Blog posts

It is no secret that it takes some disability applicants more than two years to receive their first payment upon applying for Social Security Disability benefits. In 2008, the average time to process a Social Security Disability claim was 480 days. When disabled workers are struggling financially and have no way of making ends meet, waiting 480 days for disability payments to begin is unacceptable, and the Social Security Administration is beginning recognize this fact.

There has been much commotion in the news about Obama's new 2012 Federal Budget plan, but very little is being said about exactly how this budget will affect the Social Security Disability program. Many Social Security Disability recipients are wondering exactly how this new budget affects them and are confused as to whether or not their disability benefits are at risk.

There is much debate about the concept of privatization of Social Security. In general, Democrats tend to oppose it while Republicans are for it, while both parties agree that something needs to be done because the Social Security System is projected to start running on a deficit somewhere between the year 2013 and 2037. Such a deficit will adversely affect both retirement and disability benefits payments for beneficiaries.

The Social Security Law Group, LLP, is a Boston-based law firm that assists clients in the application process for SSI or SSDI benefits from the Social Security Administration. Their decision this March to file a class action lawsuit against the Social Security Administration is based on their growing frustration with what they claim is the SSA’s violation of two key acts – the Freedom of Information Act, and the 1974 Privacy Act.

It is a well-known fact that it is difficult to receive a favorable determination when you apply for Social Security Disability benefits. The guidelines for each condition that makes a person eligible for benefits are very specific, and the SSA requires thorough medical documentation to verify the existence of the condition, as well as proof that the condition affects the person’s ability to keep working or change careers.

It is too easy for mistakes to occur when paper checks are being sent in the mail. Whether it be misdirected mail, wrong addresses, or theft, there are many worst case scenarios where Social Security benefits do not make it to the beneficiary. Every year, thousands of checks are reported as lost or stolen, amounting to millions of dollars.

Seven years ago, a Toyota worker from Southern California found out that the sudden onset of a strange, scarcely-documented disease was not the only battle he had to fight. Salomaa, a 47-year-old sufferer of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, went to his doctor in 2003 after he noticed unusual fatigue symptoms and diminishing mental function when he returned to his normal job after a bout of the flu. After a long series of doctors and appointments, Salomaa was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. There are no official tests that conclusively identify this syndrome.

Recently, a 32-year old Kansas City man named Tyrone Holman was charged with obstructing the federal proceedings of his SSI application process. Holmes left threatening messages in the voicemail box of his assigned psychologist, whom he had been scheduled to meet for a required psychological evaluation. He ranted that his murder of his brother in 2006 was actually the psychologist’s fault because Holmes had previously not been found eligible for Social Security Disability benefits, and threatened legal action, demanding compensation for his years spent in prison.

In January of this year, the Lockheed Martin Corporation was officially contracted to deliver the Social Security Administration a $2 Million disability case processing system. This high-profile project that is slated for the next six years is expected to vastly improve the volume, speed, and accuracy of cases the SSA is able to process on a regular basis, as well as provide one nationwide, integrated system to handle all of the processing functions for disability claims.

This year, the Republican GOP has proposed significant cuts in the Social Security Administration’s 2011 budget, an action that has sparked heated debates, sending House Democrats and defenders of the Social Security program into an outrage spun with fear.