Social Security Disability Insurance

October 13, 2016

A Look at Work Incentives for People on Disability

There is an oft-made argument this election that many people receiving disability benefits would rather sit at home and collect a monthly benefits check than go work. This could not be farther from the truth, as the vast majority of people on disability would much rather be healthy and working than collecting a Social Security disability check.

There are a few reasons we know this to be true. One is that when Congress set up the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) systems, they set the monthly benefits award at an amount lower than what they consider substantial gainful activity. In fact, they wanted the maximum benefits award to be around 80 percent lower than what someone could make if they were working. The reason for this is very clear in that they do not want any extra incentives to sit at home and collect an SSDI benefits check instead of working. Continue reading

September 12, 2016

Social Security Disability Application Tips

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question that applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can be a long a daunting process. The first thing a claimant must do is to file an application with the Social Security Administration (SSA). This application should be accompanied by supporting medical documentation to show that claimant is actually disabled.

Once the application is submitted, unfortunately, SSA will probably deny it. In fact, most applications are rejected on their first pass, and it has little to do with whether the claimant is actually disabled. This is basically an unwritten rule that the applications are rejected a lot of the time. The reason for this is because it is a way to save money. Continue reading

September 10, 2016

Social Security Administration Fires Whistleblowers

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from the Wisconsin Watchdog, the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) has fired a whistleblower – and some members of Congress are not happy with this action by the administrative agency.

For those who are not familiar with SSA, it is the federal agency that is responsible for administering the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSDI is a disability program designed told help disabled individuals who have worked long enough to accrue the requisite number of quarterly credits to qualify for benefits. Every time a worker pays his or her taxes, a portion of that tax money goes to the fund the SSDI program and the SSI program as well as the Old Age and Retirement benefits fund, which is also run by the SSA. Continue reading

August 5, 2016

SSDI Backlog Creates Long Wait Times for Hearings

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Social Security Administration’s growing backlog of disability cases has ballooned in recent years, from about 695,000 in 2010 to more than 1.1 million in 2016.

According to the Office of the Inspector General, that means the average processing time on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) hearings went from 415 days up to 498 days. It’s not uncommon to hear of people waiting up to two years – just to get a hearing to decide whether they are eligible for benefits.

Congress has promised to take steps to reduce that backlog, but they have been saying that for years and the problem continues to worsen. Continue reading

July 17, 2016

SSDI Can Affect Long-Term Disability Insurance

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When people play into a long-term disability insurance plan through their work, they expect that this will help them remain financially stable in the event of a serious injury or illness that renders them unable to work for extended periods. They may also understand that they are entitled to collect benefits through other avenues, such as workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). What may be less obvious is the way in which these benefits can counteract one another.

Recently, a news station in Nebraska outlined what can happen when people try to stack coverage from other sources.

According to WOWT NBC-6, the couple in question were both happy and seemingly healthy for years. Married for 27 years, they both worked full-time. But then, the 53-year-old husband suffered a stroke. Suddenly, he was unable to walk or talk or complete basic tasks. He’s learning now to feed and bathe himself and how to communicate. His wife had no choice but to quit her job to care for him 24-7.

“I can’t go to work because he needs me the whole time,” she told the reporter. Continue reading

June 21, 2016

Worker Taxed Thousands for Social Security Disability Benefits He Never Received

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from Forbes, a United States Postal Service worker was injured on the job and claimed workers’ compensation benefits. He was approved for those workers’ compensation benefits and started collecting benefits.

The claimant, who chose to represent himself in the process, decided to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to supplement his workers’ compensation benefits. He fully disclosed his workers’ compensation benefits to the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), so there was nothing improper about applying for this benefits. However, after applying, he was quickly denied for Social Security disability benefits. Continue reading

January 18, 2016

Disabled Americans Take Issue with Part of Obama’s Gun Control Plan

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In recent weeks, we have been hearing a lot about the issue of gun control. As is obvious to anyone who looks at the news or even their Facebook feed can see that gun control is very divisive issue. There are those think President Obama is trying to take away everyone’s guns, and there are those that have had enough of school shootings and other “active shooter” situations, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to stop gun violence in America. Regardless of what side of the Second Amendment debate you are on, it is not politically expedient for Congress to enact major gun control legislation.

For this reason, Mr. Obama has decided to take matters into his own hands as his administration is winding down and get rid of the so-called gun show loophole through the use of an executive order. Many Americans support the president in this initiative, and many feel that president is usurping Congress and the United States Constitution to infringe on their Second Amendment rights. There does not seem to be any likelihood the majority of Americans will agree on this issue. It should be noted that while you can legally carry as pistol in Massachusetts with a Class A permit to carry, the Commonwealth has one of the strictest gun control schemes in the nation. Continue reading

December 28, 2015

Hill v. Colvin: Social Security Disability Appeals

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Hill v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, deals with appeals from a Social security Disability Insurance (SSDI) denial of benefits at a hearing before an administrative law judge.

The claimant, who was 56 years old at the time of the appeal, worked for more than a dozen years at a steel factory. She was responsible for lifting and transporting steel sheets that were extremely heavy. According to court records, some of the steel sheets weighed as much as 100 pounds. Continue reading

November 15, 2015

A Look at the Social Security Disability Insurance Fix

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

After hearing about how the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs would run out of money late next year, there was a great deal of fear that nearly 11 million Americans would face a 20 percent cut in their monthly benefits checks.

Fortunately, Congress was able to come to an agreement about how to save the benefits program for the next few years, and President Barack Obama recently passed that piece of legislation into law. A recent article from Forbes takes a look at what this means for the American public in both the short term and long term. Continue reading

November 11, 2015

Morgan, Jr. v. Colvin: ALJ Hearing Process in Disability Cases

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In, Morgan, Jr. v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, claimant applied for both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Claimant became disabled after he suffered a serious injury. He was working as an auto glass technician and was replacing a window on a semi tractor-trailer cab when he fell off and hit the ground. When he fell, he injured his back, shoulder and legs and was unable to work.

When he applied for disability benefits, the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) denied his application for benefits. SSA is the federal agency that runs disability programs. Following his initial denial, he requested a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). An ALJ is supposed to be an independent judge who hears both sides of the case and decides if claimant is disabled. However, since SSA employs all ALJs, and they have offices at SSA facilities, it is not surprising that more often than not, they side with SSA and deny benefits. Continue reading