What's Going On?

So, I realize we haven't updated the blog here in quite some time and I'm trying to get back to posting regularly. This post is for clients, former clients, and prospective clients -- I want to give everyone some updates on what's going on at the firm and in Social Security lately. 

First, SSA has issued some new rules regarding evidence that must be submitted to SSA. Basically, we now must submit ALL evidence that we receive that might be related to a claim, whether the evidence is good or bad for our client. We must also inform SSA of all medical treatment or anything that might related to the case. This probably does not change much for many of our clients. However, be advised that if your doctor is not supportive of your disability and provides us with a statement or opinion suggesting that you are not disabled, this must be submitted to SSA, despite the fact that it is not helpful for your claim. With this in mind, we are advising our clients (as we always have) to speak with and be open with their doctors early on about applying for disability benefits, so that you can get an understanding from them about whether they intend to be supportive of your claim. Additionally, some doctors and offices have policies of not providing medical opinions for Social Security purposes, and this is something that is helpful to know early in the process, so that we can make the best determination about other options for obtaining opinion evidence elsewhere, if needed.

I also wanted to give some updates as to what's going on here at the firm. We have had a busy year so far, and I can't believe it's already June! We continue to appeal cases to Federal Court, especially since the Appeals Council remand rate has seemed especially "stingy" in the last year. We are happy to say that we are still experiencing more successful Federal Court remands than at the Appeals Council. Our firm is also continuing to take new cases. While we stopped taking new applications for a bit, we have decided to begin accepting new applications again. So no matter where you are in the process, please feel free to contact our office for a consultation. We are happy to meet with you to discuss your options!

Finally, if you're a current client, please continue to keep us informed of your medical treatment, address changes, or anything else that might be relevant to your case. You can call our main number, email us, fax us, or use the contact form on this site. Even if we are simply waiting for a hearing in your case, it is always helpful if we receive updates over time, rather than having clients try to remember everything when we call them for their pre-hearing update. Questions or concerns? Always feel free to let us know about those as well. Thanks!