Posts under ‘Building a Case’

Under Social Security regulations low birth weight babies may qualify for Social Security disability (Supplemental Security Income – SSI) benefits.
It is important to note that Social Security does not specifically consider whether the child is premature or not. Social Security considers the birth weight of the child:
“Low birth weight” is defined as a birth weight [...]

Yes. Under some circumstances, Social Security can immediately start Social Security disability benefits, and continue to pay benefits for up to six months, while the state agency component of Social Security makes a formal decision of whether the child is disabled. These are called “Presumptive Disability” cases.
Basically, Social Security is saying that the child is [...]

If you are looking at your Social Security exhibit file and you notice that all the exhibits are numbered with a letter in front, such as “B1A, B2A, B1B, B2B,” etc, this means that you are looking at the “B” file — a file for the second application for Social Security disability benefits.
In other words, [...]

My previous article discussed how Social Security makes it easier for people over 50 years old to receive disability benefits, even if they can still perform some kind of work.
I am 49 years old! I am about to turn 50. Isn’t that close enough?
It might be. If you are within a few months of an [...]

As part of my series on how to prove you are disabled and eligible for Social Security disability benefits, my latest article, “Winning Social Security Disability Benefits After Age 50” is now on Dallas Texas Social Security disability attorney Bob Kraft’s P.I.S.S.D. (Personal Injury Social Security Disability) website.
Click the link and check it out!

If you are between 18 years old and 50 years old, you are in the most difficult age range to get Social Security benefits.
Before you turn 18, Social Security uses the “child” standard for disability evaluations.
After you turn 18, though, Social Security uses the “adult” standard. You have to show that you are unable to [...]

Now that I know the critical dates and the medical history I review the work history. Social Security reviews cases using the 5 step sequential evaluation process. At step 4, if you are still able to do any of the jobs you performed in the last 15 years before you became disabled, you can be denied [...]

What’s the next thing to review in the Social Security exhibit file after the medical records?Check these critical dates: Alleged Onset Date (AOD) & Date Last Insured (DLI)!
The E section usually contains for two documents that provide this information:

“Disability Report – Field Office”
“Disability Report – Appeal”

These reports also tells you whether Social Security thinks there should be [...]

One of my colleagues in the fight to help disabled individuals get their Social Security disability benefits, attorney Johnathon Ginsberg, tackles whether you have to submit unfavorable medical evidence to Social Security.
I see this frequently in cases where there was a workers’ compensation case. “Company doctors” often minimize symptoms and generate records indicating that [...]

Let’s say you are reviewing your Social Security exhibit file before your disability hearing and you discover that some of your doctor’s (or other records) are not there. I have mentioned before that it is not unusual for the medical records in a Social Security file to be a year or more out of date.
What [...]

How do you begin to review your Social Security exhibit file? Here is a quick guide to finding the really important parts.
Start with the “F” section to review the medical records.

If you do not review anything else in the file, you need to know what medical records are there (and what records are missing).
Here is [...]

Just before your Social Security hearing, you will be given a cd and pointed at a computer. If you ask, someone may help you load up the disk and get you to a screen that looks like this:
Ok, now what?
What is all this stuff and what do I do with it?
Social Security uses electronic case [...]

There is a new Social Security blog written by a 34 year veteran of the Social Security Administration.
One of his recent articles talks about the pros and cons of Social Security debit cards
… paying benefits digitally rather than by paper is a big savings to SSA. It cost about $1.00 to mail a paper check [...]

I was asked to address some of the issues parents should consider when deciding whether to start an application for Social Security disability benefits (typically children’s Supplemental Security Income – SSI – benefits) for their disabled child.
Many parents worry that if their child receives Social Security disability benefits, they will be labeled as “disabled,” and [...]

Working while applying for Social Security disability benefits is a topic I have previously discussed. However, reading that article, you might come to the conclusion that it is never a good idea to work if you are either on, or applying for Social Security benefits (including Supplemental Security Income – SSI benefits).
However, there are circumstances [...]