Author Archives: cannondlaw
Smith v. Berryhill – U.S. Supreme Court Reverses SSA’s Policy
SMITH V. BERRYHILL On May 28, 2019, the U.S Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Smith v. Berryhill, 139 S. Ct. 1765 (2019), reversing the Sixth Circuit’s judgment. The Sixth Circuit held that an Appeals Council dismissal was not subject to federal judicial review. But, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an Appeals Council’s… Read More »
SSA WANTS TO LIMIT YOUR RIGHT TO AN IN PERSON HEARING
You may receive an SSA notice that limits your right to an in person hearing. The SSA sends out this notice for you to sign so they can schedule your hearing as a video hearing. This means that your judge may not live in your area. As such, the judge may not be familiar… Read More »
DISABILITY BENEFITS: SSI OR SSD?
SHOULD YOU APPLY FOR SSD OR SSI DISABILITY BENEFITS? Social Security Disability benefits are monthly payments that support individuals who cannot work a full-time job and have a disability. There are two different SSA programs that pay disability benefits. Those programs are Social Security Disability (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Although both programs… Read More »
SSA Plans For CDI Units To Expand To Every State
The Social Security Administration plans to expand CDI units to every state. Below please find excerpts of a letter from Nancy Berryhill, Acting Commissioner, dated February 13, 2018, which explains their reasoning that they believe they have saved the agency billions of dollars. ___________________________ Expansion of Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Units Progress Report (February 2018)… Read More »
MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK & NAMI
In 1990, Congress officially established the first week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week. They did this to encourage people to work together and educate the public about mental illness. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), raises awareness about mental illness. They do this through public education and providing support to those with… Read More »
WHAT IS YOUR MONTHLY DISABILITY PAYMENT?
HOW MUCH IS YOUR MONTHLY SSD PAYMENT? The Social Security Disability payment benefit amount is different for every person who applies. Because, SSD benefits are based upon the amount you have worked during your lifetime. Everyone has a different work history. Each person earns a different amount of money during their lifetime. Therefore, the monthly… Read More »
NOSSCR STATES BUDGET WILL NOT SOLVE BACKLOG
NOSSCR BUDGET COMMENTS NOSSCR released this article today, indicating that even with the level of funding Obama has requested in his budget, the wait time for a hearing is going to increase for those who have applied for disability benefits. Read NOSSCR’s article below. OBAMA’S BUDGET PROPOSAL President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2017… Read More »
SSA Fraud Investigations Waste Taxpayer’s Money
THE SSA’S FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS The SSA investigates people who apply for SSD benefits. How do they chose who to investigate? Most fraud allegations come from SSA employees. In fiscal year 2014, the SSA received more than 121,000 fraud allegations and more than 58,000 (almost half) of those came from SSA employees. In other words,… Read More »
IS THE DISABILITY TRUST FUND IN JEOPARDY?
WILL THE DISABILITY TRUST FUND RUN OUT OF MONEY? Most people don’t understand the Social Security and Disability trust funds and how they work. Headlines are constantly claiming the Disability Trust Fund is going to run out of money. Therefore, people with disabilities who cannot work will not receive their payments. Let’s examine the… Read More »