New Blog and Website Refresh!

It's been a very long time since I wrote anything on Disability Blogger. And that's a bit sad, because I used to write here all the time. I enjoyed this blog so much that I wrote a lot of "off-topic" content as well. Some of that I saved and I may repost it, because it usually had to do with things that are not even slightly related to SSD. But Google ruined that completely. Ever notice that Google ruins a lot of things?

Anyway, here's the news. SSDRC, my SSD website, has a new look and a couple of new blogs. And here are the links to a couple posts.

What if Social Security Denies you in NC?

5.9 Percent Cost of Living Raise for Social Security and Disability

Another attempt to attack Social Security Disability benefits from you know who

BULLSHIT ALERT! BULLSHIT ALERT!

Whenever a republican member of Congress talks about "reforming" the disability system, they are really talking about one of the following: 1. getting rid of the system, 2. taking people off their benefits, or 3. making it harder for people to get disability.

Here's a link to the article: How a bold new Disability Insurance proposal would benefit individuals with disabilities and taxpayers.

Hey, the title alone tells you it's bullshit on a notable scale. Like, trying to bring religion to the natives. Along the way, they may be dispossessed of their land, forced to abandon their language and culture, even enslaved for the sake of conversion. But, hey, it's good for them, right?

Pure bullshit exhibit 1 from the article:

"One of the biggest problems with the SSDI program is that too few people ever exit the rolls and return to work. The bill seeks to improve return-to-work rates by having the SSA conduct more frequent and more comprehensive continuing disability reviews, using the most appropriate standards available to determine continued disability status."

Ok, this is just BS that can be translated into "we are looking for ways to kick people off their benefits, even though it took them years to get them in the first place, and they lost nearly everything they had while applying for them over 1-3 years of depressing and nerve-wracking time".

Pure bullshit exhibit 2 from the article:

"Finally, the bill would help restore the program to its original goal of preventing poverty without tapping the regular Social Security trust fund. To this end, it establishes a flat, anti-poverty benefit for all new SSDI beneficiaries. This would help lift more than a third of those SSDI recipients out of poverty."

Wow, these people have some chutzpah. Ok, so here they are saying that instead of getting your actual disability benefit that is essentially your retirement benefit that you are getting early based on your disabled status, you will, instead, get some bullshit amount that probably won't even be close to what your benefit would have been. Pay close attention to when these A-holes talk about how your disability is a burden to the system. Hey, you paid for your DISABILITY and RETIREMENT COVERAGE through the FICA taxes taken out of every one of your paychecks. It is not welfare, it is something you actually paid for. Republican congressmen never like to acknowledge this fact.

By the way, if you are a republican reading this, this is not about politics. It is a simple fact that one party in Congress continually attacks Social Security Disability, and it's not the other party. I've been watching this for more than 20 years and this is the way it's always been. For the record, I am a registered republican.

The fact of the matter is, your disability benefits are supposed to be there when you need them. You paid for them. And pinhead members of Congress have no business trying to take them away, particularly after passing tax cuts that primarily help those earning more than $300,000 per year.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog.

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Are the Social Security Disability rules different in all states?

The disability system is federal. It operates under the same rules regardless of state. To be more precise, there is only one definition of disability, one set of grid rules, and one process for arriving at decisions on claims.

That process entails evaluating a person's medical records to determine if they meet or equal a listing in the adult or childhood listings and, if a listing award is not possible, evaluating medical records and the vocational work history to determine if a person might receive a vocational allowance (you receive this when the determination is made that you cannot go back to your past work or do "other work").

Each state does have its own separate DDS agency (disability determination services) and sometimes those agencies are called DDS or BDD or DDD, but they are essentially all the same and perform the same exact functions.





I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.







Recent SSDRC postings:

What is considered to be a disability for SSDI or SSI?

Who can get SSI disability?

If I get denied disability, should I get a lawyer?

How long does a disability appeal take?

How long does it take to get a disability check after approval?

Is there a cap on back pay for SSI?

How often do you have to recertify for Social Security Disability or SSI?

How long does it take to get approved for disability?

Do CE exams usually result in denials for disability?

When does Social Security send you for a neurological exam?

How do you get proof of your disability from your doctor?

What determines your disability benefit amount?

Will an inheritance stop my disability benefits?

When to Appeal a Disability Denial

What happens to my disability benefits if I move out of state?

Does Social Security send you to a MRI or CT scan?

Disability applications are down, but it's not just the economy

This article from the NY Times details how disability applications have come down markedly from their peak at the low point of the recession. It's fairly common knowledge that economic downturns in a locality, state, or even the nation can have a serious impact on the numbers of claims being filed. And this last financial crisis and recession bore that out.

However, there are other reasons why claims have declined. More people are coming of age for Social Security retirement. And getting disability may be getting harder for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons not cited in the article is the fact that many individuals--lawyers and non-lawyers, who represent disability claims have taken the approach of not accepting claims that involve SSI disability, or claims that involve children.

This seems particularly to be the approach of national firms and national non-attorney representation companies that cherry-pick cases to what may be an excessive degree.

Here's the link to the article: Disability Applications Plunge as the Economy Strengthens

From the article: "Of course, other factors have contributed to the decline in disability applications. As aging baby boomers receive Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare, fewer require disability benefits. People in the disability program receive an average of $1,200 a month and get health insurance through Medicare.

What’s more, with the expansion of Medicaid in 33 states and the District of Columbia as well as improved access to insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, many experts argue, fewer people see the disability program as a way to obtain health care.

Finally, the Social Security Administration has been making it harder to qualify for benefits, according to scholars and advocates.

In some cases, just applying has become more arduous, said T.J. Sutcliffe, senior director of income and housing policy at the Arc, an advocacy group for people with disabilities. Budget cuts have taken a toll, she said, with 67 Social Security field offices closing since 2010.

A 2017 study by Manasi Deshpande of the University of Chicago and Yue Li of the State University of New York at Albany found that “field office closings lead to large and persistent reductions in the number of disability recipients.” Applicants with “moderately severe conditions, low education levels and low pre-application earnings” were hardest hit.

Applicants also face an increasingly uphill battle appealing rejections, with the administrative law judges who handle these cases taking a much more skeptical stance."





I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.







Recent posts on SSDRC.com:

Can I qualify for disability if I am working?

Do CE exams usually result in denials for disability?

How to get disability, tip 1

How to get Disability, tip 2

How to get disability, tip 3

How to get disability, tip 4

25. Chances of winning Social Security Disability

SSI Disability Appeal works better than a new claim

The list of differences between Social Security Disability and SSI

Getting disability approved on a reconsideration with an attorney

Can you speed up a disability claim?

Should I get a lawyer if I have already filed for disability?

Winning disability after you were previously denied at a hearing

Being denied at a disability hearing is not necessarily the end of the road for a claim. Without a doubt, it can be difficult to endure since getting to a hearing in the first place can take 2-3 years (from the time of the application) and getting a decision from a judge can take months.

The further thought of having to start over with a new claim or wait on an answer from the next appeal (the appeals council) can be extremely discouraging. That said, people who are forced to go this route do win their claims. And this post highlights the importance of good representation.

If you get denied at a disability hearing, can you win later?





I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Social Security Disability and SSI are about severity, not diagnosis

Very often, individuals assume that a certain diagnosis of a medical impairment may possibly result in a certain decision, or that the diagnosis is really what a disability examiner or judge at a hearing is looking for. And there are somewhat rare situations in which a simple diagnosis is enough to decide a claim.

Usually, that's not the case, though. Most of the time, Social Security needs to determine the severity of a condition to see how it restricts the ability to work.

Conditions that get approved for disability





I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Congress has been screwing up Social Security for years

Quite a few years ago, I regularly blogged about how Congress deliberately withheld funding from the Social Security Administration. This was usually under the guise of saving the taxpayer, or moving into the electronic age (i.e. pushing online disability applications and somehow thinking that you reduce the workforce because of it). The outcome was that only 1 out of every three employees who quit or retired from Social Security would ever be replaced. This began in earnest in the 2000s.

Today, of course, it is harder to get answers to questions on retirement and disability issues and backlogs have not gotten better but worse. So, not a good approach.

This article from last year talks about further attempts by Congress, a collection of 535 nitwits, to screw things up via budget cuts (they never talk about cutting their own salaries or reducing their own staff).

Screwing up Social Security





I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Private disability insurance vs Social Security Disability

So, apparently the Government Accounting office was tasked with delving into whether or not the expansion of private disability insurance, obtained through employers, would result in savings to the Social Security Disability Program.

When I read things like this, I get a little suspicious. So someone in the govt has the idea that expanding employer-sponsored disability might result in savings to the Social Security Disability program? That sounds an awful lot like codespeak for the possibility of future SSD cuts.

A few factoids from the article:

1. SSDI, or Social Security Disability Insurance, covers 96 percent of workers while employer sponsored disability insurance is available to only 33 percent of workers.

2. Private disability insurance tends to be more routinely offered to people who work only in certain jobs and industries (business management and finance, respectively, to use a couple examples).

3. Private disability insurance is sometimes time-limited, whereas Social Security Disability and SSI are subject to periodic review and an individual cannot be taken off their benefits unless the medical evidence indicates that they have medically improved and are no longer disabled.

There are huge differences between SSD and SSI and private disability insurance. And most of the fundamental differences revolve around the fact that PDI is profit-based. Nothing wrong with that, but that's not how citizens should be viewed...as relative costs to be figured and manipulated.

My own opinion is that I do not trust the U.S. Congress to expand anything that has an analogue in the Social Security system. That's because too many congressman and Senators over the years have shown a special interest in trying cut back Social Security Disability and SSI, and, really, set both programs off on a path toward eventual privatization.

For those who aren't aware of this, for quite some time SSA has only had the budget resources to replace out of all those SSA employees who quit or retire...only 1 out of 3. That sounds just a bit short of sabotage. So, with this and other things in mind, news like this GAO analysis just makes me think that someone in the legislative branch is pursuing some squirrely ideas.





I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

White House planning cuts to Social Security Disability

Sadly, this is not "fakenews". It comes from the Trump Administration's Office of Management and Budget's director, Mick Mulvaney.

1. "The budget will call for a $72 billion cut over 10 years to the Social Security Disability Insurance. Mulvaney said this would inspire more people to get off disability and back to work."

2. "According to Bloomberg, the cuts to the food-stamp program in the budget would amount to $193 billion."

3. "The budget proposes an additional $610 billion cut to Medicaid, with $250 billion in savings to offset it. Based on Mulvaney's comments, it appears this is in addition to the $880 billion already cut (from medicaid) under the House's American Health Care Act healthcare bill.



Link to the article: Social Security Disability budget cuts.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Will your SSD or SSI benefits increase if your condition worsens?

Will your SSD or SSI benefits increase if your condition worsens? Every once in a while, this question comes up.

The answer is No, and that's because you get the max benefit you are entitled to when you are approved. For SSI, this is a set amount. For SSD, what you get is based on what you paid into the system through your years of work activity (your fica deductions from your paychecks).



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Is it easier to get disability if you are 50 or older?

Yes, the rules that govern most decisions are a little easier if you are at least 50 years old. However, individuals under 50 can also be approved provided their medical evidence satisfies the requirements of Social Security Disability and SSI. Regardless of whether a person is over 50 or under, the vast majority of all people who apply for disability will usually have to file appeals and ultimately be seen by a judge at a disability hearing.

#disabilityage50
Full page: Is it easier to get disability if you are 50 or older?



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

How Long Does A Disability Appeal Usually Take?

Most disability applications will receive a decision in under 90 days. If a person is denied and has to file a reconsideration appeal, that appeal will usually be faster, most often in under 60 days. This is largely because the reconsideration appeal is largely just a repeat of the application process.

To speed up and help the appeal, make sure the disability examiner knows about your most recent medical treatment, any new doctors you have, if your condition has gotten worse or if you have any new diagnoses. Also be sure to let them know if your contact information has changed. If you get scheduled for an exam, do not miss the appointment. If you get a letter asking you to respond by calling the examiner, do so quickly.

#howlongfordisabilityappeals
Full page: How Long Does A Disability Appeal Usually Take?



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog.

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

How does social security decide whether your can work or not?

As a former disability examiner, I can tell you that the process does not rely just on your medical records. Examiners try to categorize the type of work you have done in the past to see if you can return to it, and also to see if you have skills that would transfer to some other type of work. This is why it is very important to provide accurate and detailed descriptions of your past work.

#howdoessocialsecuritydecideifyoucannotwork
Full page: How does social security decide whether your can work or not?.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

How important is Social Security?

How important is Social Security (and, by extension, Social Security Disability, since that is simply a person getting their Social Security early due to disability)?

This is how important:

"If Social Security income weren't available, the CBPP (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) estimates the senior poverty rate would be north of 40%!

Data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) appear to complement the CBPP's study. The SSA finds that 61% of retired workers rely on their monthly Social Security benefit to comprise at least half of their income.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Cutting Social Security tax...not a good idea.

Yes, as the article linked below states, if you cut payroll taxes (meaning that pesky fica deduction that comes out of a person's paycheck), then you cut the funding mechanism for Social Security and roughly half the country at retirement winds up with nothing, and nearly half of the rest winds up with much much less. The majority of Americans have less than $1000 on hand to deal with any kind of financial emergency, most don't have a defined retirement benefit, and half or more than half don't have a 401(k).

Social Security tax cuts.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

How many get awarded disability benefits?

According to a recent article, "In 2002, 44.6 percent of applications were approved. Since 2002, approval rates have declined, with rates hovering around 32 percent since 2014."

This, of course, illustrates why it is important to submit an application that fully documents one's medical treatment sources and accurately lists all employment and job descriptions. And, it highlights the need for competent representation at the disability hearing level.

#howmanygetdisability?



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Out of touch journalists think disability benefits are an easy path

This comes from a conservative rag, National Review, and it once again espouses the seriously screwed up mentality that when people fight to get their disability benefits, they are somehow choosing the easy road and taking a copout. I don't know where these people get their beliefs but they've obviously never had to see a friend or relative go through years of disability, pain, financial ruin, and waiting for additional years as their disability claim moved like a snail through the bureaucratic system.

Here's what National Review had to say:

"The core of the American disability crisis is represented in the hard cases, not the easy frauds. A man used to have no choice. He had to keep at it, to look for work where he could find it. Now we give him options — the painful grind or a simpler path, one that promises a degree of stability in troubled times. All too many are choosing that simpler path. Perhaps that’s a choice that shouldn’t be so easy to make."

These people are out of touch, have no empathy for others, and have screwed up values.

The National Review article.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

How many people are denied disability?

How many people are denied disability? The figures on this vary by state and by year. Historically, about 70 percent of applicants for SSD and SSI have been denied at the application level. In recent years, about 77 percent have been denied and 23 percent have been approved. Truly, for the last 3 decades, getting approved for disability has been fairly difficult...despite the fact that members of the U.S. Congress often claim the program is too easy, as well as costly.

This is what the Center for American Progress has to say:

"According to CAP, the center for American Progress, almost 80 percent of SSDI applicants are denied during the initial application and “thousands of applicants die” annually waiting to learn if they will receive assistance. Furthermore, CAP also found that disability recipients who are approved tend to skew older and had worked in physically demanding jobs before applying for benefits."



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Should Social Security (and Social Security Disability) Be Privatized?

No. This is one of the dumbest ideas imaginable. Why?

1. Stock market crash of 1987.
2. Stock market crash of 2000-2002.
3. Stock market crash of 2008-2009.


Why does this question resurface now and then? Think about who promotes it. Wall Street does, because they can skim from it, just like they did with the rise of 401(k)s which, compared to traditional retirements, are a disaster. Conservative politicians who don't even think Social Security should exist in the first place also are in favor of privatization.

Put simply: bad idea; stupid idea.



Here's the article: Dumb idea.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.

Eight thousand people died waiting for a disability hearing in 2016

People die waiting for a disability hearing (while Congress and the White House debate cutting it further)

I have to admit I am a bit surprised to read this article in the Washington Times, a conservative leaning paper. Very often, such papers facilitate attacks on the disability system. Here are some quotes from the article. “The situation is really bad for the claimants right now. . The bottom line is inadequate funding of Social Security,” said Lisa Ekman, director of governmental affairs for the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives. It is an association of attorneys representing people with disabilities.

“Eight thousand people died during fiscal year 2016 who were waiting for a (disability) hearing,” Ekman said. “That’s 23 people a day, almost one an hour to get a hearing. . We see people who lose their homes. We see people who are evicted. We see people who can’t afford to pay for medications, who become very debilitated while they wait. It creates people who are homeless.”

"The problem: An overwhelming number of applications for disability - about 2.3 million in 2016, up from 1.7 million in 2002 but down from a peak in 2010 - flow into a system in which 77 percent of initial claims have, over the last decade, been denied. Moreover, the backlog of decisions on first-time claims is massive."

None of this is new, of course. What is new is that we have a new administration that seems very willing to join in on the attacks to the disability system.



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

Archives for this blog.

Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.