The following chart is a visual representation of the approval rates gathered by SSA for the 2021 Fiscal Year. These rates are pretty consistent from year to year. The full data set can be found on SSA's website at https://www.ssa.gov/disability/data/ssa-sa-fywl.htmRead More
If you’ve spent time reading about Social Security Disability benefits, you have likely heard that there is a five-month waiting period from the point that you are found disabled before you can receive any benefits. This means, regardless of how long you fight to have your benefits approved, the first five months that you were disabled, you will never receive…Read More
This is the start of my 20th year of law practice, and what a year it has been. We opened Lund Law Carolina on January 7, 2020 with the energy and excitement of something new. Little did we know how new it would all be with the pandemic forcing us all out of our new office just 3 months after…Read More
It’s tax season and a good time to look at how what you pay in Social Security taxes is reflected in your eligibility for benefits. There are several types of claims for disability, but they all have the same bottom-line medical definitions of disability. The difference is how the amount of the benefit you receive is determined. Supplemental Security Income…Read More
Today is March 16, 2021 and it has been exactly one year since my last in-person disability hearing. Three Hundred and Sixty-Five days of uncertainty, changes, delays, and weirdness. We have managed to continue with hearings over the phone. If you have a pending hearing you probably have received a COVID 19 hearing changes letter describing the choices between waiting…Read More
Social Security disability hearings continue to be done by telephone at this point; however, the use of video is on the horizon ( see this link: bit.ly/3jSncNS). While I applaud SSA's intent to provide the best possible service while not putting the brakes on the hearing process, I think that they are overstating the possibilities with the video hearings. The…Read More
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic no in-person hearings are being offered at the moment. As of this writing, we know that this will be true through at least October 2020, but expect that it may be even longer than that before we are allowed back in the Social Security buildings for face-to-face hearings. In the meantime, Social Security hearings are…Read More
This is a little off topic for my practice, but not off topic for the world we live in. At Lund Law Carolina we aim to treat all of our clients with respect and we strive to understand the difficult situations that exist in each client’s life that has led them to our office. These are challenging times for all…Read More
I've had a lot of calls this week regarding the COVID19 crisis. The bottom line is that Social Security is still working. If you are currently receiving benefits your benefits will not stop. Social Security is working as hard as they can under the circumstances to get your claim for disability processed and Disability Determinations Services (DDS) in North Carolina…Read More
“How are you doing?” is a loaded question for my disabled clients. I've learned to ask, "How are you doing today?" instead. This week in a disability hearing, when the judge asked my client how he was doing, my thoughtful client struggled with how to answer. After thinking for a moment he responded, “My spirit is well.” I loved that…Read More
