A common misconception is that claimants filing for Social Security Disability benefits have to be completely debilitated in order to receive benefits.  It is true that a claimant suffering from a debilitating condition likely has a strong claim.  However, this is not the standard required under the Social Security Act.  The definition of disability for… read more

In September 2016, the Social Security Administration (SSA) published new final rules, effective January 17, 2017, that revised the medical criteria for evaluating mental disorders. This regulation is a comprehensive revision to the criteria for evaluating disability claims involving mental disorders. “Updating our medical criteria for the disability program is a challenging task that has… read more

In February, the House of Representatives approved its first effort of the new Congress to roll back gun regulations, voting to overturn a rule that would bar gun ownership by some individuals who have been deemed mentally impaired by the Social Security Administration. The House voted 235-180 largely along party lines to repeal an Obama-era rule… read more

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