Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog

Over the past few months, the Wisconsin Watchdog has been publishing a series on the many alleged problems at the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Offices of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR).  These problems came to light as a result of several whistleblower employees at SSA. The allegations mostly focus on the alleged misconduct of administrative law judges (ALJs) and the process by which SSA handles applications.

There have been allegations that one ALJ was acting in a discriminatory manner towards disabled claimants who were applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, and also harassing co-workers.  This particular judge has been relieved of all of his case responsibilities, but he is still at the agency and is getting paid his normal salary, according to reports.  However, at least one of the whistleblowers who reported this alleged misconduct has been disciplined. Continue reading

After a series of public missteps, the U.S. Social Security Administration is seeking to promote a more positive culture within – and undoubtedly a better public image. These offices, which are formally part of the agency’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR), are located throughout the county to handle appeals of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits claims that are denied.

When you first file a claim for Social Security disability benefits, whether we are talking about SSI or SSDI benefits, you will file that application with you local SSA claims office.  Once your application has been received, a claims handler who will most likely reject the application will evaluate it. Continue reading

Until the end of last year, we were seeing constant articles about how the Social Security disability program would run out of money and nearly 11 million Americans would lose around 20 percent of their total monthly benefits across the board.

Many argued that the program needed major overhauls, and they would not spend another dollar to help fix the cash flow shortage unless and until the overhaul occurred.  This commentary was mainly from Republicans who were running against Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.   For a variety of reasons, including that it would look very bad in an election year if nearly 11 million Americans were thrown into poverty, they agreed to take one year of funding from the Social Security Old Age and Retirement Fund and apply it to the Social Security disability fund. Continue reading

Over the past few months, there have been a lot of stories of misconduct by administrative law judges (ALJ) and the agency in general with respect to wait time and claims handling procedures.   We have also seen the chief judge who is charge of the ALJ has resigned and will be stepping down before the end of this year, according to a statement she has released. However, it should be noted that there has been no official link between her resignation and the complaints facing the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), though based upon the timing alone, many are speculating that the two are related.

As if this was not bad enough for the agency, an ALJ in Georgia has now been accused of bullying disabled workers at the agency, according to a recent news report from NBC News 11.  If true, this is particularly disturbing because it is ALJ’s job to hear from disabled claimant and decide whether they are entitled to benefits. Continue reading

The Global War on Terror, including the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, resulted in a greater number of disabled veterans than we have seen in many decades.  Even the Vietnam War, which was one of the deadliest conflicts in our nation’s history, did not have as many disabled veterans returning home.  However, this was not because fewer injuries were occurring. Rather, it was because in the 1960s, the military did not have the ability to save many of these brave men and women and bring them home.

Regardless of the cause of the disability, there are a lot of disabled veterans in the nation and many are in desperate need of a financial safety net. Many will turn to the Veterans Administration (VA), since it is the obvious first step in obtaining disability benefits for a wounded warrior. While there were many problems that have been well documented at the VA, things have gotten better, but there is still not enough funding to fully provide for the wounded vets.  For this and other reasons, many disabled veterans are turning to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits as administered by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA). Continue reading

While many people think of retirement benefits when they think of Social Security, that isn’t the only program run by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).  There are also two disability programs.  The first and most popular, is the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits program, and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.  According to a recent article from U.S. News and World Report, it is the combination of all three programs that can help lift people out of poverty, and it is important for Americans to known that Social Security benefits aren’t “just for seniors.”

In terms of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and Supplemental Security Income benefits, there are roughly 11 million Americans who are able to take care of themselves and their families as a result of these benefits. As the author of this article notes, the vast majority of these disabled adults and children would be impoverished if it were not for these two programs.  However, it is also important to understand that much to the disbelief of those who think we should get rid of the Social Security disability benefits program to save money in our federal budget, nobody is getting rich or even living a lavish lifestyle as a result of these benefits.  They are very modest.  Not only in terms of what people would be earning if they were able to work, but also as compared to the disability benefits programs in much of the developed world. Continue reading

In Israel v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, claimant was injured in 2001 while digging posts for a newly-constructed porch. Immediately following his workplace back injury, he sought treatment.  However, he did not stop working during the time he was receiving treatment.

Despite the fact that he had received various treatments for his back pain, his condition was getting worse. The pain had gotten so bad by 2003 that he was no longer able to work. He stopped working at that time and underwent additional medical procedures to help ease his pain.  One of these medical procedures was a lumbar laminectomy with a discectomy. Continue reading