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Long-Term Disability - Social Security Disability - Veterans' Disability

Social Security Questions: Changes to Visual Disorder Listings

Published on December 4, 2013 by Marc

Every so often, the Social Security Administration makes changes to how various disorders and disabilities should be evaluated in order for someone to qualify for benefits. They proposed specific changes for visual disorders back in 2012, but the revisions didn’t become finalized and made effective until April of this year.

The last time changes like these were made to the way visual disorders should be evaluated was 2006, and these new revisions were put in place due to questions that adjudicators have brought up since that time. Barring any further revisions or extensions, the most recent changes ...

Published in Social Security Disability

Texas Social Security Disability: Allowance Rates

Published on November 29, 2013 by Marc

Unless you’ve been dealing with Social Security Disability for as long as I have, you probably don’t know much about “allowance rates.” These rates tell us the percentage of people who file a disability claim with the SSA and actually end up getting benefits.

Every year, the government releases a report listing both the percentage of applicants who were accepted to the program nationally and the numbers for individual states and cities with hearing offices. For 2012, the overall national acceptance average was 44.7 percent – less than half. And that’s counting both those who were immediately accepted and people ...

Published in Social Security Disability

Social Security Disability: Myths vs. Facts

Published on November 27, 2013 by Marc

With our country still trying desperately to recover from the financial crisis and forge a path for our future, it’s no surprise that various factions have been flooding the media with myths and misinformation about Social Security Disability.

Because of this, today I’d like to spend some time describing some of the most common myths I’ve heard, and then offer you the truth as someone on the front lines of this issue sees it.

Myth: Fraud has caused disability numbers to swell. Talking heads everywhere have been blaming the growing number of people getting disability on scammers and frauds. ...

Published in Social Security Disability

Are Faster Social Security Disability Appeal Rulings Better?

Published on November 25, 2013 by Marc

If you or a loved one has been trying to apply for Social Security Disability, you already know how long the disability appeals process can take. Most people have to wait for months at the very least, struggling to get by without the benefits they so desperately need, and many end up in this waiting game for a year or longer. Any change designed to speed up the process would be a good thing, right? Maybe – but maybe not.

Back in 2007, the head judge sent a friendly request out to the rest of the ALJs. He ...

Published in Social Security Disability