Payment of Retroactive Benefits

SSI claimants are often disappointed when they learn that their past due benefits will be paid in installments after a finding of disability. Often times...

Social Security Moves Forward With Plan to Re-instate Reconsideration Level Appeal Nationwide

SSA has experimented with removing the reconsideration appeal level in 10 “proto-type states” for the last few years. Claimant’s living in these states were able...

Changes to Social Security Coming in 2019

Social security recipients will see more money in their checks every month starting in January of 2019. The government approved a 2.8 percent increase to...

Importance of Medical Care, Treatment Compliance, and Medical Records, at Social Security

The first step in any claim for social security disability is proving that you have an impairment that prevents you from sustaining gainful activity. To...

Social Security is Extending the Attorney Advisor Program

The Attorney Advisor Program allows certain staff attorneys to conduct certain prehearing proceedings and to issue certain fully favorable decisions on the record (OTR) when...

Social Security Disability Award Rate Continues to Drop

Recent studies indicate a continuous drop in favorable decisions coming from Social Security administrative law judges. For the fiscal year 2018, of the 423,224 decisions...

Importance of Medical Records, Continuing Treatment, and Treatment Compliance at Social Security

The first step in any claim for Social Security disability is proving that you have an impairment that prevents you from sustaining gainful activity. To...

Hearing Wait Time Decreases, but Overall Processing Time Continues to Rise at the Social Security Administration

As is often the case with Social Security, good news usually is followed by bad news. First, the good news: the number of cases awaiting...

Study Reveals Positive Effect of Professional Representation at Social Security Hearings

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of hearings-level award rates for disability claims revealed that “claimants who had representation at their hearings, were allowed benefits...

Potential Changes to Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2018

On January 11, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance to state Medicaid directors, allowing them to waive the current Medicaid rules...

Where should I file my disability claim?

SSA is a federal program and the rules do not vary state to state, but the approval rates and even the time it takes to...

VA Benefits

This Veteran’s Day, we take a moment to honor those who have served our Country and who have fought for the freedoms we enjoy. Here...