Category Archives: SSA News

Social Security in the news

Long Social Security hearing delays? “Blame the judges!”

The long wait times in Social Security cases are prompting a backlash against Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in Social Security cases.   Across the country, it takes an average of 480 days to get a judge’s ruling on a Social … Continue reading

Posted in 3 Hearings, SSA News | Tagged , , , | View Comments

Social Security Judge’s approval or denial numbers published by Oregonian

Would you like to know what percentage of cases the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) assigned to your Social Security disability, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) case, approves and denies? In response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Oregonian, the … Continue reading

Posted in 3 Hearings, SSA News, Useful Sites | Tagged , | View Comments

Veterans Sue Federal Government Over Lack of PTSD Disability Benefits

Veterans have filed a class action lawsuit has alleging the VA has been downplaying PTSD diagnoses and reducting VA impairment ratings: A class action lawsuit has been filed against the federal government by five veterans of the wars in Iraq … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | Tagged , | View Comments

Social Security starts podcasting!

Social Security has started podcasting, and you can listen in, on your web browser. Just go to Social Security Podcasts. The first episode is titled “Deciding When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits” and deals with the many factors to consider when … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | View Comments

Federal Judge Rejects Request By Veterans Groups To Require VA To Process Disability Claims Within 90 Days

  Remember the article about veterans suing for faster disability rulings in VA cases? Sadly, the lawsuit was denied. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington, D.C., has ruled that the court does not have the authority to require the Department of Veterans … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | Tagged , , | View Comments

Veterans Sue for Faster Disability Rulings

Here is one from the “heck-yeah” files: The lawsuit, filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Modern Warfare in U.S. District Court in Washington, seeks to force the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide an initial ruling … Continue reading

Posted in Building a Case, SSA News | Tagged , , | View Comments

Social Security backlog & funding update

New figures are out about the Social Security backlog (September 2008 issue of the Social Security Forum): The number of cases waiting for a decision at Social Security reached a record high of 767,000.  The average wait time is 532 … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | Tagged , , | View Comments

Social Security launches compassionate allowances to speed up claims

Social Security has launched a nation wide Compassionate Allowance (CAL) program. Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the national rollout of the agency’s Compassionate Allowances initiative, a way to expedite the processing of disability claims for applicants whose medical … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | Tagged | View Comments

3 win Social Security benefits after newspaper profile

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes about three people who were awarded Social Security disability benefits after waiting years for a decision: Social Security spokesman Mark Lassiter said the three cases were reviewed following an Aug. 3 article about the 21,000 people waiting … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | Tagged | View Comments

Video: Sen. Chris Dodd Introduces Disabilities Savings Act of 2008

 

Posted in SSA News, Video | Tagged , | View Comments

Video: Senator Barack Obama on Autism and Disability

 

Posted in SSA News, Video | Tagged , | View Comments

Video: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Autism and Disability

 

Posted in SSA News, Video | Tagged | View Comments

Will Social Security Go Bankrupt?

Paul Krugman tackles this topic in his March 28, 2008 column: The date at which the trust fund will run out, according to Social Security Administration projections, has receded steadily into the future: 10 years ago it was 2029, now … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | Tagged | View Comments

Quick facts: how much does Social Security spend on disability?

According to Social Security, 6.9 million disabled workers received disability benefits from Social Security in 2007. Another 1.8 million individuals received benefits as dependents of disabled workers. This is compared to 31 million receiving retirement benefits. The average monthly disability … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News | Tagged , , | View Comments

What If No One Would Help You?

You call one attorney looking for help on a Social Security problem. I can’t help you. You call another attorney. We aren’t taking any new Social Security cases. You make one more call. We don’t do Social Security cases anymore. … Continue reading

Posted in SSA News, Working with Lawyers/Attorneys | Tagged | View Comments