announced it is adding 25 new conditions to the Compassionate Allowance list, bringing the total number to 200. (Thirty-five new conditions had last been added to the list in December 2012.)
Continue reading

A recent report indicates that the number of adults newly diagnosed with cystic fibrosis is on the rise.

Cystic fibrosis is a disease with a reputation for destroying the lungs of children. It’s an incurable genetic condition that often claims the lives of sufferers before they reach adulthood. In the 1950s, few children with the disease lived to attend elementary school.

Today, many people with the condition can expect to live into their 30s, 40s and even beyond. In some cases, people the disease may not even recognize they have it until they reach middle age.
Continue reading

Many a Boston Social Security Disability Insurance claim has been denied because the claimant was unable to prove disability so severe that it rendered him unable to perform even sedentary work.

Of course, one must consider that for someone who worked in a very physical occupation, such as nursing or construction, opportunities for employment will be extremely limited for someone who has severe limitations with regard to sitting, standing, walking, squatting, pushing, pulling and lifting.

Yet this is the standard that is so often applied by the Social Security Administration and the Administrative Law Judge, who is responsible for reviewing the claim if it’s rejected and then appealed.
Continue reading

A 40-year-old former construction worker suffered from a host of alcohol-related ailments when he first applied for federal disability benefits in 2010. He had been employed full-time, but was unable to work due to abdominal pain resulting from cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis C, an umblicial hernia and low platelet count.

According to the court records, these conditions had been diagnosed years earlier and without exception, had been either caused or exacerbated by alcoholism. However, that does not rule him out as a candidate for federal benefits.

Anyone seeking to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in Boston should know that addiction alone doesn’t preclude a person being able to successfully obtain benefits.

But it is important that you stop using.
Continue reading