Great news as the holidays approach! Beginning in January 2012, anyone receiving disability benefits will get a cost of living increase (COLA) of 3.6 percent. Thus, those who were found disabled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and those who…
In the past, whenever one of our clients received an unfavorable decision at a hearing by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), the Law Office of Kathleen Flynn would appeal the claim to the Appeals Council (AC), as well as file…
Your medical records are the most important evidence considered by the Social Security Administration.(SSA) in evaluating your social security disability case. In order to be found disabled, you must have a “severe medically determinable impairment (s)”, ie mental or physical…
If you are 18 years old or older, there are five basic steps of a sequential evaluation process that the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers to decide if you are disabled. 1. Are you engaging in substantial gainful activity? Please…
After losing a job due to a disability, many people apply for and receive state unemployment compensation benefits. Unemployment compensation benefits provide temporary income to unemployed workers. In order to receive weekly unemployment compensation benefits, one must affirm, to the…
When you apply for social security disability, the Social Security Administration (SSA) may arrange an appointment with a Consultative Examiner (CE). A consultative examiner is a physician, a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist who has a contract with SSA to…
The first question that the Social Security Administration (SSA) asks in order to determine your eligibility for disability is: Are you engaging in substantial GAINFUL activity (SGA)? By applying for social security disability with SSA, a person claims that he…
The Social Security Administration (SSA) classifies certain cases as compassionate allowances. Compassionate allowances have special electronic processing procedures for speedy favorable decisions. SSA’s compassionate allowance list includes very serious medical conditions that clearly meet social security disability standards. Compassionate allowances…
Arthritis is an acute or chronic inflammation of a joint with various causes such as infection, crystal deposition, or injury. There are over 100 different types of arthritis. The most common types of arthritis are: • Osteoarthritis-also known as degenerative…