This coming Monday is Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a federal holiday dedicated to honoring the courageous men and women who died while serving the United States in the military. On behalf of Premier, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to all active military and veterans who have risked life and limb to protect… read more
A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) provides hope to claimants who were denied by a Judge during their claim for Social Security Disability benefits.[1] For the purposes of this report, the OIG’s office audited 275 out of 190,900 claims that had been denied by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in… read more
The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Throughout the month of May, organizations such as Mental Health America will promote awareness of mental illness through media, local events, and screenings.[1] On Saturday, May 14, 2016, the staff of Premier will be participating in the 7th Annual Walk for Mental Wellness for Anoka County. … read more
The Social Security Administration (SSA) proposed a rule on the Federal Register that could impact some beneficiaries’ ability to own or purchase firearms. The proposed rule was added on May 5, 2016. Under this proposed rule, SSA would identify individuals who receive Disability Insurance Benefits (Title II) and/or Supplemental Security Income (Title XVI) benefits and… read more
Social Security treats blindness as a unique condition and makes many special accommodations for the legally blind. Firstly, the legal definition of blindness is vision worse than 20/200 in the better eye, or if your visual field is 20 degrees or less. If a person is blind in only one eye then Social Security will… read more
What is the PERC Interview? Many claimants who are awarded Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will be required to attend a “pre-effectuation review conference,” which is commonly referred to as a PERC interview. The purpose of the PERC interview is for SSA to confirm a claimant’s income and resources do not exceed the technical requirements… read more
1. What is the alleged onset date? When an application is filed, the claimant must provide a date where they first became unable to work at the substantial gainful level due to their medically determinable impairments. In other words, they must “allege” a date when their inability to work began. This date is known as… read more
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
