A number of clients have asked about Covid-19 as a basis for disability benefits or SSI. While most people recover from the virus after several weeks, some suffer more serious effects and ongoing impairments. Those with autoimmune diseases such as MS,

SSA updated its coronavirus website on November 6 to include new guidance for people whose disability benefits were terminated because of a Continuing Disability Review determination or age-18 redetermination. Those who submitted requests for reconsideration of the termination but did not elect statutory

In person hearings on claims for SSI and disability insurance benefits are currently postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That means that many claimants require alternative ways for their claims to be heard as soon as possible. Until very recently,

In 1991, Rhode Island lawyers David Green and Moe Greenberg joined forces to represent claimants for Social Security Disability Benefits and SSI. Over more than twenty-five years, Green & Greenberg has won thousands of Rhode Island disability cases entitling its

Many individuals suffering from cancer wonder if they can receive Social Security Disability benefits. Fortunately, this is one of the most straightforward sections of the Listing of Impairments, or “Listings.” Listings are a kind of shortcut to disability. They allow

On November 18, 2019 the Social Security Administration published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking reducing the time between many Continuing Disability Reviews from three years to two years. According to a New York Times opinion piece from Jonathan M. Stein,

Your “onset date” is the date when you became disabled. In order to help you determine what onset date to allege, a Social Security Disability Attorney may ask you a series of questions to decide when you stopped being able to work on

The remand rate, the rate at which the Appeals Council returns cases to Administrative Law Judges based on claimant appeals, climbed in fiscal year 2019 to 14.56%, with exactly 21,000 cases remanded. This left more than 123,000 cases where the

Every year, SSA announces a Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA, that affects the monthly amount SSI beneficiaries receive. For 2020, this increase is 1.6%. The SSI federal benefit amount will increase from $771 per month to $783 per month

After an investigation by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General (SSA/OIG), it was found that since May 2011 SSA had underpaid SSI claimants approximately $95 million. In 28% of the cases where there was an underpayment, there

A new Commissioner of SSA, Andrew Saul, was sworn in on June 17, 2019. He is SSA’s first confirmed Commissioner since Michael Astrue stepped down more than six years ago. Unlike Nancy Berryhill, the Acting Commissioner he replaces, Commissioner Saul has no experience

According to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) fraud re-determination process violated the due process rights of many Social Security beneficiaries. In a well-publicized case, many medical opinions were thrown out by SSA because of

Is Social Security Going to Ask Me To Go To a Consultative Examination? A Consultative Examination (CE) is an exam ordered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to assess physical or psychiatric conditions. Reviewing recent statistics it is

Social Security Trustees Note Solvency through 2052 The Board of Trustees of the Social Security Administration (SSA) recently released its annual report on the state of the Social Security Trust Fund. According to this year’s report, the system can now pay

The US Supreme Court recently ruled on a case involving a longstanding rule out of the Seventh Circuit that required a vocational expert (VE) to

National Adjudication Team Begins On-The-Record Decisions After making zero attorney advisor decisions during Fiscal Year 2018, the National Adjudication Team began its work in November 2018 for Fiscal Year 2019. These Attorney Advisors are empowered to issue fully-favorable decisions on the

Social Security Congressional and Public Affairs Staff Shrinks  At the end of 2018, the Appeals Council’s Congressional and Public Affairs Branch lost another ombudsman to retirement. This leaves a single ombudsman in this office. A Social Security claims representative group has

SSA Starts Prehearing Review In an attempt to reduce hearing times, Social Security’s offices are starting to send some cases back to state agencies for additional reviews. These cases under the “Compassionate and Responsive Services” (“CARES”) initiative will receive an additional

A new Commissioner of Social Security was re-nominated for a six-year term in January 2019. Andrew Saul, who was previously nominated during the 115th Congress that ended in January, was re-nominated for the post during the 116th Congress. The term

The Social Security Administration (SSA) follows a five step process in determining whether or not you are disabled. We have discussed step one and step two previously.  In this blog, we will discuss step three - Listed Impairments. SSA maintains a

In some circumstances, a claimant may seek disability benefits for a period of time during which he or she was working. While, generally, a person will be entitled to benefits if they are not engaging in substantial gainful activity, there