Florida Social Security Disability

Recent reports indicate that the Social Security Administration may be running out of funds much earlier than expected.  Part of this is due to an increase in applications as more workers lose jobs and are unable to find new jobs due to their disabilities and the economy.  The Congressional Budget Office has said that the disability fund would run out of money in 2016.   Social Security’s trustees are again urging Congress to shore up the disability system by reallocating money from the retirement program, just as lawmakers did in 1994.  Practitioners ancitipate that the ability to prevail in a social security claim will become increasingly difficult.

To view the entire story, please click on this link below:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/aging-workforce-strains-social-security-medicare-16196321

If you have questions about a social security disability and/or supplemental security income claim, please feel free to contact me at 352-629-0480 or visit our website at www.ocalaw.com

In its effort to go electronic, the Social Security Administration has stopped mailing paper statements that let you know your estimated benefits at retirement age and should you become disabled.  The statements used to be mailed out annually.  The Administration plans to continue to mail paper statements to workers who are 60 or over.  For those workers under the age of 60, you may go on line to www.ssa.gov and create a secure account in order to see your information.  You should carefully check your earnings history to make sure the earnings reported are actually your earnings and also to ensure that all of your earnings have been properly reported.

 If you have questions regarding a Social Security Disability and/or Supplemental Security Income claim, please feel free to contact me for a free consultation at 352-629-0480 or visit our website at www.ocalaw.com

The social security administration will be phasing out paper checks and will require that recipients of Social Security benefits receive those payments electronically.  These payments are made via direct deposit to the recipient’s bank account OR by way of a debit card for those who do not have a bank account.  Starting last year, new beneficiaries were required to receive their benefits electronically.  By March 1, 2013 nearly everyone will be required to receive their payments electronically.  The Social Security Administration recommends that if you have not signed up for electronic payments, go ahead and immediately sign up.   You can also sign up at your bank, savings and loan, credit union or by contacting the Social Security Administration.  If you do not have a bank account, the government will issue a Direct Express debit card which is able to receive payments electronically and may be used for purchases at retail stores and is able to be used at ATM’s for cash withdrawals (fees may be charged at ATMs.)  If you have any questions you may wish to contact 800-333-1795 or go to www.godirect.org

If you have any questions about a social security disability claim please feel free to contact us at 352-629-0480 or visit our website at www.ocalaw.com At Sims & Stakenborg, ”We go to work when you can’t!” 

On April 11, 2012 the Social Security Administration announced the following additional condition which will be considered for compassionate allowances and allow the claimant to receive benefits in a much more timley fashion if they qualify:

If you are scheduled for a Social Security Disability/SSI hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) – BE PREPARED!  Although it is more difficult to adequately prepare for a hearing because the Administration is no longer advising the Claimant of the name of the Judge who will preside at the hearing, there continue to be important steps to take in order to prepare.  The ALJ must review the evidence that has been submitted in your claim and determine from that evidence and your testimony how your disabling conditions affect your ability to work.  Medical source statements from your own doctors are the best evidence you can obtain to support your claim.  The ALJ wants to know from your doctor how your condition affects your ability to perform sustained work activities.  Do you have good days and bad days?  Do you have medication side effects?  How much pain do you have and does the pain interfere with your ability to concentrate?  However, remember that blanket statements from the doctor without support in the medical records may mean the ALJ will disregard those opinions.  Make sure that you obtain the treatment notes, testing results, and laboratory findings. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 352-629-0480 for a free consultation or visit our website at www.ocalaw.com  We Go to Work When You Can’t!

Offices in Ocala, Marion County, Florida and Gainesville, Alachua Couny, Florida. We provide service to the surrounding areas including Lake City, Jacksonville, Trenton, Inverness, Homossassa and Crystal River.

The Social Security Administration is allowing anyone who is eligible for Medicare benefits and has refused Part B medical coverage in the past, to subscribe.  The deadline is March 31 to subscribe and avoid the annual penalty that accrues each year that the beneficiary was eligible but elected not to subscribe.   If you have questions regarding Part B coverage and whether you should subscribe, please contact 800-772-1213 or visit the Social Security Administration website for answers to frequently asked questions at www.ssa.gov

If you have questions about a social security disability and/or supplemental security income claim please do not hesitate to contact us at 352-629-0480 for a free consultation, or visit our website at www.ocalaw.com

Many of my clients want to know how long it will take before they are able to present their claim in front of an Administrative Law Judge.  The answer to that question is - it depends!  The Social Security Administration recently released information regarding average process times for each hearing office. *   The average processing times for the various Offices of Adjudication and Review can range from 172 days to 476 days.  We have 165 hearing offices throughout the country.  In Florida the average processing times as of 1/27/12 were as follows:

Orlando              287 days

Jacksonville       367 days

Tampa                372 days

Miami                 387 days

Ft. Lauderdale  399 days

St. Petersburg   416 days

Fort Myers        424 days

Tallahassee        429

*http://www.socialsecurity.gov/appeals/DataSets/05_Average_Processing_Time_Report.html

Please keep in mind, that this is an average for each office.  This does not include the time from when the application was originally filed through the date the Request for Hearing was filed and the file was sent to the hearing office for processing.  That period is often an additional 6-12 months. 

If you have any questions regarding a Social Security Disability and/or Supplemental Security Income claim, please do not hesitate to contact us at 352-629-0480 for a free consultation. You may also wish to visit our website at www.ocalaw.com

Medications for treatment of disabling conditions, which are often seen in Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income claims, are extremely important.  Sadly, the majority of people applying for disability are no longer working and have very limited or, in many cases, no access to health care.  Often this means that prescription medications are not an option.  Over the counter remedies and herbal remedies are an obvious choice.  I want to caution you, however, in the use of these remedies.  I recently had a family member, who has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, tell me that she takes garlic as a supplement to her daily diet.  Her physician prescribed a blood thinner, such as Coumadin, to treat her atrial fibrillation and decrease the risk of stroke.  She developed extremely severe bloody noses and had to be taken to the emergency room on several occasions before the bleeding would stop.  The physicians agreed that her bleeding was extremely unusual when considering the amount of blood thinner that she was being prescribed.  What she did not realize, is that one of the side affects caused by taking garlic is an increased risk of bleeding.*  I am happy to say that she is doing just fine, but I want everyone to know that using an herbal remedy or over the counter product may have severe side affects.  If you have a physician, make sure that you consult him or her prior to taking any supplements or over the counter products.  If you do not have a physician, you should consult the pharmacist to ensure that the supplements will not adversely interact with any medicines or products you are currently taking.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.   *  http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-300-GARLIC.aspx?activeIngredientId=300&activeIngredientName=GARLIC

If you have questions regarding a social security disability or supplemental security income claim, please do not hesitate to contact me for a free consultation at 352-629-0480 or visit ouw website at www.ocalaw.com

 An article in Ocala.com published on January 24, 2012 announced that the Heart of Florida will take over the role of providing primary health care for Marion County Health Department patients.  The change is scheduled to take place later this year.  Although the patients will continue to be seen at the Marion County Health Department facilities, the care will be overseen by the Heart of Florida.  The move is a result of shrinking revenue and is anticipated to consolidate the services of the two health care providers.  To read the entire article, please click on the link below: http://www.ocala.com/article/20120124/articles/120129832

If you have any questions regarding a Social Security Disability and/or Supplemental Security Income claim please do not hesitate to contact us at 352-629-0480 for a free consultation.  You may also wish to visit us at www.ocalaw.com

Well, in some cases it’s because they simply did not qualify for disability status at the time they filed with the social security administration. Later, as their condition worsened over time, or as they got older (people do age into disability allowances, especially after age 50 or 55), they met the necessary qualifications and became eligible for disability benefits. In  some cases though, a very extended and unpleasant experience with the social security disability system was simply due to the fact that disability claimants did not appeal their denials or did not find someone to help them with their claim.

If you have questions about a Social Security Disability and/or Supplemental Security Income claim, please do not hesitate to contact our office for a free consultation at 352-629-0480 or visit our website at www.ocalaw.com