social security disability - social security
disability lawyer - supplemental security income - social security disability benefits
This is the ultimate Social
Security Disability web site.
The purpose of this site is to provide free SSDI and
SSI information. I provide information all in one place that you will have a hard time finding on the Internet
anywhere. This site should help those who are contemplating applying for Social Security Disability or Supplemental
Security Income and those individuals who have already applied for Social Security Disability benefits, no matter
what stage they are at in the process. The information in this site should be used as a helpful guide to the Social Security Disability process. It will also provide information on how to win your disability claim. If you have any questions that are
not answered in this site or want a free consultation feel free to e-mail me. I will try to answer any questions you might have about Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security
Income (SSI). This site is the best place to go for free Social Security Disability information. If you read
this site you will know how to apply for disability benefits and how to win SSDI (SSD) and SSI. In addition
to this site, available to you are other sites which can further help you in your claim for benefits.
Websites are
a dime a dozen and we caution you to be careful when choosing which ones to utilize. There are many web sites out there that
are very good. We caution you to be careful of websites where the identity of the firm or author is hidden.
They are solely to generate clients. They offer only enough information to confuse you or convince you that you need
a lawyer. Other sites are constructed by individuals who have never handled a Social Security Disability claim
nor ever intend to. They are marketing people who are looking to sell leads to lawyers. In fact, there are some
websites out there using titles similar to mine don't be fooled. Here you will find Social Security Disability
information, answers and advice on how to apply, am i disabled, how to appeal and how to win SSD, SSDI, and SSI.
I do not hide who I am on this site and I will try to answer any questions you may have but I will
not pressure anyone to retain me as their lawyer. My sincere hope is that the information in this disability guide is
helpful to anyone seeking disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). I will try to update
the information in this site as often as possible including an almost daily blog. In addition to the Blog on this site
please visit my other Social Security disability Blog for more SSDI and SSI tips. So be sure to bookmark this site for the latest news. This is a free disability
guide and will help with Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security claims. Please note that it is my
intention to provide accurate and up to date information on this site and I make great effort to do this. However, the
information on this site is not guaranteed and no lawyer client relationship exist. This site is not a substitute for
consultation with a lawyer.
How to Use this site. If you are new to
the process of Social Security Disability I recommend you start be reading the disability process. This page will give you an overview of how your claim is processed and what procedural steps you have to take.
To understand how SSA determines if you are disabled you should read the page "am I disabled?". After you read this page you should follow the different links to get a better understanding of what it
takes to prove your disability. I also strongly suggest you read "how to win" and "key to SSDI and SSI". There is a lot more information on this site but this should give you a good starting point to help your claim.
I provide this free information on Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security
Income so that everyone who is disabled has the tools they need to win disability. If you need tips on how to win
your SSDI or SSI claim continue to read this site and bookmark it so you can come back and use it as a reference while you
take on the Social Security Disability process.
Here is what one person had to say about my website "Thanks for the site, absolutely a "Bible"
for all who have fear, doubt or lack of knowledge." Christopher. To see what other have said
about this website read the website testimonials on the page called "Best Social Security Disability Website".
If you need a lawyer for your Social Security Disability or SSI claim or just want to ask a few questions you can also
call me at 1-877-527-5529 and ask for Karl. Or you can click on the following link and fill out the
form if you prefer a local lawyer note that on form.
Whether you are represented by an attorney or not take it upon yourself to learn as
much about the Social Security disability process as you can. You have already taken the initiative by researching on-line and reading this site.
I also recommend that you visit the Social Security Administration's web site. It is a bit confusing but can be
a great resource for your claim for benefits.
If you choose to get your benefits without an attorney, this guide will help you learn the process used to determine if one
is disabled. This is not a complete site about Social Security and should not be considered legal advice.
You should also use the SSA's website in conjunction with this site. This will increase your chances of giving your
case the best chance to win your benefits. Remember the law in these cases is confusing and convoluted.
Statistics show that those claimants that are represented by an attorney are more likely
to win their claim for benefits than those who are not. In my opinion, the reason for this is because the lawyers
that handle Social Security Disability claims have a better understanding of how the Social Security Administration decides your case and they develop your case accordingly.
Remember this web site
is my attempt to give you the tools you need to win your SSDI or SSI benefits with or without a lawyer. If you decide you need a lawyer for your disability case or just want/need
to ask some questions, feel free to contact me. I also offer a free case evaluation for Social Security Disability and Supplemental
Security Income.
This site is full of free information and practical advice
on Social Security Disability. If you study this site you can learn the following: How to apply for Social Security Disability. What is the process by which SSA determines if you are disabled. How to win SSDI or SSI. What are the GRID rules? What you can expect and how to handle a Social Security Disability hearing. What are the medical listing of impairments? Do I need a lawyer for my disability claim. The definitions of common terms used. Helpful tips to help win your disability claim. What are Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) forms and why are they so important? What does your past work have to do with disability? What is
child's SSI? How to win Child's SSI. What is the difference between Social Security Disability and
SSI? What are the most important things to know and do when trying to get benefits. Are you disabled? What is an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) and what is his or her role in the process? What is the Appeals
Council? What can you do to help your Social Security Disability or SSI claim. How to get Social Security Disability
and SSI.
I wish you good luck with your claim and further encourage you
to finish reading this site.
If you are a lawyer reading this site chances are you have not handled many Social Security Disability claims. I invite
lawyers and representatives who have any questions about Social Security Disability to e-mail me anytime. The purpose
of this site is to help the disabled get there benefits by being informed of the process. So if I can help any attorneys
out there it will help more of the disabled. Also feel free to e-mail me if you are an experienced Social Security Disability
lawyer and disagree with anything I have written in this site. My goal is to provide as accurate information as possible
and I would appreciate different views on any of the topics covered in this site.
Social Security Disability decisions are anything but consistent.
I am often asked by frustrated claimants why they are having difficulty getting benefits when they know someone who is less
disabled who is? There are many reasons for the inconsistency in decisions. The biggest reason may come done
to simply who is deciding your particular case. There are rules and regulations that guide the disability
process but how they are interpreted and used often comes down to who is deciding your claim. The decision to find you
disabled or not will ultimately be decided by a few individuals. So you may get some very sympathetic people deciding
your claim or you may get someone who thinks practically no one is disabled. This is most apparent at the hearing stage
before an Administrative Law Judge. At this stage the ALJ is the sole decider of your claim. I have experienced
ALJs on both ends of the spectrum. The Appeals Council does act as a check on ALJs decisions but it is certainly no
guarantee. As long as human beings are deciding the issue of disability in Social Security cases there will be inconsistency
in decisions. Social Security is playing around with the idea of using computer programs to make decisions more uniform.
I feel this could be an even worse situation because I can't tell you how many times I won Social Security Disability
hearings because of the claimants appearance and testimony. Sometimes the medical records and other factors like age
education and work background don't tell the whole story. So the Social Security Disability system is less
then perfect and to the Social Security Administrations credit they do acknowledge this and are trying ways to correct
it. My advice to you is if you know you are disabled don't give up because the longer your case goes the more people
at SSA will get to decide your case and you might finally get the one person who sees that you are disabled.
New Pages on Disability for Fibromyalgia and Asthma
I have added new pages on fibromyalgia and asthma. You can find them by clicking on other medical conditions on the
navigation bar. I will soon be adding pages on Social Security Disability and SSI in different states. I currently
have pages for New York and New Jersey. I try and add more information on Social Security Disability and SSI everyday
so keep coming back to see what is new. If you ever have any questions feel free to contact me.
Social Security Disability and SSI Electronic Files
SSA will soon have electronic files in all states. This means your files will no longer be in paper format.
This should improve the process for several reasons. First, many of the paper files get lost. When this
happens the file must be reconstructed. When a file is reconstructed valuable evidence can be lost and it certainly
slows down the processing of the claim. This is one of the reasons I always suggest you follow up on your claim regularly.
Electronic files should solve this problem of lost files. Second, SSA's plan is to send a CD of the file to
the claimant or representative at varies stages of the process. This should help quit a bit because you will be able
to know what is in your file and will be able to get what is missing from the file. It will also prevent sending in
duplicates of records already in file which can save the claimant money by not paying for records Social Security already
has. Third, with paper files the files have to be mailed from one Social Security office to another during different
stages of the process. This causes delays in processing and lost files. Lastly, if the medical profession starts
to make better use of electronic records then transfer of records to Social Security will be quicker and less costly since
the records would not have to be copied or mailed. My experience so far with Social Security's electronic files
has been mixed but I definitely see the potential in its use. In the cases I have handled that have electronic files
I was only provided a CD late in the hearing stage. While this still has advantages it will be much better when I can
get the CD at the earlier stages. If you don't have a computer and you have an electronic file you can have Social
Security print you a copy.
I am frequently asked by claimants and lawyers if one should file a new application or appeal to the Appeals Council after
being denied at the hearing level by an ALJ. Most of the time I do both at the same time. There are many reasons
for this. First, appeals take a very long time but are essential if you want to be able to get your payments paid back
to your onset date in that claim. If you don't appeal, the date of the ALJ's denial will be your new onset date
for any new claim. You might now be wondering why you should file an application while your appeal is being processed.
As mentioned earlier application are usually decided faster than Appeals Council appeals. Also if you get a favorable
decision on your new application this can sometimes trigger a remand at the appeals council which means you can get a new
hearing for your earlier claim. There may be reasons in individual cases not to make a new application while the appeal
is pending. There may also be reasons in individual cases to not file an appeal and to just file a new application.
If you are at this point and don't have the advice of a lawyer it would be a good idea to consider consulting with one.
Social Security Disability and Specific Medical Conditions
I am presently working on a pages for this site on specific medical conditions in the context of Social Security Disability
and SSI. I already have pages on back disorders and depression. I plan to add fibromyalgia, RSD, HIV, Seizure
disorders, and many others. I will then be adding pages on childhood disabilities like ADHD and Asthma in relation to
Child's SSI. My plan is to make this the most comprehensive resource on the web for Social Security Disability,
SSI and Child's SSI. This will all take time and I encourage you to book mark this site and keep checking back for
updates. If you have spent any time on this site you will realize that I have provided quite a bit of information on
SSDI, SSI, and child's SSI in just two months of being on-line. I plan to continue this pace and to keep providing
this free information so that anyone trying to get disability benefits has access to this information. If you can't
find the information you are looking for on my site feel free to e-mail me and I will try and get you the information.
Wait times for Social Security Disability and SSI Hearings
I have made a page on how long it takes to get a Social Security Disability and SSI hearing. You can find this page
by going to the hearing page on this site and clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. I will research the other
stages of the process and try and post pages on wait times for application and reconsideration.
I will be posting on this site the average amount of days from requesting a hearing until you get a an ALJ hearing.
I recently came across Social Security's internal report on delays in the hearing process. I will post the results
by region. I will also include some other interesting hearing statistics. Look for it in the next couple of days.
I also will be adding the promised section on fibromyalgia and Social Security Disability.
Observations at a Local Social Security Disability Office
I was at a local Social Security Administration Office today and I made a few observations. This is a point I have made
in the past but seeing it first hand I want to share it with you again. I noticed claimants were visibly upset about
the process and expressing it in their demeanor and attitude at the employees of Social Security. It is understandable
that people are frustrated with Social Security and the process; however, never take it out on the people who are working
on your case. In most cases the employees who are getting the anger directed at them are not to blame and have frustration
with the system as well. Social Security has a huge case load and from my experience, and this was reaffirmed by my
visit to this particular field office the employees work very hard to get it right. I handle many of these cases and
I am aware of all the problems in the Social Security process so I too have to constantly remind myself to treat the employees
with the respect I would want them to show me. So when you deal with Social Security keep your mind on the goal and
that is to win your Social Security Disability benefits. Before you take out your frustration think to your self is
this going to help or hurt my claim.
Recent Awards for Ultimate Social Security Disability Guide
The Ultimate Disability Guide has recently won two website awards. I would like to thank those websites for recognizing
this site. It is nice to be recognized by other quality sites on the web. To see the awards go to the awards page
in the navigation bar.
We have attempted to provide up to date and accurate information, however the information in this site is not guaranteed.
No attorney client relationship exist. The information in this site is not a substitute for consultation with a qualified
attorney.
for
information on social security disability or if you need a social security disability lawyer to assist you with supplemental security income
or social security disability benefits then we are your primary source
