When you file for Social Security disability, you will have to tell Social Security a specific onset date when you became disabled. In most cases, this will be the day you stopped working, and usually, most people apply for disability within a few months, or maybe one...
W. Christopher Freiberg
Social Security Raises Fee Cap
The cost of obtaining a Social Security disability attorney is about to go up, though not for everyone seeking disability benefits. On November 30, the Social Security Administration will raise its maximum fee cap from $6,000 to $7,200. It is the first time the cap...
Social Security Benefits Will See Large Increase in 2022
The Social Security Administration has announced that retirees and disabled individuals will see a whopping 5.9 percent increase in their benefits next year. The cost of living adjustment applies to those receiving both Social Security Disability and Supplemental...
Social Security to Begin Limited In-person Disability Hearings
It’s been nearly two years since the Social Security Administration closed its hearing offices due to the Covid-19 pandemic and moved all hearings to telephone or video. But the SSA has announced that it will finally bring back in-person hearings in a limited capacity...
Should You Appeal or Refile After an ALJ Denial?
Try as we may, it’s unavoidable that administrative law judges deny some very strong disability claims. When that happens, clients inevitably ask me what to do next. Should we appeal, or they should they refile? This is one of those situations where there is rarely an...
Why Does it Take So Long to Get a Disability Decision?
Many clients I speak with seem to think that they’ll be approved for disability at their hearing and start receiving benefits almost immediately after. Unfortunately, the reality is that it can still take quite awhile to receive a decision and benefits after a...
Social Security Announces New Compassionate Allowance Conditions
Last month, the Social Security Administration announced a dozen new additions to its list of conditions that qualify for an expedited approval under its Compassionate Allowance rules. The Compassionate Allowance List made up of more than 200 serious or...
When Will In-Person Disability Hearings Resume?
It’s now been well over a year since the Social Security Administration closed its hearing offices due to the Covid-19 pandemic and began holding all hearings over the phone or video, and there’s still no clear timetable for when in-person hearings will resume....
Does Long Haul Covid Qualify for Disability?
More than a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, one phenomenon that continues to be overlooked by many people is so-called “long haul Covid.” There’s no specific definition for what exactly constitutes long haul Covid, and it’s unclear even how many people experience it....
Can You Go From SSI to SSDI?
Recently, someone who had been receiving Supplemental Security Income for several years asked me if they could switch to receiving Social Security Disability Income. The short answer to this question is yes, it’s possible, but it’s rarely doable. First, a quick...
Biden Fires Social Security Commissioner
The Social Security Administration has a new interim commissioner. Earlier this month, President Biden fired Andrew Saul, who was appointed by President Trump in 2019 to a six-year term to oversee the agency. The position of Social Security commissioner doesn’t...
Biden Seeks to Boost Social Security Budget
President Biden is seeking to increase Social Security’s annual budget by nearly 10 percent -or $1.3 billion- in 2022. The money would largely go to better customer service, which is badly needed for the agency. It’s not uncommon for claimants to tell me that it takes...
Can You Collect Disability and Unemployment Benefits?
We’re now seeing hearings come up for many claimants who lost their jobs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of these individuals qualified for enhanced unemployment benefits for much of the last year, so of course the question has come up whether they can...
Supreme Court Opens Way for More Appeal Arguments
In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court ruled last month that disability claimants do not need to raise constitutional challenges to the appointment of a judge during their hearing. The ruling opens the door for disability representatives to make such challenges during...
How Long Does It Take to get a Decision after a Hearing?
After waiting more than a year to get a hearing in front of an administrative law judge, most disability claimants expect to get a decision the day of the hearing. Unfortunately, Social Security disability doesn’t work like that. While judges can announce their intent...