Shane's blog

A recent article appearing in the Wall Street Journal detailed the efforts of the Baltimore Social Security Administration (SSA) Office to rapidly reduce the backlog of applications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in the region. It stated the Baltimore SSA Office’s “crackdown” on physicians who review SSDI claims resulted in several doctors resigning and in the denial of many claims that should have been approved under the SSDI’s guidelines.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office in the city of Ft. Wayne, Indiana has made tremendous strides in cutting the wait time for disability applicants. There are more than 700,000 backlogged applications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits nationwide and the expected wait time for the average applicant to receive a determination regarding eligibility for benefits is about 14 months.

An investigation conducted by federal prosecutors from the Social Security Administration (SSA) has had some far reaching implications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) review processes and procedures. The primary subject of the investigation is Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) David B. Daugherty from the Huntington, West Virginia SSA office, though attention also fell on other ALJs throughout the nation.

The Bowles-Simpson Deficit Plan is simply another name for the deficit reduction plan published in December 2010 by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, a bi-partisan committee tasked with assessing federal debt and making recommendations on improving the overall financial outlook of federal government operations, including proposed changes to all federally funded and managed programs.

A hearing scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, December 2, 2011, is the first in a planned series of congressional hearings on the subject of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The initial hearing will cover the history of SSDI, and the funding and financial challenges of the current SSDI program. Also addressed will be future financing hurdles which must be overcome if the program is to remain viable.

Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that affects the brain, causing problems with thinking, memory, and behavior. The majority of those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease are over 65, but early-onset Alzheimer’s can develop in people as young as 40. Experts suggest that around 5.1 million Americans may currently have AD.

Contrary to what many may believe, the law does allow for those who are receiving Social Security disability to work while maintaining their entitlement to benefits in certain circumstances. The most utilized provision is that involving “Substantial Gainful Activity” (SGA.) SGA is defined as a level of work activity that involves significant productive duties, and that pays more than an established monthly limit.

To consolidate and clarify the policies and criteria it uses to determine disability status in young adults, the SSA has released an official ruling, known a SSR 11-2p. This document contains answers to questions about how the SSA determines if a young adult, ages 18-25, qualifies for SSDI or SSI and how they will continue to be evaluated once they are receiving benefits. The following is a detail of what the ruling covers regarding young adults and disability.

In keeping with efforts of the Senate to address budget concerns and debt reduction, this month the Finance Committee Republicans submitted a 21-page recommendation of reforms for the areas under their authority to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Joint Committee). This list of recommendations addresses taxation reform, Medicaid, Medicare, International Trade, welfare reform, repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and of course, Social Security.

“I don’t want to grow up” holds true for ‘adult baby’ Stanley Thornton. The 30-year old California resident has been living most of his adult life as if he were a baby – wearing baby clothes, diapers, and being fed out of a bottle. Although this is an example of a well-documented psychiatric syndrome known as paraphilic infantilism, Thornton’s case drew particular attention when he was featured on a National Geographic reality television show earlier this year.