SSDI Denials

February 24, 2016

Identity Theft Leads to Loss of Social Security Disability Benefits

According to a recent news article from ABC, a woman’s disability benefits have been terminated after she was a victim of identity theft. The victim has said it took her years of fighting with the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) to get her award of benefits in the first place.

She is a mother of three children who are now in their teens and was working as Spanish language interpreter at the time of her onset of disability. She developed a serious medical condition that required extensive surgery on her colon and bowel and experienced several complications involving the procedure. Continue reading

February 6, 2016

Two Suicides Alleged to Be Caused By Disability Benefits Reduction

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There has been a lot of coverage lately about an alleged Social Security disability benefits scene that is said to involve people getting benefits to which they should not be entitled. While there are a lot of allegations being thrown around, and Congress has decided to get involved, the personal stories are often overlooked. As a result of these allegations, the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) sent notice to several hundred people in Eastern Kentucky saying their benefits were about to be terminated.

According to a recent news feature from The Lexington Herald Leader, two people who were receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits killed themselves after receiving the notice of termination from SSA. One person shot himself in the chin, and the following day a woman shot herself in the head. A lawsuit recently filed by the victim’s respective estates claims the two shootings were a direct response to the termination of benefits letters. Continue reading

September 30, 2015

Report: Many Fraud Safeguards Exist for Social Security Disability Program

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

More and more often we hear about how Social Security Disability Insurance fraud is running rampant. While there is some fraud that exists in any government benefits program, this allegation is far from the truth, and a recent article from the Huffington Post takes a look at some of the safeguards in place to prevent fraud from occurring.

The first safeguard against fraud is strict eligibility standards. There are many requirements to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. One of the first requirements is that claimant must have a substantial work history. Continue reading

September 8, 2015

Hesseltine v. Colvin: SSDI Denials and Appeals

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In Hesseltine v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, claimant graduated from high school in 2003. However, she graduated with a sixth grade reading level and was assessed as having a mental functioning level within in the “borderline range.”

Her disability issues first presented when claimant was a young child. At age eight, she was giving an IQ test and scored a full-scale IQ of 70. As part of the breakdown, she received a raw 72 in processing and 73 in verbal ability. A school mental health professional administered the test and determined her IQ and mental functioning level was within the borderline range. Continue reading

August 22, 2015

Alaura v. Colvin: SSDI Denials

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Alaura v. Colvin, an appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, involves a claimant who was hit in the back of his head by an attacker armed with a barstool. The 22-year-old claimant suffered a shattered skull as a result of the attack.

After victim was hit with the bar stool, first responders rushed him to a local hospital, where he was immediately taken into surgery. Due to his traumatic brain injury (TBI), surgeons had no choice but to remove a part of claimant’s brain and place a metal plate on his skull to protect him from additional brain damage. This highly invasive surgical procedure is known by neurosurgeons as craniotomy. Continue reading