SSI FOR YOUR CHILD? Children with marked & severe functional limitations (that have or are expected to last 12 or more months) may qualify for SSI payments provided their family meets strict resource and income limits.
Category: Social Security News
Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA)
COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS (COLA) for Disability & Retirement checks will rise between 0.2% to 0.5% in 2017. That works out to between $2.61 and $6.53 a month more for retirees. This is the smallest percentage increase of any year benefits did rise but it’s better than 2016 when Social Security checks didn’t rise at all.
Obesity and Social Security Disability Benefits
Many years ago, an individual could receive disability benefits because of obesity. Thelaw changed and obesity is no longer an impairment qualifying someone for benefits.Today, SSA considers obesity as one factor out of many in evaluating a claim fordisability benefits. For example, if an individual suffers from a weight bearing jointimpairment such as osteoarthritis in one or both knees, obesity may contribute to theinability to stand/walk because of the pressure on the knees. SSA determines obesitybased on an individual’s Body Mass Index (BMI) and relies on special rules for guidancein evaluating obesity. If you suffer from one or more impairments and are obese, youshould consult with an attorney who is familiar with SSA’s special rules
Don’t Count On The Disability Trust Fund Going Bust In 2016 — Or Ever
Since I noticed that payments from the Social Security Disability Trust Fund have reached near stasis, I’ve been wondering about that projection from Social Security’s Chief Actuary that the Disability Trust Fund will be exhausted in 2016. If you look at that projection, one of the first things you notice is that there isn’t just one prediction. There are three. The one commonly cited is
SAAs, ALJs And OTRs
From a report by Social Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG):
The SAA [Staff Attorney Adjudicator] Program [also known as Senior Attorney program] has contributed to both an increase in adjudicative capacity and improved average processing time. However, the number of SAA OTRs[On The Records] peaked in FY [Fiscal Year] 2010, and the decline continued through the first 5 months of
What A Deal!
From the National Journal (emphasis added):
With an anxious eye toward the coming debt-ceiling negotiations,
House Republicans are drafting what members call a “menu” of mandatory
spending cuts to offer the White House in exchange for raising the
country’s borrowing limit.
This menu is more a matrix of politically fraught options for the
Obama administration to consider: Go small on
Up And Down With The Roller Coaster
Social Security has issued updated numbers on payments of fees
to attorneys and some others for representing Social Security
claimants. These fees are withheld and paid by Social Security but come
out of the back benefits of the claimants involved. The attorneys and
others who have their fees withheld pay a user fee for this privilege. Since these fees are usually
paid at the same
SSA Not Yet Implementing DOMA Decision
Social Security has issued new instructions on dealing with same sex marriage cases. Social Security’s Administrative Law Judges are now instructed to cancel any scheduled hearing dealing with this issue and to not make a decision in any case that has already been heard. I don’t know how many of these cases there may be but I’d bet the vast majority of them are couples who still live in the
Fair And Balanced
From Media Matters:
Not Buying It
Jay Barnes isn’t buying the claims that Social Security is pressuring its Administrative Law Judges to approve disability claims.
Happy Independence Day!
Soaring Disability Payments?
We keep hearing that Social Security disability benefit payments are soaring. They’re going through the roof. It’s ruinous how rapidly disability payments are rising. Funny thing about that. It’s not happening, at least not anymore. Below is a chart showing Disability Insurance Benefits payments over the last two years. I know the chart contains some extraneous information but I couldn’t