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What Is My Date Last Insured?
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I got a call yesterday from a client whom Social Security had just approved for benefits. She had read her decision carefully and had a question for me. The judge wrote in his opinion that the client had to show she was disabled as of 12/31/2019. This was her date last insured, or DLI.
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Can I Fire My Lawyer?
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I have previously posted about changing lawyers. In the event your relationship with your lawyer is hopelessly broken, you can fire her if you want to.
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Have You Heard Anything About My Case?
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The most common call I get is from a current client asking me if I have heard anything about her case. I can understand why clients make these calls. When a disability case is pending at Social Security, not much of anything happens for long stretches of time. Consider what transpires after you …
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I Filed My Request For Reconsideration. Now What?
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Once Social Security denies your initial application you have to file an appeal. This appeal is called a request for reconsideration (RFR). You need to do this within 60 days of Social Security denying your application. This is an excellent time to contact me so we can begin to work together on…
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Do I Need To Provide My Medical Records When I Apply For Disability?
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I get many calls from people who have not yet applied for Social Security disability. Some of these callers know already they want to apply. They just don’t know how to go about it. One thing I hear a lot is that people think they cannot apply because they don’t have all their medical records…
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Social Security Does Not Have All My Information In The Denial Letter–What Should I Do?
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Often, when people get denial letters from Social Security they are alarmed by the fact that Social Security does not seem to have all the information about them. I had a client call this week upset that his denial letter only listed two of his doctors (In denial letters, Social Security lists wh…
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Can I Work While I Wait For My Disability Hearing?
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With Social Security delays in scheduling hearings reaching into multiple years, a lot of clients ask if they can work while they wait.
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How Long Can Social Security Make Me Wait For My Hearing?
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It is no longer news to say that Social Security is hopelessly behind on holding hearings in disability cases. But just how long might you have to wait? It depends on where you live. Social Security tracks the waiting times at all of their hearing offices. You can see the data here.
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I Am On SSI–Can I Get Married?
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Many years ago, I had a client who finally got approved for disability. She and I fought together for years to get her Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. With this good news in hand, she rushed off to do the other thing she had been waiting to to. She got married. What a lovely, happy…
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Can Illegal Aliens Get Social Security Benefits?
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I cannot count how many times angry clients and other people have told me that the reason Social Security is having so many problems is because of the illegal aliens. There are endless versions of this claim, but they all distill to this: hardworking Americans are getting shafted so that Uncle S…
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Is There A Limit To How Much My Children Can Receive In Benefits If I Am Disabled?
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The family of a disabled worker can collect benefits, but only to a set limit.
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Does It Matter If I Vote This Fall?
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It can be easy to think that your vote does not matter. This is especially true when the election includes voting for our next President. If you need any extra motivation to vote this year, consider the affect the outcome will have on Social Security.
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Happy Sixtieth Birthday To Social Security Disability
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In August, 1966 President Eisenhower signed into law amendments to the Social Security Act to add coverage for the disabled.
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Should I Object To A Video Hearing?
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After you file your Request For Hearing, Social Security will send you an acknowledgment of that request. Part of the response will be a form that allows you to object to a video hearing. Should you object?
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Will Social Security Decide My Case Faster If I Update My File?
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I have gotten several calls lately from people whom Social Security sent letters to. These letters as the clients to provide the most current information regarding their medical treatment and work history. One section of the letter states that if the client provides this information, Social Secu…
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Why Doesn’t Social Security Believe Me?
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Once I file a person’s request for hearing, Social Security gives me access to that person’s entire file. One of the most interesting documents in that file is called the Disability Determination Explanation (DDE.)
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Why Do I Keep Hearing So Many Scary Things About The Future Of Social Security?
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I try to keep up with the latest headlines about Social Security. In so doing, I have discovered that it is really hard to get solid, unbiased information. Too much of what appears in the media is inflammatory. A great deal of it is also simple false. This can leave those people who just want…
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I Won My Case, So Where Are My Benefits?
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So, you made it all the way through the process. A judge said you are disabled. Is it time to relax and stop worrying? Maybe not. Far too many of my clients discover that they are not getting their money even though Social Security says they are disabled. What explains this?
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A Renewed Attack On Disability Benefits
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Three Republicans, Senators Cotton of Arkansas and Mike Lee of Utah, along with Representative Hill of Arkansas have proposed significant changes to the Social Security disability program.
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Can I Appeal An Unfavorable Judge’s Decision On My Own?
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Rather often, people will contact me after they have lost their disability case in front of a judge. People want to know if I would be willing to get involved in their cases at this stage to do an appeal. The answer is always: No.
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How To Fill Out Social Security Questionnaires
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The last set of forms your disability examiner (DE) is likely to send you are questionnaires. There are many different questionnaires your DE could chose to send you. Among the ones I see most commonly are: Exertional, Headache, Pain, Seizure, Substance Abuse, Symptoms
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How To Fill Out Function Reports
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Other than the work history report, your Disability Examiners (DE) is most likely to send you a function report. There are two types of function reports. One, the Function Report Adult, is for the claimant to fill out. The second, the Function Report Adult, Third Party, is for someone who knows …
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How To Fill Out The Work History Report
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The work history report is important. This is because part of the evaluation SSA will make about your disability claim is whether you can return to any of the work you have done in the 15 years before you became disabled. For this reason, SSA needs detailed information about what you did at the…
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Social Security Sent Me Some Forms To Fill Out About My Disability Claim–What Should I Do?
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Once your application is in at SSA, they will send it for review to an organization called Disability Determination Services, or DDS. At some point, you are likely to hear from the person at DDS, called a disabilty examiner (DE) assigned to your claim. One of the main reasons a DE will contact yo…
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Social Security Proposes Taking Away Basic Due Process Rights From Disability Claimants
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It is no secret that Social Security has fallen seriously behind in handling applications for disability benefits. In my local hearing office, the wait between asking for a hearing and getting one was as little as 6-7 months two years ago. Someone requesting a hearing today can expect to wait at …
Hearing scheduled? Call Today.
If Social Security has scheduled your disability case to be heard by one of their judges, call me immediately. Unlike many large law firms, I can move quickly to get your case ready to be won.
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