At times, a United States Court of Appeals will render a decision which is at odds with the national policies governing the Social Security Administration and Social Security Disability. Whenever this happens the Social Security Administration issues acquiescence Social Security rulings. Acquiescence rulings essentially define how a US Court of Appeals decision will be interpreted and applied to similar cases.
It is important to note that acquiescence rulings do not bear the full weight of an actual regulation or law and is only binding within the circuit where the ruling took place. All such acquiescence rulings are published in the Federal Register.
One of the reasons why it is critical to have a Social Security attorney handle your Social Security Disability appellate process is that they are familiar with the acquiescence rulings in your circuit, and they know how to apply them to your Social Security Disability case. Acquiescence rulings are constantly updated to reflect new rulings, new policies, and other factors which may affect the way in which the Court’s decisions should be interpreted and applied to Social Security Disability cases.
Acquiescence rulings are often cited as part of the rationale and justification for either approving or turning down a Social Security Disability case. A thorough knowledge of the current acquiescence rulings is essential in making the case that you should be entitled to Social Security Disability benefits. While anyone can access the Federal Register, a Social Security Disability lawyer will already be familiar with the pertinent acquiescence rulings which are likely to affect your claim positively or negatively.
Acquiescence rulings affect a number of Social Security Disability programs, including the black lung program, Federal old age program, survivors program, SSI, and SSDI. Regardless of your reason for applying for Social Security Disability or whichever program you are attempting to qualify for, chances are that there are several acquiescence rulings which may come into play in your disability case.
