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If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits and are supporting a family, your family members could be eligible for an additional benefit payment on top of the amount that you receive. These are called auxiliary benefits, and the Social Security Administration (SSA) has provided specific criteria that must be met in order for a spouse or child to be able to receive these. Note that auxiliary benefits only apply to family members of those who are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI), and not Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

A study recently conducted by the Obama administration reflected that many unemployed Americans apply for Social Security disability benefits around the time that their unemployment benefits are set to expire. These findings were based on interviews with a number of unemployed workers, and provide some insight into both the struggles that unemployed, low-income Americans face, as well as the growing burden placed on the Social Security Administration (SSA), which administers the Social Security disability programs.

Last week the state of Vermont was officially sued by Disability Rights Vermont and the Community of Vermont Elders, two advocacy groups for elderly and disabled residents in the state. The main allegation is against the state’s Adult Protective Services program which they claim has failed to improve its backlog of unassigned cases and respond in a timely manner to valid concerns of abuse and neglect against those suffering from severe disabling conditions.

The last year has brought increased scrutiny of the SSA’s appeal courts, the federal level at which cases denied twice by the state are allowed a final review. In understanding of the need for unbiased review of the way administrative law judges (ALJs) process Social Security Disability appeals, the administration has agreed to, and commissioned, the Administrative Conference to perform a review which is scheduled to be completed by November of 2012.

To the United States Senate and House of Representatives, the New Year brings new legislation and debates about keeping the previous year’s legislation. The current debate about whether or not to extend the payroll tax holiday is inciting fear of the continuing effects to the Social Security Trust Fund versus the impact of spending losses in the economy.

In recent months, the Social Security Administration has made significant improvements to its website and is now offering easy-to-use online services for those who need to apply for retirement, Medicare and disability benefits. In order to promote these great new services and make the public aware of their availability, the SSA has retained none other than famous celebrities Patty Duke and George Takei, of Star Trek fame.

It is no secret that many American citizens become frustrated with the help they try to receive from the Social Security Administration. In a world where customer service used to be a priority, finding good service is becoming less and less common. This is even truer when dealing with state and federal agencies.

When considering applying for Social Security Disability benefits, many applicants are faced with the question of whether it is better to hire a qualified disability lawyer to help with the initial application process, or if a person should only retain the services of a Social Security attorney once their claim is denied.

If you’re applying for Social Security Disability and have a mental illness, you’ll need to prove your mental disability prevents you from working in any job, for at least a year. The large majority of disability applicants have their initial applications denied, and those who are applying for disability based on a psychiatric condition may have an even harder time getting their application approved.

When you apply for Social Security Disability benefits and are denied, you can appeal the decision by filing a Request for Reconsideration. If a second denial is received, you will then take your place in the queue of the many Social Security applicants who are waiting for their disability hearing in front of an administrative law judge. Although the wait for a hearing can be long – more than a year – the plus side of this is that you’ll get plenty of time to prepare for your hearing.