The Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) has tremendous implications for our practice, primarily negative, but is a huge boon to planning for persons with disabilities who have been shut out of the private insurance market in the past.  Our law firm’s loss is our clients’ gains, and we couldn’t be happier

We’re working on an appeal of another attorney’s client’s case that was lost at a Social Security Adminsitration Administrative Law Judge hearing.  In reviewing the twelve page decision, we find the judge wrote the following (the typos are ALL his):

"Rather, when examined by Dr. Miguel xxxx, a psychiatrist at the request of the office of

It would be difficult to underestimate the positive impact of ObamaCare – the Affordable Care Act – on persons with disabilities.  In the last two weeks, I have had three clients who were seeking a finding of "disabled" by the Social Security Administration because being found eligible for a monthly disability check would qualify them to receive health care.  None of them are now that they can purchase health insurance.

The private profit-making health insurance industry will not take individuals with pre-existing health conditions.  One client, a published author, had lost her health insurance when she developed Crohn’s Disease.  Although it was initially somewhat managed, painfully, by medications, she now needs to have many feet of necrotic intestinal tissue removed surgically from her stomach.  Even though she has money, no insurance company would sell her health insurance.  She has too much money for Medicaid eligibility.  She will die without surgery.Continue Reading The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on persons with disabilities

Each year the Social Security Administration announces in October if there will be any changes in the amount of payments of SSI and SSDI due to Cost of Living Adjustments.  The new payments for SSI for 2012 are $698 to and individual, and $1048 to a married couple who are both on SSI.  SSI is

Congratulations and a  big thank you to our Florida Congressmen, Ander Crenshaw and Kendrick Meek, who have introduced legislation to allow families to plan for their loved ones with some significant tax saings.   Information on the bill follows.  To see the bill in its entirety, click on H.R. 1205.

Disability Savings Accounts

The bipartisan Achieving

If you’ve ever wondered how the Social Security Administration decides whether a person is disabled, look here.

If you’ve wondered what are the steps to get disability, look here, and note the length of time between each step.

If you’re absolutely bewildered by the length of time it takes to get a hearing

On July 19, 2008, we will all have access to a new Internet tool courtesy of the Social Security Administration.  It is called the benefit estimator, and will allow each of us to secure a reasonably accurate estimate, online, of our Social Security retirement or disability benefit monthly check amount. 

The benefit estimator will

Until recently, if you wanted to see what SSA was up to in terms of proposing new regulations, you would go to policy information page on the Social Security Administration’s main website.

Under a new policy, all federal agencies’ proposed regulations, and other announcements, will appear on a new website called Regulations.gov.  One