March is National Kidney Month, and March 9, 2017 is World Kidney Day. Kidney disease develops when kidneys lose their ability to remove waste and maintain fluid and chemical balances in the body. The severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) depends on how well the kidneys filter waste from the blood. Because there are little to no signs… read more

President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze may exacerbate a backlog of claims for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) that has grown so large that an average case takes more than a year to be heard in front of a judge. “These are people who are desperate,” Judge Marilyn Zahm, president of the… read more

In late 2014, after nearly a decade of lobbying from disability advocacy groups, Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, creating a tax-advantaged account for people with disabilities. Money in an ABLE account grows and can be spent tax-free on qualified expenses such as medical treatment, transportation, housing, education and assistive technology.… read more

Jackson Costa of the Office of Program Development, Office of Research, Demonstration, and Employment Support, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration performed a study published in the Social Security Bulletin on the decline in earnings prior to claims for Disability Insurance benefits. Data from the 2014 Disability Research File show that the… read more

This weekend is Super Bowl LI – on February 5th, the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons will go head-to-head at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas with pop icon Lady Gaga performing at half time. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas has completed a review of the accessibility of… read more

Social Security has released the final 2016 numbers on the Disability Insurance Trust Fund. The Trust Fund is a separate account in the United States Treasury. A fixed proportion of the taxes received under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) and the Self-Employment Contributions Act are deposited into the fund to the extent that such… read more

Carolyn Colvin has announced that she will step down from her role as Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration at the end of President Obama’s term on January 20, 2017. Last Friday, Ms. Colvin released the following statement to all Social Security Administration (SSA) and Disability Determination Services (DDS) employees: TO: All SSA and… read more

The final numbers for those receiving disability benefits in calendar year 2016 are in. By the end of 2016, there were 1.13% fewer people receiving Social Security disability benefits compared to the end of 2015. That is a difference of 100,694 people. This decrease is happening at a time when the aging of the “baby… read more

More than 3 million people in the United States currently suffer with glaucoma. The National Eye Institute projects this number will reach 4.2 million by 2030, a 58 percent increase. Glaucoma is called “the sneak thief of sight” since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it’s permanent. As much as 40% of… read more

Enrollment for affordable healthcare is open until January 31, 2017, which is the last day to enroll in or change a 2017 health plan. You can learn more about the Health Insurance Marketplace and how to apply for benefits at www.healthcare.gov. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) also ensures that even if you have a pre-existing… read more