Archive for June 2022

Understanding Residual Functional Capacity If you recall from our blog last month, we discussed Social Security’s 5-Step Sequential Evaluation. In Step 4 of that evaluation, the Social Security Administration and Disability Determination Services perform a Residual Functional Capacity Evaluation. This post will explain what this evaluation is and how it affects your claim. The purpose…

If you are a veteran who is disabled, you might be eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits, regardless of how your disability developed. Veterans Administration Benefits and Social Security Disability Benefits are both government programs for disabled individuals, but there are several differences between the two programs. We break them down below. Qualifying for Benefits:…

One of our clients’ most frequently asked questions is, “how exactly is my case evaluated?” The Social Security Administration has a 5-Step process to determine disability called the 5-Step Sequential Evaluation. This evaluation demonstrates a standard and ensures accuracy and consistency across determinations. Here we break down the 5 step evaluation and what questions are…

The Social Security Administration houses a number of benefit programs, including 2 federal disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). While the acronyms are similar, the programs themselves are quite different. WHAT IS SSDI? Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a program that offers monthly Social Security Disability payments to…

In short, the answer is yes. But there are qualifications to pursuing work during the disability process. Namely, are you working at a level that reaches SGA – Substantial Gainful Activity? You’ve probably discovered that the Social Security Administration uses a lot of acronyms for disability terminology. So today, as we start our deep dive…

As we know, the District Offices and the Hearing Offices are closed to the public. They now have limited public hours by appointment on a case-by-case basis for emergency matters. I am not aware of the criteria used by the District Office to determine whether or not to meet a claimant in person. I will…

Does hiring an attorney representative really increase the odds of getting benefits? We’ll break it down for you. If you or someone you know has ever applied for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, you are probably familiar with what feels like an endless cascade of denials. You are not imagining it, and…

How Do Disability Lawyers Get Paid? Attorney compensation is often a big concern for those seeking Social Security Disability benefits, and rightfully so. Attorneys are notoriously expensive, and there are a lot of different ways in which attorneys can charge: hourly, flat rate, contingency, success, etc. Today we break down the nuts and bolts of…

Recent data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) shows that rural states are more likely to have low disability claim approval rates as compared to more urban states. Lowest Average Disability Approval Rates by State Of the top 15 states with the lowest disability claim approval rates, Oklahoma (30 percent), Hawaii (30.2 percent), and West…