Social Security Law Blog

You may be thinking about filing for Social Security Disability but you haven't worked for almost five years or you never worked, or paid little to no taxes if you did. Or you are almost 62 and thinking about whether to file for Early Retirement or for Disability (SSDI) or for SSI because you have impairments that make it difficult to work. And which pays more, Disability... Read More

I'm sure you’ve heard this phrase before: "everything you say can and will be used against you". This is, unfortunately, too often true when it comes to your disability case.

In the early stages of your disability case, the Social Security or DES office will send you questionnaire forms to fill out. Some of those forms asks in detail... Read More

It is not uncommon for disability claimants to look for attorneys that specialize in different medical conditions to handle their case. While it is an interesting "search term", the reality is unless that attorney went to medical school, what you really should look for is a reputable disability attorney.  An experienced attorney will be familiar with the ins and outs of that particular medical condition enough to bring to the attention of the judge what it means for you to... Read More

I'm sure you heard this phrase before:  "everything you say can and will be used against you".  When it comes to your disability case, unfortunately, this is a true statement.  In the early stages of your disability case. The Social Security office will send you forms to fill out. A lot of those forms ask about your daily activities and the questions are often very tricky. At first glance they don't look that way but if you pay close attention you will see that if... Read More

Most people who file for Social Security Disability and/or Long Term Disability are taking some kind of legally prescribed drug to control pain, discomfort, depression, etc. It is not uncommon for the prescribing physicians to order such patients to undergo occasional blood tests to make sure that the patient is... Read More

When you file your Social Security claim, the Social Security state agency office processing your case will usually send you to a government-paid doctor to examine you. The claimed purpose of these exams is to verify whether your claimed impairment really affects your ability to work. Unfortunately, these exams seldom reveal the full extent of your impairment. Sometimes, the exam is so poorly conducted so as to leave the claimant wondering what kind of assessment was really made. It is not... Read More

The obvious reason for filing an SSDI or SSI disability claim is that you are unable to work full-time; commonly because you are in pain, or medications make you drowsy, and/or that you actually need to lie down some portion of the working day.

The questions many claimants are faced with is finding a way during the claim’s process to pay monthly bills while... Read More

It is very difficult to describe pain. For some, a little pain can disable them, for others a lot of pain does not prevent them from doing things. They simply "deal with it" and continue to do the same activities despite the pain. It is not uncommon for someone to have back pain and continue to work as a laborer lifting heavy materials or a secretary, who sits for 8 hours straight. For others, their pain is so intense (in their own description) that they can’t even get out... Read More

Procedure at Earlier Stages of the Case:

Both Initial Application and Reconsideration generally take the State Agency 3-6 months to complete, but these stages can take 7-10 months or even more, depending upon factors such as these:

1) State Agency office is disorganized or behind

2) State Agency has learned there are more records they would like to order and review

3) State Agency takes a longer than usual time scheduling and... Read More

At the initial stages of your Social Security case, it is the Social Security State-Agency’s obligation to order medical records after you provide your list of treating doctors. However, if and when your case progresses to the Federal Hearing Level, you as the claimant become responsible for sending updated medical records to the Hearing office. In other words, unlike the State Agency Office, the Federal Hearing... Read More