Category: Social Security Disability

If you’ve heard rumors that fewer people are submitting applications for social security disability (SSD), you’ve heard correctly. In fact, this phenomenon has attracted the attention of some of the biggest media outlets, including The New York Times. A Times piece from June 2018 reveals that SSD applications are at a 16-year low. Although more […]

Social Security Disability (SSD) continues to be one of the most confusing issues for Tennesseans, mainly because of the misconceptions and misinformation disseminated about the subject. As a result, many people make decisions based on inaccurate presumptions and beliefs, which can prevent them from getting the SSD money they need. Below are four SSD facts […]

The “Disability Belt” is a term for a geographic region – roughly from West Virginia to Missouri – where a high percentage of people are receiving Social Security Disability benefits. In certain counties within this area, poverty rates are high and employment opportunities are scarce. When jobs are available, they usually entail manual labor. SSD […]

When you’ve worked for most of your life and you reach retirement age, you should be entitled to Social Security retirement benefits. Social Security is a program workers fund through payroll deductions, so benefits are not a “handout.” Social Security Disability works in the same way – you pay into it when you’re employed. Yet, […]

Some people believe that recipients of Social Security Disability are lazy – that they’d rather stay home and collect benefits instead of work. But that’s not true. A recent Washington Post article may help reverse this harmful stereotype. The article featured stories from five SSD recipients in different parts of the United States, highlighting the […]

A former staff member of the House Ways and Means Committee recently wrote an opinion piece featured in The Daily Caller. In the piece, she says that tightening Social Security Disability – making it harder for people to get or retain benefits – will cause a spike in the unemployment rate. The correlation between unemployment […]

Tennessee residents often ask what the criteria are that the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to determine eligibility for disability benefits. If you qualify, you may be paid Social Security disability (SSD) benefits each month if you are unable to work for at least a year due to the disability. The definition of disability under […]

The Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI) was created in the 1940s to provide workers with an emergency backup plan to help pay their bills and make financial ends meet in case of an accident or illness. But many people believe that red tape, mismanagement and inconsistent leadership at the Social Security Administration (SSA) have […]

The U.S. government informed Social Security recipients in October 2017 that they will see a 2% increase in benefits for 2018. This is the largest increase in the last five years, but experts say that the larger increase will be eaten up by higher premiums for Medicare. While it amounts to only approximately $25 per […]

In 2016, processing time for initial Social Security Disability applications averaged 110 days. For people who have a serious disability, or a severe or terminal illness, waiting months for a decision about their disability benefits can be agonizing. The Social Security Administration recognizes that fact, and it attempts to fast-track claims for certain illnesses and […]