The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office in the city of Ft. Wayne, Indiana has made tremendous strides in cutting the wait time for disability applicants. There are more than 700,000 backlogged applications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits nationwide and the expected wait time for the average applicant to receive a determination regarding eligibility for benefits is about 14 months.
An investigation conducted by federal prosecutors from the Social Security Administration (SSA) has had some far reaching implications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) review processes and procedures. The primary subject of the investigation is Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) David B. Daugherty from the Huntington, West Virginia SSA office, though attention also fell on other ALJs throughout the nation.
In the past, Social Security beneficiaries had the option to receive a monthly benefit check in the mail. In the near future, that option will no longer be available and anyone who gets Social Security of any kind, including disability benefits, will receive their benefit payments electronically.
December 3, 2011 marked the 19th annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), an international day of observance sponsored and promoted by the United Nations (UN) to bring attention to the issues faced by persons with disabilities around the world.
The Bowles-Simpson Deficit Plan is simply another name for the deficit reduction plan published in December 2010 by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, a bi-partisan committee tasked with assessing federal debt and making recommendations on improving the overall financial outlook of federal government operations, including proposed changes to all federally funded and managed programs.
A hearing scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, December 2, 2011, is the first in a planned series of congressional hearings on the subject of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The initial hearing will cover the history of SSDI, and the funding and financial challenges of the current SSDI program. Also addressed will be future financing hurdles which must be overcome if the program is to remain viable.
The Social Security Administration’s Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) is a program intended to help people with disabilities return to work while still receiving disability benefits through the need-based Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Your SSI is based on your overall income and resources, but the PASS program allows you to set aside money and other items of value, redirecting those funds and resources to achieve a work-related goal without losing or reducing your disability benefits.
As many people are aware, Congress will soon be making recommendations for a number of potential spending cuts designed to help reduce spending and lower the U.S. national debt. It’s quite possible, even likely, that these cuts could involve significant changes to Social Security benefit programs including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Approximately 10 percent of the United States population speaks Spanish as a first language, and these individuals will now have access to a wider variety of Social Security Administration (SSA) services in their native tongue. The SSA recently announced additions to the popular Spanish version of their award-winning website. Users are now able to complete their applications for Social Security retirement benefits, Medicare, and Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Costs online in about 15 minutes, entirely in Spanish.
In light of recent nationwide attention to reform of federal funding for the Social Security programs, we feel that it might be helpful to review some of the fact regarding how such programs, including the SSA’s disability benefits programs, are funded.
