DISABILITY SURVIVAL GUIDE: NORTH ALABAMA EDITION

When Social Security messes up and denies your disability claim , it can be fixed by an appeal .  Appeals are the legal answer to improper Social Security disability decisions .  These days, appeals are not the exception, they are the rule. What You Need to Know About Disability Appeals 1.     An appeal is NOT starting over.  It picks up your case and moves it forward--up the chain of command--to a higher level of decision making authority. 2.     The appeal won't cost you anything if you lose.  Lawyers are not permitted to charge you a fee until after you win your case and collect past-due benefits. 3.     54 percent of appeals will be approved and paid.  That's the best chance for approval in the entire disability process. 4.  Appeals that go all the way to a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge have the best chance for approval and payment. 5.  Appeals protect your original filing date, your disabi...

Now that you are getting Social Security Disability Insurance payments (SSDI) there are mistakes you must avoid.  Making these mistakes may jeopardize your continued eligibility for SSDI benefits : WORKING WHILE ON SSDI is the biggest mistake.  You are receiving SSDI benefits because you are not able to work.  If you return to work you demonstrate that you are indeed able to work and Social Security may terminate your benefits.  As you know, Social Security is constantly reviewing disability payments.  In 2025 , you have returned to Substantial Gainful Activity if you work and earn at least $1,620 per month (gross before tax). FAILING TO CONTINUE MEDICAL TREATMENT .  If you stop going to the doctor or stop following medical advice, it could jeopardize your SSDI benefits in case of a Continuing Disability Review (CDR).  In a review you will be asked to prove that you continue to meet the medical definition of disability .  If you haven't been ge...

  "Loose lips sink ships."  A few of you may remember that warning from World War II . I see much concern in 2025 about the future of the Social Security program .  Many people are afraid that their benefits are immediately in jeopardy.  They are not. Social Security continues to provide benefits through the terms of one president, then another, then another--without fail.  Presidents come and presidents go, but Social Security remains. The important financial lifeline for millions of elderly and disabled Americans was established in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of his New Deal .  Since then, no entitled beneficiary has ever missed a payment. Are there issues that will affect Social Security in the future?  Yes, of course.  In the last decade or so, the Social Security Administration has been paying out more money than it takes in.  Thus, it is paying benefits out of its reserves.  Those reserves will eventually run ...

WHY A LAWYER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? By Charles W. Forsythe @ The Forsythe Firm If you are not required to have a lawyer to deal with Social Security disability , why get one?  Here are 10 reasons why most disability claimant's use lawyers. 1.     The process is tough.  Trying to get Social Security disability is complex, confusing and laden with dozens of technical rules and regulations. 2.  While Social Security personnel will give you forms and offer limited advice, they will actually not work for you to help get you approved.  The work is up to you or your lawyer, if you have one. 3.  Most claims get denied.  In the initial application process, which can take up to 12 months, around 75 percent of claims are denied.  Here's where the process gets even more complicated, as the case moves into appeals . 4.  You are almost 3 times more likely to be approved when using a lawyer or qualified professional representative, accor...