Posts under ‘Milestones’

Gordon Gates writes about how he tries to make each case different and memorable when preparing to go to hearing.
I am always concerned that a particular claim will not get the attention it deserves at the hearing level, due to the tremendous workload at the Social Security hearing offices. Each administrative law judge decides several hundred [...]

I previously wrote about how Social Security may move a case from one hearing office (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review – ODAR) to another to try to ease case congestion and speed up processing.
Usually, there is nothing to worry about when this happens. However, there is something you do need to watch out for. If you [...]

Did you represent yourself at your Social Security disability hearing?
If you were denied, you may find it is difficult to find a lawyer to represent you if you 
Sadly, this is a common problem.  It is much harder to hire an attorney after you been denied.
Why?

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 [...]

If you have been denied at your Social Security hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), you may end up having to file an appeal to the Social Security Appeals Council.  
In my experience handling Social Security disability cases in Colorado, it can take between 6 – 18 months to get a decision [...]

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 [...]

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 Social Security Administration released the production numbers and approval rates for all of its administrative law [...]

We have previously discussed that an individual is not eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits while incarcerated.  This issue frequently comes up when an individual already on Social Security is incarcerated.
However, it is important to remember that the prohibition on receiving Social Security benefits may also impact your application for Social Security benefits, if you [...]

If you wonder if you are eligible for Social Security benefits, Social Security has an interactive website to help you answer this question.
Visit Social Security’s BEST (Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool). 
BEST checks if you are eligible for the following benefits:

Medicare
Social Security Disability
Social Security Retirement
Social Security Survivors
Special Veterans
Supplemental Security Income

Have you tried BEST, share your experiences in the comments!

When you are waiting for your Social Security hearing, it can come as a shock to receive a letter telling you that your case has been transferred to a different hearing office in another state.  
Attorney Donald Chewning writes about this on the Wisconsin Disability Blog.
If you are awaiting a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge in [...]

The one thing people are most surprised about when they go to a hearing is that the lawyer does not do all of the talking. In fact, it is the claimant (aka “you”) who has to answer the Judge’s questions.  I hear a lot of questions and comments about this.  
I went to my hearing and [...]

Social Security has a fact sheet answering common questions about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for disabled children:

How does Social Security decide if a child is disabled?
How can I get ready for the disability interview?
How does Social Security decide if a child can get SSI?
How will I know what Social Security has decided?
Will my personal information [...]

There are several ways to start an application for Social Security benefits:
At your local Social Security office
While this make take the longest amount of time (depending on the wait times at your local office), applying in person has the advantage of having a live person to ask to if you have a question.  The downside [...]

Do you know what to bring to your interview when applying for Social Security?
Here is the list of information Social Security will need:

The second part of Gordon Gates’ article on whether you can receive Social Security disability benefits while incarcerated, talks about hearings in prison.  
The problem – incarcerated claimants often do not get treatment from physicians who are very interested in filling out forms or helping the prisonor/claimant. Further, judges tend to be somewhat skeptical about the [...]