If enacted, new changes to federal disability assistance may mean many more case reviews and therefore case denials for current disability benefits recipients. According to an article published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “The federal government is accepting public comments on the proposal until the end of January. Under the proposal, millions of more reviews would…
For people with disabilities, the Trump Administration is proposing new rules that could potentially terminate benefits for thousands of people. According to an article published by Tennesean.com, the process is known as a “continuing disability review” and will require frequent administrative checks of individuals receiving Social Security disability payments. The proposed changes have caused some distress for advocates…
Every year, The National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) hosts a conference for Social Security disability attorneys and representatives from around the country. This year, Wolf & Brown attorney and partner Michael J. Brown, Esq. had the opportunity to attend the 40th Anniversary Conference held in New Orleans. “While at the conference and speaking with…
In 2020 military retirees currently receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, federal retirees, and social security recipients will see a 1.6% increase in their monthly payments. According to an article published by Military.com, “The annual Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA) is smaller than the 2.8% increase from last year but in line with the historical increases…
Starting in December, military retirees and veterans will see a 1.6 percent raise in their cost-of-living benefits payouts. According to an article published by Military Times, “Officials from the Social Security Administration announced the COLA boost [last week] Thursday, based on inflation and consumer spending calculations over the last few months. The increase will go into effect for…
Changes to the process for applying for Social Security disability benefits went into effect in Pennsylvania in April 2019. Applicants now have an extra step in an already lengthy process. According to an article published by KYW News Radio, “[The] policy is a change in the Social Security Administration’s process for getting disability benefits. Instead of…
Anyone in Pennsylvania who is denied federal disability benefits and wants to appeal will now go through a new step that the Social Security Administration says is meant to reduce a large case backlog. For the past decade, Pennsylvania had a special exception to the rule that a person denied disability benefits after an initial application…
A new policy proposal is calling for the monitoring of disabled people’s social media profiles to determine the validity and necessity of their disability benefits. According to an article published by Forbes, “the proposal, which reportedly aims to cut down on the number of fraudulent disability claims would monitor the profiles of disabled people and…
Last week, the Supreme Court denied a Social Security Disability Insurance plaintiff’s proposal to establish a rule that effectively requires vocational experts to turn over the “substantial evidence” underlying their opinions in every case. Michael Biestek claimed that he was unable to work because he suffered from degenerative disc disease, Hepatitis C and depression. However,…
According to an article published by The New York Times, government officials have diligently been working on a proposal to use social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) to help identify people who have falsely claimed Social Security disability benefits. For example, if a person claimed benefits because of a foot injury but was shown running a…
