As is often the case, the Social Security Administration is lagging behind the medical community. This time the so-called “long hauler” COVID patients are getting short shrift. SSA doesn’t recognize that COVID symptoms can last for a long time after the test results are negative and, perhaps permanently. Attorney Crawforth has represented several of these…
The Social Security Administration has released the so-called “Waterfall Charts” for 2023. These charts show the level of awards and denials of Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) & Supplemental Security Income benefits (SSI). At the initial application level 39% of claims were allowed and 61% denied. At the reconsideration level 15% were allowed and…
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…
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…
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 the DDS and whether it is meeting its goals, one of which is uniformity across the 50 states.
The SSAB report highlights some of the challenges facing the various DDS agencies over the past few years. Among these are the difficulty getting medical evidence during the pandemic, the need for a rapid change to working remotely and the long term closure of some DDS offices, fluctuating staffing levels and higher DDS attrition rates.