The backlog of 1.1 million people currently awaiting determinations or an appeal hearings on their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims is no laughing matter, but it’s about to get the much-needed attention it deserves. Congress approved approximately $150 million to address the backlogged hearings and related activities just before the 115th Congress recessed for [...]
The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that they were partnering with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to launch a new Health IT initiative whereby Social Security (SS) disability case processing sites will now automatically receive medical records from all VA facilities electronically. This will speed up decisions on SS disability claims, making the [...]
A recent report put out by Allsup ranks the top 10 backlogged states with the most residents awaiting a Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits determination or appeals hearing. The report ranking is based on data generated through the end of December 2016 by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA also reports that the [...]
By now, most of our Portland readers are familiar with the ongoing government shutdown, which was sparked when members of Congress sought to delay implementation of the president's Affordable Care Act. Until a budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 can be implemented, many programs will be at a standstill. National parks, government [...]
For Oregon residents who have had to spend time waiting at a Social Security office waiting to have face time with an employee, the wait can be seemingly endless. People who depend on Social Security benefits often don't have flexible schedules or easy access to transportation. Traveling a long way or for a long time [...]
As we have discussed frequently on our blog, people in the U.S. generally and Oregon specifically who depend on benefits from Social Security disability are the ones who can least afford to lose them. This is doubly true of people who have terminal illnesses. Not only can many of these people not work, but their [...]
As the runup to the change in how the U.S. Treasury Department paid out benefits for Social Security disability and Supplemental Security Income took place, we described on our blog how the changes would affect recipients in Oregon. Now that the change has been in effect for several months, there are some possibly disturbing trends [...]