The Social Security disability benefits received by most disabled individuals are relatively modest. However, when those benefits are multiplied by millions of recipients each month, they constitute a major expenditure by the federal government.
More and more voices are calling for an overhaul of the Social Security system, and many are targeting Social Security disability benefits for scrutiny. Citing the need to “cut waste” in SSDI, representatives like Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama stress that the staggering size of the nation’s deficit demands stricter measures in distributing the nation’s tax dollars.
In order to prepare as efficiently as possible for making a Social Security disability claim, it is good practice to be fully aware of the trends currently emerging in Social Security cases and rulings as they will likely have an effect on your own disability case hearing/application.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) changes Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits from year to year, some years more than others. It is important to make sure you understand and keep updated on these changes if you are receiving SSI benefits. These changes are seldom very large, but a complete understanding of these changes will help to ensure that you take all of the necessary steps to qualify for disability benefits.
For ‘quarter of’ coverage, the earnings needed to earn one Social Security Credit changed from $1,730 to $1810 in 2025.
Building on the positive momentum generated by SSA commissioner Michael Astrue's September announcement of the first decrease in pending Social Security Disability hearings in over a decade, the Federal government now seems to be making a big push towards a new method of increasing efficiency in healthcare: the implementation of electronic record keeping.
On September 30, 2009, Michel Astrue, commissioner the of Social Security Administration, announced a decline in the number of pending Social Security hearings. This announcement marked the first decline of hearings since 1999. Unfortunately, Social Security still has 722,822 pending hearings. In 2009, to further reduce the amount of pending Social Security Hearings the SSA hired 147 Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) and plans to hire 226 more ALJs in 2010.
