Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog

A former officer in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has just plead guilty to theft of more than $600,000 in Social Security disability benefits, according to a recent article from the Daily News.  This officer was employed by the NYPD from 1981 until 1993, when he retired due to a shoulder injury.

After retiring from the police force, his application for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits was eventually approved.  As in most cases, it takes some time for a claimant to become approved to receive monthly disability benefits. In order to receive the maximum monthly benefit, a claimant must be declared as disabled, which means that he or she is unable to work.  This is normally calculated using a formula to determine one’s residual functioning capacity (RFC).  Continue reading

Every year in the beginning of June, people in the U.S. observe National Cancer Survivors Day.  There any many different events on this day, including the Relay for Life which tends to draw a large crowd of supports and raise a lot of money for the cause each year.

While getting diagnosed with cancer can cause a lot of health fears, it can also cause a lot financial difficulty as well.  There are often very high medical bills, and people may not have enough insurance coverage to pay for everything, including co-pays and out of pocket expenses. This is made extra hard because many cancer survivors will eventually get to the point where they can no longer work, and the family will have to make up for the lost wages. Continue reading

Crespo v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, involved a claimant who applied for Supplemental Security Income for his mother.  Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program administered by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA).

SSI is designed for disabled children of low-income families and blind or disabled adults.  This program is different from the Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) program that is designed for people who have worked long enough to earn quarterly credits to qualify for disability benefits. Continue reading

When you first apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, the chances of your claim being denied are high.  This has nothing to do with the merits of your application, meaning whether or not you are really disabled. The reason for this is because the majority of all applications are denied.

At this point, you can apply for reconsideration.  The first reconsideration attempt is done in writing and it is typically a peer review process where another worker at the same office will determine if their coworker at that the same pay grade properly denied your application.  This is almost always denied again.  You can actually apply for another reconsideration, and that will typically be denied as well.  Continue reading

In Dale V. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, claimant was born in 1985.  Her childhood was filled with a great deal of hardship, as she suffered both physical and sexual abuse. Her family moved around many times, and her mother died when she was only 12-years-old.  She was also living in an environment filled with violence and illicit drugs, according to court records.

When she turned 17, she earned her GED and was finished with high school.  She was dealing with a meth addiction at the time and went into a residential (inpatient) drug rehabilitation program.  She has worked a little during the course of her life but does not have anywhere near the level of work history to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Continue reading

When you file a claim for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, there is a good chance your application will be denied. The reason for this is because most applications are rejected after being filed, and it has nothing to do with whether or not you have earned enough quarterly credits or whether or not you are actually disabled. It is basically an unofficial policy to reduce the number of claims they have to pay to save money.

A recent article from The Sequitur looks at how the appeals process works and what happens after your application is denied. The first thing you will do is file for what is known as reconsideration.  This is where you submit a request for a review of the denial.  It is done internally at the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) and is done by a coworker of the SSA worker who initially denied your application.  While it is technically possible there will a ruling in the claimant’s favor at this stage in the game, it is not very likely, and further review will probably be needed. Continue reading