Colorado Springs Gazette covers Law Day Ask-a-Lawyer
Yesterday’s Ask-a-Lawyer event was a lot of fun and a chance to give back to the community. We got to cover a lot of topics from family law and custody issues, to landlord/tenant and creditor matters. I was even able to use my knowledge of the Social Security system for a couple of questions.
What a nice surprise it was to get a (misspelled) mention in the Colorado Springs Gazette this morning!
The annual event was held by the El Paso County Bar Association in honor of Law Day, which officially falls on May 1. …
One woman learned that her deferred sentence in a criminal matter would not be part of her criminal record if she meets the terms the judge laid …
Ask-a-Lawyer TODAY Saturday April 25 2009 at Citadel Mall
The El Paso County Bar is providing an Ask-a-Lawyer table as part Law Day.
If you are in the Colorado Springs area, come on down to the Citadel Mall. There will be a table set up by Dillards between 10am – 4pm.
Furloughs (further) delay Social Security disability decisions
We all know Social Security cases take too long. Well, get ready for more delays!
In spite of increasing number of new claims for disability, Governors around the nation are requiring disability examiners (the very people who make the decisions in Social Security cases) take unpaid furloughs.
The nation’s top Social Security official says benefits for tens of thousands of people with severe disabilities are being delayed by furloughs and layoffs of state employees around the country. ….
State officials have announced furloughs, layoffs and hiring freezes to help balance budgets battered by the recession.
The cutbacks come as disability claims are rising because of high unemployment, the …
Watch out for Social Security stimulus scams!
Timegoesby has a post up about scams popping up to scam you out of your Social Security stimulus payments.
Scam artists saw an opening and immediately began targeting consumers, including elders, to “help them qualify” for the payments. By email and on websites with official-sounding names, these criminals ask for payment or personal information including names, addresses, bank and credit card account numbers, etc. to do the paperwork for payment of the stimulus check.
These swindles are so widespread that the Federal Trade Commission, on 3 March, issued a warning which you can read at the FTC website.
Here is more information from that FTC warning:
Need a Social Security attorney in Denver?
Looking for a Denver lawyer to help you get your Social Security disability benefits? Give William Dawson a call: (303) 455-0400.
Will has 10 years of experience with Social Security appeals, working within Social Security in the Office of the General Counsel. He is now putting his experience working inside of Social Security to work for people trying to get their Social Security disability benefits.
Tell him the Social Security Insider sent you!
Email claims Social Security is voluntary and tax deductible – true or false?
An email is making the rounds purporting to be a “history lesson” on Social Security for “young whipper snappers” who “weren’t taught or just didn’t know” the following truths about Social Security. In case you doubt any of these, the email tells you “facts are facts.”
The email tells you:
Social Security is VOLUNTARY and has been since FDR set it up.
Participants would only have to pay 1% of their annual income.
The money put into Social Security would be deductible from the participant income taxes.
Money put into Social Security would go into Trust Fund and not the General Operating Fund.
Annuity payments to retirees would never be taxes as income.
OMG! Voluntary? One percent? Deductible?
IS THIS TRUE?!?!
What’s the Wordle?
Wordle.net creates very pretty tag clouds based on most used words on your site. Here’s ours:
Social Security Stimulus: are children eligible?
I was recently asked if children who receive Social Security benefits are eligible for the one time $250 economic recovery stimulus payment.
Originally, it looked like the answer was “no.” When this article was written in March 2009, the SSA FAQ said the following.
Question: Are children who receive Social Security benefits eligible for the one-time economic recovery payment?
Answer: No, children under the age of 18 (19 if still in high school) who receive Social Security benefits are NOT eligible for the one-time payment. However, disabled adult children will receive a payment.
However, it was pointed out to me that children on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are eligible for the economic recovery stimulus payment.
Question: Are children who …
How much can I get in SSI benefits in 2009?
If you are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or applying for SSI, you should know that Social Security’s SSI benefits have increased.
For 2008, the Federal Benefit Rate (the maximum you can receive in SSI) is $674 for individuals and $1,011 for couples. For most people though, this means the maximum SSI benefits you can get i 2008 is $674 per month.
This is up from $637 per month in 2008.
This page lists the Federal Benefit Rates back to 1998.
What is Social Security doing with the Economic Stimulus?
What is Social Security doing with its share of the economic stimulus? Building a huge data center, of course!
Using a hefty down payment from the newly signed economic stimulus law, the Social Security Administration has embarked on a $750 million project to replace its outmoded National Computer Center.
The agency received a total of $1 billion in the stimulus, with half to go toward the computer project and half for reducing a huge backlog in processing disability claims.
The injection of funds could result in hiring 5,000 to 6,000 workers in Baltimore and around the country, Michael J. Astrue, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, said in an interview yesterday.
Read the entire article …
Social Security stimulus payments coming in May
You may have already heard that part of the Obama’s stimulus package is a one time payment to recipients of Social Security.
The payment will be $250 and it was just revealed that everyone entitled to receive a payment should have it by late May 2009.
Social Security also revealed that if you are eligible for the one time payment, there is nothing you need to do. Social Security will automatically send you the payment.
Increase in Full Retirement Age increases disability claims
Here’s an interesting tidbit I came across on Notes on Social Security Reform citing the University of Michigan Retirement Research Center winter newsletter:
Does the Rise in the Full Retirement Age Encourage Disability Benefits Applications?
Evidence from the HRS by Xiaoyan Li and Nicole Maestas WP 2008-198
As the Social Security full retirement age (FRA) rises, the relative generosity of Social Security retirement benefits compared to disability benefits is declining, raising the incentive for insured people to apply for disability benefits.
We find that an average four month increase in the FRA slightly increases the two-year DI application rate by 0.04-0.30 percentage points.
The effect is greater among those with a …
Gordon Gates on “the 11 Percent ALJ”
Social Security attorney Gordon Gates wrote about a Social Security Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who only approves 11 percent of cases.
In trying to find some insight in to how this ALJ could only approve 11% of cases when most other ALJs approve somewhere between 45-60% of cases, Gordon found the following post from the ALJ on a high profile public website:
Some doctors go overboard on diagnoses and treatment because they sense the “pot of gold” in having a fairly young patient on Medicare for many years to come with a reliable source of payment for constant treatment.
Lawyers and other non-attorney representative can receive fees as a percentage of the back benefits awarded to a claimant. Once a claimant has a legal representative, one can actually track how the alleged impairments become much worse, with new impairments and symptoms added as the case matures.
A judge with some experience can almost recite verbatim the same story we hear from virtually EVERY claimant, suggesting they have received training from the national organization of the claimants attorneys. The government is complicit in this boondoggle, because the Social Security Administration actually publishes lists of symptoms for various impairments in the form of rules for judges to follow. Is it any wonder we hear those lists of symptoms at almost every hearing?
The Judge’s quote is quite lengthy and covers a number of topics. I encourage you to read it in Gordon’s article: The 11 Percent ALJ.
While I can agree with the Judge on several points in the longer quote, I strongly disagree with what the Judge says above.
Let’s set ‘em up and knock ‘em down!
Your turn: what would you like to see?
It is a new year and a new chance to better meet your needs!
Whether this your first visit to my site or you have been reading from day 1…
What would you like to see on this site?
What would you like to read about?
What have we not covered?
What would you like covered in more depth?
What would you like expained?
Do not worry if you have not read all the articles.
Just tell me what you want to see, and it will guide me in the new …
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 Security disability claim — but 650 days if your case is in Portland.
The problems in Portland reflect a broader national crisis, according to Social Security Administration records … Only about half the agency’s administrative law judges meet its minimum goal of clearing 500 cases a year.
….
In October 2007, Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue met with a delegation of judges from around the country and … complained that many were not productive enough, according to the union that represents the judges. Astrue also accused them of not wanting to be subjected to any professional standards.
The commissioner has testified before Congress that the bulk of administrative law judges are hardworking. But he has griped about underachievers, and the agency set performance goals that ask judges to clear 500 to 700 cases a year..
Grab the pitch forks! Light the torches! It’s the judges’ fault!
Of course, things are not that simple.
