Category Archives: Social Security Disability
What Will Happen to My Disability Benefits in 2025?
The initial benefits process may change very little in 2025. The initial denial rate is already 67 percent. That number could not get much worse. However, the Social Security Administration’s disability review process may undergo significant changes. If a Disability Determination Services officer rules that the recipient can work or receives financial support from… Read More »
Five SSD Renewal Benefit Strategies
Social Security Disability benefits are available for permanent disabilities. A “disability” is “permanent” for Social Security Administration purposes if that disability lasts more than a year. So, the SSA usually orders annual benefit renewal reviews. If the applicant is no longer disabled, the SSA could cut off benefits. The SSA reluctantly granted benefits in… Read More »
SSD’s Quick Disability Determinations Program: What You Should Know
Social Security Disability waiting times have spiraled upward in recent years. In the late 2010s, the Social Security Administration (SSA) typically processed initial applications in less than 120 days. Over the first eight months of the 2024 federal fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, that figure had doubled. Additionally, the average wait for a… Read More »
Top Five Social Security Disability Respiratory Conditions
A disability is a life-changing event. Everyday activities, like going to work or school, become impossible. Sometimes, a respiratory disability is sudden and unexpected. Other times, the disabling condition occurs over time, becoming progressively worse. Life-changing benefits are available in these cases as well. These benefits usually include monthly cash that supplements lost income… Read More »
What is the RFC Test for Disability?
Basically, Residual Functional Capacity determines if a Social Security Disability applicant can work at any job (steps four and five of a disability determination) and is thus ineligible for benefits. Disability is a relative term. Dentists must have 100 percent capacity in each hand. Truck drivers can get by with less. Likewise, RFC is… Read More »
SGA and SSD: A Closer Look
An inability to work, or more specifically an inability to engage in substantial gainful activity, is one of the key elements of a Social Security Disability claim. Applicants must prove they have certain medical conditions that are disabling (i.e. substantially interfere with at least one everyday activity). But a disability is not just a… Read More »
Fundamental Elements of a Social Security Disability Claim
Depending on the recipient’s income and a few other factors, the average Social Security Disability benefit is almost $1.500 per month in Florida. That monthly cash, along with automatic Medicaid eligibility, could change the life of a family that includes a disabled person. However, benefit eligibility is not the end of the story. SSD… Read More »
Am I Disabled?
Over 13 percent of the U.S. population, or some 42 million people, is disabled. In the everyday world, “disability” basically means a physical, emotional, or other impairment that significantly impairs at least one daily function, such as concentrating at work or walking up stairs. Usually, we associate disabilities with permanent conditions. Recovering surgical patients… Read More »
Am I Disabled?
This question is hard to answer. A doctor never tells a patient “You have a disability.” Instead, a doctor tells a patient “You have a serious injury or a serious medical condition.” If that illness or injury prevents a person from working, that person may qualify for disability payments, according to the Social Security… Read More »
What to Expect in the SSD Process
In short, expect a long and often frustrating process when you file a Social Security Disability claim, especially in Florida. The Sunshine State has one of the highest initial denial rates in the country. The long process is especially frustrating because, in most cases, applicants clearly qualify for benefits. They have a listed condition,… Read More »
