Articles Tagged with Boston attorney SSDI

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In the past few decades, autism has been getting a lot more attention, as the number of cases has grown exponentially. Research and related therapies have followed.

Boston SSDI LawyerWhile there are more services in place now than in years past to help children with autism and their families, including components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), those attending school will either graduate or age out. For those who are on the severe end of the spectrum and their families, this can raise a host of new challenges.  A recent article from Disability Scoop discusses how the U.S. Department of Education needs to start transitioning students earlier than they do now, with a current start at the age of 16.
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College is more expensive than ever. Undergraduate tuition has risen to seemingly astronomical amounts in the past couple of decades to where most students will have no choice but to borrow huge amounts of money to attend college.  Just to get an idea of the numbers, tuition at Boston College for undergrad is just under $50,000 a year, with the cost of total attendance estimated to be more than $65,000.  People who also go graduate school are incurring around half a million dollars in debt on average, and that trend does not seem to be slowing anytime soon.

Boston SSDI LawyerThis seems okay at the time, because the plan is to go to school and then get a job that allows the borrower to pay back the loan one month at a time for the next thirty years.  However, things don’t always go as planned.  What happens to a person who takes out $250,000 in loans and then becomes disabled? There is no way a person can live on Social Security Disability Income of around $1,200 a month and still make loan payments.  One might think that this would mean you default on your student loans and don’t have to pay until you can, but that is not how it works in many cases. Continue reading

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During the populist candidacy of Donald J. Trump, he promised to make a lot of cuts to so-called big government. At the same time, he promised to leave the Social Security system alone.  This includes both the Social Security disability benefits system and the Social Security Old Age and Retirement system.

cashThe likely reason he made this promise is because many of those in his base survive solely off the Social Security disability benefits system and the Social Security retirement benefits system.  In fact, recent reports have shown that many who are unable able to find jobs in many areas that strongly voted for Mr. Trump have turned to the disability system to make ends meet. Continue reading

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A recent case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit involves claimant who applied for both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).   As often happens whenever a claimant first applies for Social Security disability benefits, the application is denied.  We would say quickly denied, but as those who have worked with the system know, there is not all that much that happens quickly at the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).  The SSA is the federal agency created by Congress to oversee the Social Security disability and retirement benefits programs.

nurseIn this case, claimant applied for Social Security disability benefits based upon claims that he has asthma, diabetes, hepatitis C, liver damage, uveitis of the eye, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression, hepatomegaly, coronary artery disease (CAD) and various other serious medical conditions. Continue reading

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It takes a long time to finally be awarded Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits beginning from the date of filing a first claim to the final benefits decision. For many, this process will take over a year, and, in some cases, it will take two years.

workIn addition to the wait, successful claimants will probably have to file at least two appeals and have a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ).  In some cases, the claimant will have to file an appeal with the U.S. District Court or even the U.S. Court of Appeals.  Continue reading

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In this past presidential election, many Americans and much of the world were shocked by the seemingly impossible result of Donald Trump’s victory.  One of the major reasons that Mr. Trump was ultimately elected was his huge support among those who live in what have become known as “flyover states.”  This term largely refers to the states in the geographic middle of America, which most people only see from airline windows when flying on transcontinental flights, and, rarely, if ever, actually go to as a destination.

SSDI benefitsOne thing that cannot be denied is that many in these areas are struggling economically, and according to a recent news article from the Washington Post, many are turning to disability benefits for help.  Interestingly, this article is suggesting these people may be “just desperate” rather than disabled.  Another interesting point is that the White House is using the increase in numbers on the Social Security disability roles due in large part from these residents of flyover states as justification for cutting the program. However, the White House is blaming the Obama administration and strongly implying the increased number of disabled Americans receiving benefits is a result of those in the inner cities of America instead of rural America. Continue reading

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There is no question it takes a considerable amount of time to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. In fact, the wait can be over a year is some places. In some jurisdictions with an even greater backlog, the wait is approaching two years.

stopwatchBefore we discuss issues dealing with the SSDI’s Compassionate Allowances program, it may be helpful to first look at how the application and approval process works in a typical case.  The first thing that happens is a claimant will get a letter form their treating physician that says claimant is unable to perform work or otherwise engage in substantial gainful activity. Continue reading

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There are over 11 million Americans on Social Security disability benefits programs in the U.S. at any given time.  For these people, this small amount of money they are given each month often means the difference between making ends meet and being in abject poverty.

taxesContrary to what some politicians like to claim when making stump speeches on the campaign trail, the vast majority of people receiving disability benefits are legitimately disabled and have been through a long and difficult process to qualify for their SSDI benefits. This is not to say that disability benefits fraud doesn’t exist, but the reality is that it occurs very rarely and accounts for a tiny fraction of the program’s budget.  It is just that this has become a convenient target for those who wish to gut the program. Continue reading

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In a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the claimant filed for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits because she suffered from various physical and mental impairments.  This case deals with the issue of whether an administrative law judge (ALJ) can disregard a treating physician’s opinion.  An ALJ is a hearing officer at the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), which is the federal agency that oversees the disability benefits programs.

gavelUnder the relevant statute in the U.S. Code, the ALJ has the authority to find against the opinion of the treating physician, but in order to do so, that decision must be supported by sufficient evidence, and it must be clearly explained in the record why the treating doctor’s decision is being disregarded. Continue reading

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There are already a few options on the market in terms of self-driving cars, but we are really not quite there yet.  As of now, you could buy a Tesla, if you can afford and want an expensive electric car, and that features an advanced form of cruise control that uses cameras to control the car to prevent accidents.  The car will speed up and slow down to avoid other cars and can change lanes.  However, the system is not meant to fully replace the need for a human driver at this point.

carOn the other hand, Google is working on a fully automatic driving system that it will eventually lease to car manufacturers uses a more complicated LIDAR (laser and radar) system to navigate.  The goal being that an ordinary consumer can afford the system and can simply put in a destination and let the car do the rest.  This is much closer to what we have seen in variety of 1990s science fiction action movies like “Demolition Man” and “Total Recall.”  However, we are still a few years a way from seeing this technology widely used, according to Google. Continue reading

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