Posts under ‘Milestones’

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 [...]

I was recently asked where Vocational Experts get their information from?
There a number of sources Vocational Experts use:

The Dictionary of Occupational Titles
Selected Characteristics of Occupations
Job surveys performed by the Vocational Expert
Services Vocational Experts sign up for which provide job titles, requirements and national and regional job numbers. 

If you are working with a lawyer, he or [...]

I was recently asked the following:
I had my hearing today. The judge had a vocational rep come in to testify. He said I had two job options.
… I live in a small town that probably does not offer the two jobs the vocational expert said I could do.
Can the judge deny me for being able to [...]

If your Social Security case is denied after a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), you have a couple of options:
Appeal the ALJ’s decision to the Social Security Appeals Council
To do this, you need to file form HA-520-U5 “Request for Review of Hearing Decision/Order.”  
One benefit of appealing is that it preserves your entitlement to [...]

Here is part 2 of my discussion with attorney Jonathan Ginsberg as part of his SSDRadio podcast.
In case you missed it, here is part 1.

Under Social Security regulations, it is not enough to have a disability (a diagnosed medical condition). Your condition has to be severe enough to be prevent you from being able to engage in a “substantial gainful activity;” typically full time, competitive, employment.  If you cannot show that your condition keeps you from being able to [...]

Be specific when answering the judge’s questions at your Social Security hearing.
Avoid answering a question with, “occasionally,” “sometimes” or “every once in a while.”  This is not specific enough.  
To you, “occasionally” may mean “every other day,” but the judge may interpret it as “a couple of times a month.”  As a Colorado Social Security lawyer, [...]

I am going to let you in on a secret. In my years helping people with Social Security disability cases in Colorado, I have seen time and again: Judges respond to a positive attitude.  
Here are some questions I have heard judges ask:
What do you see for your future?
Where do you think you will be in a [...]

If you are denied at your Social Security hearing by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), you have the right to appeal the judge’s decision to the Social Security Appeals Council.  
To do this, you need to file form HA-520-U5 “Request for Review of Hearing Decision/Order.”  You only have 60 + 5 days to get the [...]

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

Medical Information including the names, addresses and phone numbers of all doctors, hospitals and clinics.  Your patient ID number(s), dates seen.
Name(s) of medicine(s) you are taking.
Any medical records you have.
An original or certified [...]

Here is a useful exercise you can do to prepare for your hearing:  keep a journal of everything you do from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, including every time you take a break.  
Don’t worry.  You do not have to turn this in to anyone, not to your lawyer [...]

I had a great discussion about the Social Security system and preparing for hearings with attorney Jonathan Ginsberg as part of his SSDRadio podcast.
Here is part 1.

Are you struggling with working because of physical or psychological impairments?  Have you stopped working because you just could no longer do the job?
You may be going back and forth on whether to apply for Social Security:
Maybe I will get better.  But, what will I do if I am not able to go back to [...]

Nate Craig of Truth of the Matter Asserted has a great article about what it means if a judge wants you to change the date you became disabled, or in Social Security parlance “amend your alleged onset date (AOD).”
Often, by the time the claimant’s hearing comes to be scheduled, the ALJ will review the file [...]