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A third of Covid-19 survivors suffer ‘brain disease,’ study shows
A third of Covid-19 survivors suffer 'brain disease,' study shows - CNN
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SSDI/SSI BENEFITS BASED ON BORDERLINE INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING
Disability claimants with borderline intellectual functioning (IQs between 71 and 84) can qualify for disability benefits and SSI. This is especially so if they have other impairments. Borderline intellectual functioning is a cognitive impairment resulting in lower than average intelligence, but
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SSI, SSDI and 3rd Stimulus Checks Update
The article below answers some of the biggest questions around the third stimulus and how it relates to SSI & SSDI. https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/ssi-ssdi-and-third-stimulus-checks-qualifications-when-and-how-youll-get-your-payment/ SSA.gov Coronavirus
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POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) AS A BASIS FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS AND SSI
PTSD is a mental health disorder* that affects individuals who either experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as war combat, sexual assault, child abuse, car accident, or natural disaster. The condition can severely impact the sufferer causing, for example,
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SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY FEDERAL COURT ACTIONS
WHY? Your claim for SSI and/or SSDI has been denied by the Social Security Administration (SSA) at Initial Review, upon Reconsideration, before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), and by the highest administrative tribunal, the Appeals Council (AC). You have exhausted all
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Update March 3rd 2021
Green & Greenberg is pleased and proud to announce our most recent hire, Jaqueline G. Barsamian, Esq., who will head up the Appeals Council and Federal Court Division at the firm. Jaqueline’s unique talents at the final administrative stage and
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Update February 23, 2021
Check out all the latest Disability Benefits and SSI news related to the pandemic at Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) | SSA . One of the latest entries there lists as grounds for good cause for late filing of appeals the fact that Social
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DISABILITY AND SSI BASED ON MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) involves an immune-mediated process in which an abnormal response of the body’s immune system is directed against the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Within the CNS, the immune system
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COVID-19 AND DISABILITY
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,
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New Guidance on Statutory Benefit Continuation
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
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COVID 19 – IN PERSON HEARINGS UNAVAILABLE
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,
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Faces of Rhode Island – Social Security Disability Edition – RI MONTHLY
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
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Can a Cancer Diagnosis be the Basis for Awarding Disability Benefits?
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
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Upcoming Changes to Continuing Disability Review Could Have Disastrous Results
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,
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How Will Your Social Security Attorney Help You Determine the Onset Date of Your Disability?
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
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Appeals Council Remand Rate Rises in 2019, Still Well Below Past Levels
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
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2020 Cost of Living Adjustment Increases SSI Amount, SSI Resource Cap Unchanged For Now
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
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Social Security Administration Underpaid SSI Claimants
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
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New Commissioner Appointed for Social Security Administration (SSA)
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
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SSA’s Fraud Re-determination Process Violates Due Process Rights
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
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G&G Weekly Update
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
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G&G Weekly Update
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
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Supreme Court Rules in a Case Involving Testimony by a Vocational Expert
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
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G&G Weekly Update
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
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G&G Weekly Update
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
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G&G Weekly Update
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
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G&G Weekly Update
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
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THE THIRD STEP – The Listing Of Impairments
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
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Unsuccessful Work Attempts
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