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 […]

In its annual report, the Social Security Board of Trustees discusses at length revenue shortfalls that could lead to a depletion of Social Security retirement benefits. The trustees also propose a solution: reducing benefits by 17 percent, or generating revenue. If the government takes no action, by 2035, Social Security will be able to pay […]

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that most people are not in favor of cuts in funding for Medicaid, the government-issued health insurance for low-income Americans. The April survey found that only 12 percent of respondents favored Medicaid cuts, and nearly half said spending should remain as is. The proposal to cut Medicaid funding […]

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) account for about one-fifth of the United States population. ID is a broad category that includes autism, Down syndrome and other disorders that severely limit one’s ability to interact with others, to learn, or to function independently. ID begins during childhood. Before the age of 18, children with disabilities may […]

As of May 2017, the average wait time for a disability hearing in the Chattanooga Social Security office was 17 months, and the average processing time for a claim was 553 days. New rules that govern the claims approval process could add to the already significant backlog of SSD cases. Until this year, the Social […]