Blog
-
Claimants for Social Security disability and SSI benefits may not be aware that the evaluation of their claim is not made by the Social Security Administration but rather by a state agency which contracts with SSA; the Disability Determination Service (DDS). The Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) recently issued a report evaluating the effectiveness of…
4+ weeks ago -
The annual Social Security & Medicare Trustee Report was released at the end of March and the news was mixed.The Social Security retirement trust fund will be unable to pay full retirement benefits, unless something is done to shore it up, in 2033. However, the Social Security disability trust fund is in much better shape.…
a month+ ago
News
-
Summer 2021 Newsletter STILL STANDING…AND PRACTICING I published the first issue of Social Security & You in Spring of 1993. Some years I’ve published more issues than others. The most recent issue was dated Spring 2019: over 2 years ago. The world was a much different place then. Especially for me. Read the full newsletter…
2+ years ago -
Spring 2019 Newsletter An Opioid Story I’ve changed his name. Let’s call him Gerald. He was a laborer. And by that I don’t mean that he just did physical work. He was a card-carrying member the Labor’s Union local. And that meant a lot to him. I represented him for Social Security disability and Michigan…
3+ years ago
PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CREATES BACKLOG
The 16 day partial government shutdown has created a backlog and the decision writing stage of the hearing process at the ODAR level. During the shutdown hearings continued to be held. This is because the ALJs have a union and the hearing monitors and vocational experts are contract workers: not government employees.
So, over 2 weeks of hearings were held without any decisions being written. It is normally 4-6 weeks on average from the time the hearing is held until the decision is received. I would expect that 6-8 weeks is probably the waiting time now and, of course, we are going to run into Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a result, the decisions on hearings held in October my not be received until the new year.
Call today if you have questions about the Michigan Social Security Disability Attorney and Lawyer Services provided by William Crawforth.
To schedule an appointment call 800-864-1244 or fill out the contact form at the top of this page.
