At the end of May, the White House released the first version of its 2018 budget, and one of its proposals was to cut funding for Social Security Disability Insurance by $70 billion over the next 10 years. While the budget is likely to undergo several changes in the House and Senate, critics say this […]

If you’ve ever looked at your paycheck and wondered why so much of your income is consumed by taxes and other deductions, you’re not alone. But the money taken from your check funds important programs – programs that you may one day rely on to help you cover your expenses. Aside from federal, state, and […]

Without access to appropriate health care for chronic medical conditions and the inability to rehabilitate themselves from physically limiting injuries, combined with the loss of job prospects, more rural Americans are turning to Social Security Disability as a way to support their families. The number of adults on SSD nearly doubled between 1996 and 2015. […]

When a person applies for Social Security Disability, the Social Security Administration applies a multi-step process to determine whether the applicant is eligible for benefits. Following is a general overview of each step of the process. Step 1: Establishing Financial (Non-Medical) Eligibility The SSA’s local field offices, such as the offices in Chattanooga, Tullahoma, or […]

If you’re older than age 25, you may remember receiving a statement in the mail showing your lifetime contributions to Social Security and your projected benefit payments for retirement, disability, and survivors. Those statements traditionally have been mailed to people every five years, beginning just before their 25th birthday, and every year to people age […]

Applying for Social Security disability benefits can be confusing, especially if you don’t know which benefits are most appropriate for your situation. The Social Security Administration offers two types of disability benefits: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The programs are similar, in that they both require proof of disability. But […]

In order to collect Social Security Disability benefits, people with brain injuries must provide significant evidence that their condition meets the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability. But people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury may experience a wide range of symptoms – confusion, memory loss, impairment of motor skills– that interfere with their […]

As of November, 28 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico had enacted laws allowing for public medical marijuana programs. But federal law still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. This conflict between state and federal laws may create […]

It’s no secret that applicants for Social Security Disability often endure long wait times before receiving any benefits. If their disability is an illness, that illness may worsen significantly in the time they’re waiting to hear back about their claim. But the Social Security Administration will, in some cases, expedite disability claims, under its Compassionate […]