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When an applicant sends a disability claim to the Social Security Administration, an adjudicator who works for the SSA review’s the applicant’s file to determine whether or not the individual qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits. While this file is under review, a number of factors are taken into consideration including the applicant’s past relevant work activity. Recently the SSA has created rules that affect how past relevant work experience is viewed.

When a Social Security Disability applicant files a claim for Social Security Disability benefits, there are a number of “stages” that this claim goes through. When the applicant’s claim is first filed, it is handled by one of the SSA’s field offices and then once the field office is done with the claim, another agency (usually referred to as Disability Determination Services of DDS) handles the remainder of the claim processing.

February is Heart Health Month and it is a topic that warrants a significant amount of interest due to the severity of heart disease in our nation and its prevalence worldwide. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death across the globe.

When an individual qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits, that individual receives a set monthly payment to help them meet their basic living expenses. When an individual is incapable of managing their own finances, the Social Security Administration determines that a representative payee should be responsible for managing the disability payments that are provided to a disability recipient and manage the expenses of the recipient in question.

Social Security Disability benefits are not easy to get. Anyone who has ever been through the disability claim process understands this fully. It would be nice to think that once those benefits begin, the battle is over. Unfortunately, for some disability recipients, a new battle begins when disability payments start – a battle against fraud and misuse of their disability income.

When an individual is receiving Social Security Disability benefits, those benefits can sometimes also be received by certain family members. In order for your family members to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, those family members must be dependent upon you for their financial survival.

When you are appealing the SSA’s decision to deny your disability benefits the process can be stressful and overwhelming. You may spend months or even years waiting for the date of your disability hearing to arrive and then when the day comes, you want everything to go perfectly.

Most Americans would agree that the Social Security Disability system is somewhat flawed. We hear horror stories about deserving applicants waiting years before their disability benefits to begin due to the fact that they must fight the SSA in order to obtain the benefits they are entitled to. On the other hand, we also hear stories about people who are not truly disabled receiving the Social Security Disability payments that come out of taxpayer pockets.

Each year the Social Security Administration denies approximately 60 to 70 percent of the initial disability claims that it receives each year. The applicants who receive such a denial of benefits must pursue the disability benefits appeal process in order to obtain the Social Security Disability benefits that they need. Unfortunately, the pursuit of such a denial may take two years or more to complete.

The Social Security Disability claim process can be a long and complex undertaking. Most disability applicants must endure the disability appeal process in order to obtain the benefits they are entitled to. Part of this process involves filing timely appeals with the Social Security Administration (SSA). An applicant has 60 days from the date that they receive notice that they have been denied benefits to appeal the SSA’s decision to deny their benefits.