Are you automatically denied for Social Security Disability or SSI when you first apply with an initial application ?

I've probably heard a hundred variations of this granule of commonly accepted wisdom regarding social security disability and SSI. Generally, the comments go something like this:"Well, I expected they would deny me since they always do the first time""I know they never approve you on your first application, that's why you have to keep filing over and over until you get it""Is there a rule where

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Expediting the Social Security Disability and SSI application process

Again, this is from the same press release that was mentioned earlier (a couple of posts back) with regard to veterans benefits." The goals of the Commission, once CNA has conducted its data collectionand analysis, are to improve outreach, expedite the SSDI application andexamination process, and to explore federal certification, which could leadto a single disability exam for all veterans."I

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Does everyone hate PDF files, or is it just me?

In this regard, I really doubt it is just me. Listen, I have a fairly fast PC with plently of memory and I use a cable modem. Nonetheless, everytime I click on a search engine link without realizing that the link is to a PDF (I believe the acronym stands for portable document file), I feel sick as soon as I realize what I've done. Why, you ask? Well, if you've ever clicked on a PDF, I shouldn't

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Paul Gleason has died at age 67

People from my generation (funny the way that sounds, almost as if I have some age on me) remember Paul Gleason from the movies Trading Places and, especially, from The Breakfast Club. According to this BBC News article (original source: US character actor Gleason dies ), he died from a rare form of lung cancer, one linked to asbestos. Asbestosis and mesothelioma are both linked to asbestos

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Social Security Disability SSI and Veterans Benefits - the effect of the web

Recently, it became known that the implementation of an offset, with regard to veterans benefits and disability benefits from the social security administration, was under consideration. The news spread like wildfire, of course, among websites and blogs that have an interest in (and keep a watchful eye over) such issues. Well, according to a May 24, 2006 press release (source: http://

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Filing a Social Security Disability or SSI appeal online

If you need to file a social security disability or SSI disability appeal, you can do it the standard paper route. Just make sure you 1. request the appeal within 60 days of the date of your last denial, 2. submit the paperwork within the 60-day time frame alloted to you (it's actually 65 days since the social security administration allows you an extra five days for mailing time), and 3.

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People with developmental disabilities can't change - or can they ?

"It belies the myth that people with developmental disabilities can't change"This is a quote from a documentary on Kim Peek, the individual on whom the title character, Rain Man, was based. Kim is, of course, an autistic savant with extraordinary memory abilities, to the extent that he remembers nearly every fact he is exposed to. And Kim's abilities are so impressive that there may only be about

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Social Security Disability or SSI and more than one medical problem

It is actually somewhat rare for a disability application to list only one physical or mental impairment. In most cases, an applicant will cite more than one condition whose symptoms contributes to their state of disability.Does it affect your disability claim if you have more than one medical problem ? I've come across this particular question more than once so I thought I would address it.From

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Social Security Disability and SSI: working while taking meds

I thought I would start off this post with a little jingle (to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel's "sounds of silence"). Hello back pain my old friendYou're hear to urk me once againBecause I lifted and while leaningI heard a pop and started screamingAnd the pain that was planted in my brainStill remainsWithin the L5-S1 area of lumbar degenerative disc traumatic violenceOk, I guess we know now that

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Rheumatoid Arthritis and the increased risk of cancer from certain drugs

Liz Szabo of USA today writes in a recent article about the increased risk of cancer from the drugs remicade and humira. Both drugs are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder and inflammatory disease. According to her headline, the additional cancer risk posed by the use of these drugs is small; for every 154 patients who take the drugs, 1 patient may develop cancer within six

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Social Security Disability SSI, Bipolar, Alzheimer's and Schizophrenia

A short piece by Michelle Healy of Wire Reports states that four and a half million Americans have alzheimer's, that this number could exceed sixteen million by mid-century, and that half of all people over 85 will develop alzheimer's. Developing alzheimer's is a scary proposition, no doubt. Reading the article, though, made me think of two other conditions, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

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Social Security Disability SSI - Reapplying is NOT the same thing as appealing

A woman in texas posted on her blog that her 62 year old husband who has rheumatoid arthritis and a heart condition has been unable to get approved for disability benefits. She's even planning to build him a wheelchair ramp and get him portable oxygen. That's how bad his condition is. You can make all the structural changes to the disability system that you want, but unless you do something to

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The purpose of the Administrative Law Judge in Social security disability and SSI cases

There are, no doubt, many thousands of stories out there about disability judges who were terse, rude, judgmental (no pun intended) and who simply made bad decisions on claims brought before them. And I would not argue with any of them. However, the fact remains: every claimant who goes before an ALJ has been denied on an initial social security disability or SSI claim and on a first appeal. And

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SSI Appeal

A while back I came across this question: "I know how to file an appeal for social security disability, but how do I file an SSI appeal".The question this individual asked points to a somewhat common misunderstanding about the disability programs that are mandated by the social security act and operated by the social security administration. First, I'll just cut to the chase: How do you file an

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Should you appeal a disability denial ? How do you do it ?

Should you appeal a disability denial? It's a valid question. Individuals who have been involved in the disability system for quite a long time, either as claims examiners, SSA claims reps, and attorney and non attorney claimant's representatives, might be tempted to handle this question in a brusqe manner. However, what many disability insiders sometimes loose sight of is the fact that for

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One of the inherent problems of disability claim adjudication

Let me just start this post by saying this: social security disability and SSI disability claim adjudication is not an objective process. It it was, you wouldn't see such remarkable differences in decisional outcomes for claims that are decided at DDS (disability determination services) and claims that are later decided at the hearing level. In fact, when I was a disability examiner, we used to

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To those who wish to make it harder for disabled individuals

...if you could walk in their shoes for just a day or so. Living on disability is obviously no walk in the park.This is from someone else's blog, and I think it makes the point very clearly to those who find it budgetarily vital to make the social security disability system even more hostile and deny even greater numbers of claimants:"I am on social security disability for a lower back problem

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If you are turned down and denied for disability

If you've been turned down for disability, that is, if your claim for social security disability or SSI benefits has been denied, you should probably file an appeal and do it as soon as possible.I say probably because there are a limited number of instances in which it may be better to start over with a new disability application. For instance, if you received a technical denial (The type of

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The purpose of the Social Security Disability SSI medical exam

A fairly high percentage of individuals who file for either social security disability or SSI disability benefits will be required to go to a medical examination by the social security administration. Unfortunately, many, if not most, disability claimants do not understand the purpose of such an exam, why it has been requested, or who the medical examiner conducting the exam really is.First of

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Appeals for Social Security Disability - Disability Appeals Process

Most individuals who decide to finally file a claim for social security disability or SSI benefits (I say finally because many claimants think about filing for benefits but delay the decision to file for quite some time) know very little about how the system works. In fact, many individuals who work in social security field and district offices know relatively very little about how the disability

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Why would the Social Security Admininistration try to make it harder to win disability benefits ?

Here's an interesting piece of information: "More than 51 million Americans — about 18 percent of the total population — have some form of disability, with 12 percent having a severe disability, according to information being released today by the U.S. Census Bureau."Of course, with the U.S. population "graying", the number of disability claims being followed will only continute to rise. And so

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Mental Disability - Social Security Disability, SSI, and Mental Disabilities

Just a few short notes on filing for social security disability or SSI based on a disability the nature of which is psychological or psychiatric. First off, the question - Can you be approved for disability benefits on the basis of mental disabilities? Answer: yes you can.Second question - Which mental disabilitis can you get awarded disability benefits for? Answer: any mental impairment that

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Social Security Attorneys - what you should know

If you have applied for either social security disability or SSI disability, or are simply considering applying, the thought may already have crossed your mind that you may need an attorney at some point. And, certainly, this is a valid concern. For claimants who may have to invest up to three years of their time in the disability evaluation system before being awarded benefits, it makes complete

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Social Security Disability SSI Status

If you have a pending claim for either social security disability or SSI disability, no doubt you'll find yourself, at some point, wondering what the status of your case is. And this is normal for two reasons. First of all, disability claims take an exceptionally lengthy amount of time to process and, secondly, the social security administration will not make any attempt to inform you of the

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Working while collecting Social Security Disability or SSI - It may not be worth it

This was posted on another blog:"Well, now the good folks at Social Security are again breathing down my neck. Not that I didn't know this wouldn't happen some day. They always like to wait until one has acrued a huge debt while working or something, then say you owe them a big chunk of change! Now, I have been trying to rectify this situation for almost two years, and they repeatedly told me

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Social Security Disability SSI - Speeding up a hearing when you have a dire need (call your congressman)

In the post prior to this one, I mentioned that you may have some luck in having your social security disability or SSI back pay processed faster by calling your local congressman or one of your senators. I should also mention, though, that if your disability claim hasn't gotten that far and you are still waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for a disability hearing date, it may be

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Social Security Disability and SSI back pay : contacting your congressman to speed it up

Sometimes it's useful to call either your local congressman's office or one of your two senator's to have them check into your case and move it along faster. Generally, of course, this is for the purpose of getting a hearing scheduled faster. However, there are times when doing this can benefit you in other ways. A recent post on this blog referenced the problems that social security disability

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Social Security Disability SSI Judge denied a claim without bothering to read the file ?

Obviously, this is a day for blogging about other people's blog posts. But I'm enjoying it, I think it's practical and useful, and so I think I will continue to do this from time to time. Here's a blog from a well known Disability attorney practicing in Oklahoma.This is about a case that was denied several times and finally made it to federal district court. The court seems to be in agreement

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Living on Social Security Disability - A member of the idle poor

I just thought this was an interesting post from an interesting blog (titled My Daily Struggles):The High LifeI've been so amazed to find so much worthy-to-be-read writing on blogs. The best writing, of course, allows you to peek into someone else's life experiences and gain insight from those experiences.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts How much can I earn

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Social Security Disability and SSI: problems with backpay

I just found this posted on someone's blog: "I cannot believe this! I have been waiting for months for this back pay! I have been getting my monthly disability now for three months and still I haven't received my back pay! It is crazy how Gov't offices can be so different! When I got my disability pay from the VA, the day I got the letter I went checked my account and it was already there! Yet

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Changes to the Social Security Disability and SSI Disability system that disadvantage claimants

In a prior post, I pointed out one example of how the Social Security Administration's new initiative to reform its disability programs (title II benefits, otherwise known as social security disability and title 16 benefits, otherwise known as SSI, or supplemental security income)will actually disadvantage people with disabilities. In that article I addressed the fact that disability claimants

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How many Social Security Disability and SSI claimants do not file an appeal ?

It's fairly common knowledge that the majority of social security disability and ssi disability claimants do not file an appeal following a denial. In my former capacity as a disability examiner this was often verified by how many "uniques" an individual had; in other words, how many times a person had opted not to appeal but rather to file a brand new disability application (however, I probably

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Social Security Disability Claimants under attack ?

I've posted previously on the "new approach" to disability adjudication that is now set to take center stage in the social security administration's boston region (new england states) on 8/1/06. And in those posts, I've focused on some trust issues as well as on some of the specific mechanics of the new system. However, there are other changes to the social security disability and ssi system that

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Backdoor Attacks on Veterans

Well, not only do we have this current episode regarding veterans ( Social Security Disability SSI...and attacking veterans---and the vets are pissed), here's something I just came across today, though it's months old:Reevaluating PTSD for Veterans Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts Winning Disability BenefitsSocial Security Disability ProcessHow social security

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Tips for Veterans filing for Social Security Disability or SSI

I came across someone else's blog and they had reprinted an old article I'd written on my disability site, so I thought I would do the same (I hope I'm not plaigarizing myself).Disabled veterans will usually find themselves dealing with the social security administration, at some point or another. And this is only to be expected. However, many vets may end up very surprised when they learn how

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Social Security Disability SSI...and attacking veterans (and the vets are pissed!)

Well, as I've said in comments I've made on other blogs, I'm not really surprised. Rather than post a distillation as to what the administration is doing as regards veterans and social security disability - ssi benefits, here are a few links to blogs. Screwing the Vets again This is what you get for serving your country? Vet's time to fightPush to cut VA benefitsReturn to the Social Security

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Sometimes the pages outlast us - An Internet journal on caring for an Alzheimer's parent

In the last few weeks, I've come across at least 2, perhaps 3, websites that are still operating despite the fact that their creators have passed away (yes, I prefer the euphemism, passed away, to die, though I will use die occasionally). And each time I do, I get the same feeling accompanied by my own staring off into the window behind my desktop monitor. What is that feeling? Well, as with so

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The least empathetic cog in the Social Security Disability evaulation system

...(long drumroll)...would be the disability examiner at the state agency responsible for handling medical determinations for the social security administration. This agency, of course, is most commonly known as DDS, or disability determination services.I don't say this lightly, but I believe it to be the case, which, if true, is unfortunate since disability examiners are essentially the "first

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Social Security Disability, SSI, Degenerative Disc Disease and Back pain

A significant percentage of social security disability and ssi disability claims involve back pain of one sort or another (back pain in the lumbar, thoracic, or cervical areas of the spine caused by scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, bone spurs, arthritis, etc.) And, when it comes to disability claims that are based on physical allegations only, back pain plays an even bigger role.Of course,

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Disability Blog Recommendations

Well, after cruising the blog superhighway for a fair portion of the evening, I've found 3 disability related blogs that I can easily recommend. They're not about social security disability per se, but in various ways they provide a lot of good input and feedback which many claimants should find useful and be able to relate to (in other words, these blogs make for good reading):1. The Angry Gimp2

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How many times will they deny you for Social Security Disability or SSI before they approve you ?

For many years, I've heard this particular piece of anecdotal wisdom being thrown about: "Well, you know, social security has to deny you a few times before they can approve you". And, of course, each time it's been said to me I've felt the need to comment as to how the system actually works.However, I just read the same thing on a forum so I feel compelled to address the question again: Does the

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The Social Security Poof !!! Phenomenon

I caught the evening news (which is only notable since I usually get my news online and rarely see the evening news, though I like watching Bob Schieffer). In tonight's report, the new estimate for the fund going Poof!!! is 2040 instead of 2041.Hard to take any of it seriously, though. As another blogger pointed out today, any IOU from yourself to yourself must be, by definition, worthless. The

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How long do Social Security Disability and SSI initial claims take in the state of Georgia? Apparently, a long time

I came across this tidbit on the blog run by Attorney Jonathan Ginsberg. As he puts it, initial claims are currently taking 8-10 months to process in Georgia. Not good to hear. Of course, if anyone would know how long disability applications take in Georgia, it would be an attorney or non-attorney rep who practices there.Actually, though, this reminds me. I spoke to another attorney in georgia,

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Will an attorney really improve your chances of winning Social Security Disability or SSI ?

My answer: Yes. How have I arrived at this answer? From my own experience in disability claim representation and as a former disability claim examiner.However, it's nice to see an actual statistic, and, so, courtesy of an SSA Connect post, here's are some numbers that were presented at a hearing before the social security subcomittee of the House Ways and Means committe in 2001:"SSA's statistics

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