Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog

May 26, 2015

Social Security Disability Claimant Pleaded Guilty to Bomb Threat

Apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a daunting task for any unrepresented claimant. There is nothing more frustrating than suffering from a severe disability that will not allow you to work and take care of yourself and your family. With medical bills piling up, seemingly arbitrary denials and reductions in already existing benefits can push that level of frustration even higher.

While there is no excuse for this kind of allegedly illegal conduct, this level of frustration was so high in one Florida man that he allegedly called in a bomb threat to his local Social Security Administration (SSA) office after the agency reduced his much-needed disability benefits.

According to a recent news article from the News Herald, a man just pleaded guilty to making a bomb threat on the office. Authorities say 36-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to the charge of giving false information in connection with a threat on the SSA office. Prosecutors say he admitted he was trying to intimidate agency employees after he disagreed with the amount of his monthly benefits check.
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May 23, 2015

ALS and Social Security Disability Benefits

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

May is national ALS awareness month, so it seems appropriate to discuss the serious disease and how it works in terms of a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits claim. According to a recent article from NTV News, ALS, formally known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and informally referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, after the famous baseball player who was stricken with ALS, is included on Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Compassionate Allowances List.
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May 19, 2015

Senator Rand Paul Asks for Help on Social Security Disability Budget Issue

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

With GOP presidential candidates trying to get ahead in the polls and eventually attain the party’s nomination, many are trying to shape themselves as fiscal hawks, to use the term favored by many cable news pundits.

One of the main ways to seem like a fiscal hawk is to speak out about how Congress needs to get rid of “entitlements” in this country. Unfortunately, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program falls into the category of entitlements, as defined by those who want to get rid of the system.
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May 16, 2015

Online Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Appeals

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In our computer age, we can do more and more things online and with our smartphones. Whether it is paying for Red Sox tickets and using our phone to scan in at the stadium, or making dinner reservations, the Internet and mobile technology are making our lives more convenient in many ways.
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May 14, 2015

Why is the Social Security Disability Program Under Attack?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

As we get closer to the upcoming presidential election, it is likely we will continue to hear more about the upcoming budget crisis facing the Social Security Disability Fund. The problem is quite simple. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates two main programs and manages two funds for the respective program.

There is the Social Security retirement fund, which was designed to provide funds for Americans who are too old to continue working, or those who wish to finally retire, and there is the Social Security disability program designed for those who cannot work due to a disability.
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May 10, 2015

Suggestions From People Living With a Disability

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In terms of the number of people living with a disability who are receiving Social Security disability benefits, there are over 9 million Americans who fit into this category. However, there are far more disabled Americans who are in the process of applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, or who are fortunate enough to have family support or a private disability insurance policy.

In addition to the financial issues persons with disabilities face, there are also many other difficulties and discomfort often made worse by people who have nothing but the best intentions. According to a recent news feature from The Washington Post, a group of people with disabilities has formed a Reddit thread to discuss what it feels like to have a disability and how they wish others would treat them.

While some of these requests may seem surprising, it is not hard to see how people are negatively affected by what seemed helpful. First, users wanted everyone to know they do not wish to be told they are an inspiration to others. Commenters said, as they did not ask the universe to make them disabled, they do not want to be praised for it either. They would rather be treated for their actions, not simply existing, and engaging in normal activities as people without disabilities do on a regular basis.
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May 6, 2015

Psychological Illness and Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While most people think of physical disabilities in the context of Social Security Disability benefits, a sizable number are incapacitated as a result of psychological illness.

According to a recent news report from Medical News, the Institute of Medicine is calling for use of standardized psychological testing protocols for claimants applying for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. It has been suggested these standardized methods will improve accuracy of claim determinations relating to mental health issues.

However, those who favor this approach tend to believe it would save the United States Social Security Administration money, because it would reduce the number of people receiving Social Security disability benefits for reasons of mental illness. This, of course, assumes there are many people who claim to have severe mental health issues and cannot work who are essentially faking their illness to avoid working, or “malingering,” to use a term favored by SSA. It should be noted, the organization behind this initiative believes further study would be necessary to see how standardized psychological testing methods would affect the number of Americans claiming disability, but the organization’s report includes methodology for determining the financial impact of standardized testing protocols.

These standardized testing methods are what is known as a validity testing and would be used in conjunction with standard psychological diagnostic tools already used by most mental health professionals. Proponents also claim validity tests can be used to see how much effort a claimant is putting into the process of performing tests, or if they are trying not to do well on cognitive ability assessment exercises.
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May 2, 2015

A Call to Eliminate the Income Cap on Social Security Disability Insurance Program

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent Letter to the Editor in the Asbury Park Press, one Hurricane Sandy survivor and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits recipient makes a call to lift the income cap from the program funding tax.

As the author describes, he and his wife, both retired, had saved for years and created a sound financial plan. However, they never planned for anything like Hurricane Sandy. After having to spend most of their savings to rebuild their home, they would have not been able to survive without Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.

He describes SDDI as one of the most successful programs ever created by the United States government, but it is in trouble with respect to future spending cuts. He also claims anyone calling disability benefits an entitlement program is not telling the truth, as it is a program every worker pays into for the duration of their working life, so they can receive benefits should they ever become disabled. However, as this author was having his entire paycheck taxed, that is not true for other people who make more money.

There is a cap of $118,500, meaning everyone pays taxes on their first $118,500 of income toward Social Security Disability Insurance. Any money earned in addition to the cap is not subject to SSDI taxation. For most people who earn less than the cap, their entire wage is subject to taxation. For a person earning millions of dollars each year, only a very small portion of their income is subject to taxes to fund the SSDI program.
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April 28, 2015

Social Security Disability Funding Cuts Could Prevent People from Returning to Work

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

All of the talk from those opposed to providing sufficient funding to the Social Security Disaiblity Insurance (SSDI) program seem to think it will save tax payers money. According to a recent feature from the Center for American Progress, it will leave millions of Americans unable to take care of themselves and their families with no realistic hope of ever returning to work.

One of the main problems was related to a recent budget, which passed along party lines, designed to stop people from collecting unemployment benefits and Social Security Disability Benefits at the same time. In other words, the goal to prevent “double dipping” would punish disability insurance recipients who lose their jobs for reasons other than through their own fault, who apply for unemployment benefits.

Without being able to obtain unemployment insurance as a temporary stop gap measure, these disabled Americans would fall deeper into poverty and fall behind on even more bills. This would result in a much worse situation for these families, as well as costing tax payers more, which undermines the alleged reasons for preventing double dipping in the first place.

It is also interesting that those who are in favor of preventing so-called double dipping of unemployment and Social Security Disability Benefits are also in support of programs requiring disabled Americans to return to work.
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April 25, 2015

Social Security Budget Problems and Politicians

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

As nearly 9 million Americans currently receiving Social Security disability benefits worry their benefits will be cut by as much as 20 percent in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2016, and millions more Americans who are currently applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are worried their applications will be denied, many politicians are using the predicted budgetary crisis as an opportunity to make speeches and get support in the upcoming presidential election.

According to a recent news report from News Max, this issue has become so sensitive to those involved that Republican candidates in the presidential election may be forced to address the issue directly and propose concrete solutions. This is different than what we have seen so far, where prospective candidates for the office have only been saying the system is broken and needs a major reform, without suggesting any type of plan to do this. As millions of Americans are continuing to worry about their level of benefits, the author of this article suggests this might change.

Meanwhile, congressional democrats and President Barack Obama has called for money to be shifted from the Social Security retirement fund to the Social Security disability fund. While money for both funds comes largely from Social Security withholdings from employee’s paychecks, the money is allocated for separate programs, because federal law requires each Social Security program to maintain a separate budget, since they were created for different purposes.
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