I’m often asked whether some particular fact or circumstance might hurt a person’s chances of getting approved for Social Security disability benefits. Here are some things that probably will NOT hurt your case: Going back to work and then stopping after less than three months because you just couldn’t handle it. Going to church Participating [...]

Social Security’s Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is based upon the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the last quarter of one calendar year and the first three quarters of the next. This means that the COLA for 2013 will be based upon the one year time period ending [...]

Question: How long does it take to get on Social Security disability? Answer: Anywhere from a month to several years, which isn’t much of an answer but it’s the only accurate answer I can give in one sentence. If you are really, really sick, as in terminally ill or you have a serious illness or [...]

I wish it weren’t the case but this election may matter greatly to those who are applying for Social Security disability benefits. It used to be that Social Security disability was a bipartisan issue. Members of the two parties might put a little different spin on things but there was little that actually split them. [...]

A panel of the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. DOMA prevents the Social Security Administration from recognizing same sex marriages allowed under state law. The ruling has no immediate effect since the Court stayed enforcement of its ruling until all appellate review is [...]

Here’s a chart showing just how many people with disability claims hire someone, usually a lawyer, to represent them on their Social Security disability claims. By the way, you’ll pay no more for a lawyer than for a non-lawyer representative. You’ll pay no more for someone with experience than for someone inexperienced. Shop around. Ask [...]