Sheri R. Abrams's Blog, page 4

Social Security News: Normal Hours at Local Social Security Offices Returning on Wednesdays in 2020

Social Security News: The Social Security Administration has just announced that full Wednesday service hours will be returning in January 2020.

Starting on January 8th, the public can now visit Social Security offices on Wednesdays between the hours of 9:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. This change will take effect at offices nationwide. Previously, offices were only open on Wednesdays between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and noon, a policy which has been in place since 2012.

The Social Security Administration...

Caution: What Individuals with Disabilities Should Know Before Settling a Personal Injury Lawsuit

Settling a personal injury lawsuit can take a long time, and it’s no surprise that the end of the process is often met with relief by injured parties who are anxious to collect their award for the pain and suffering they have experienced.

Yet for a person who has special needs or disabilities, receiving a personal injury settlement must be done with extreme caution. The following is an overview of information that we discuss with our clients before they successfully settle any personal injury...

Google Unveils “Action Blocks” Aimed at Making Smartphone Use Easier for People with Disabilities

Google announced this week that it will soon begin rolling out a new and innovative function on their smartphone devices to help make life easier for those with physical and cognitive disabilities.

The feature is called “Action Blocks,” and it will allow users to complete a series of tasks with the push of a single icon from the menu screen. The icon is then powered by Google Assistant to carry out the custom demand, which could cover virtually anything that can be done on a smartphone.

For...

Legal Guardianship vs VA Fiduciary Program

Legal Guardianship and the VA Fiduciary Program are intended to help veterans who have mental or physical disabilities rendering them incapacitated in some fashion, but both work in very different ways.

The VA Fiduciary Program is a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program that appoints a person to manage the veteran’s VA benefits money when the veteran lacks capacity to do so.  Unlike a guardianship, which can extend to all areas of the veteran’s life, the VA Fiduciary Program is more narrowl...

Social Security Adds 4 New Compassionate Allowances Conditions

 

IMPORTANT

The Social Security Administration has expanded its list of Compassionate Allowances conditions qualifying for expedited processing for disability benefits.

The 4 new conditions brings the total number of conditions on the Compassionate Allowances list to 237.

The Compassionate Allowances program reduces the time it takes to make decisions on disability applications filed by claimants with the most serious disabilities, so they receive decisions on their claims within days, instead of months or years.

The n...

Social Security Benefit Recipients to Get Small Raise

Social Security Benefit Recipients to Get Small Raise

The Social Security Administration has just announced that those who receive Social Security Retirement, Social Security Disability, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will be getting a 1.6% raise in 2020.

The 1.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin in January 2020 for the more than 63 million people who receive Social Security Retirement and Disability benefits. The maximum Social Security benefit will increase to $3011 a month.

Increased payment...

You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Have a “Trust Fund”… Especially If You Have a Beneficiary with Special Needs

The phrase “trust fund” often brings to mind a particular type of person, someone who comes from a wealthy family with an excessive amount of money available to spend. Although there are families who have that kind of generational wealth that’s passed down to them through a trust fund, it’s not as common as you may think. In fact, more families with a modest amount of financial assets are using trust funds for various reasons.

Trusts 101: How They Work

Generally speaking, a trust allows a gra...

Question: What Healthcare Benefits Will I Receive After I’m Approved for Benefits?

Question: What Healthcare Benefits Will I Receive After I’m Approved for Benefits?

Individuals who are under the age of 65 and are successfully approved for Social Security Disability Benefits are also eligible to receive Medicare. However, the individual will be subject to a 24-month waiting period before Medicare benefits begin. This delay can present a major challenge for people who are disabled and need healthcare but must wait two years before they are eligible for Medicare coverage.

Wha...

Question: What Happens If I Can No Longer Serve as Trustee Of My Child’s Special Needs Trust?

Question: What Happens If I Can No Longer Serve as Trustee Of My Child’s Special Needs Trust?

Thanks to medical advancements and improvements, the life expectancy for individuals with special needs is longer than ever. While these advancements are wonderful for people with disabilities, it also presents a concern for parents who may be afraid that they will not be able to properly oversee their child’s care as they grow old or experience healthcare challenges of their own.

Fortunately, a lega...

When Should You Hire a Disability Lawyer?

When Should You Hire a Disability Lawyer?

—–A Guest Blog Post by Attorney Ben Glass

If you have filed a claim for disability benefits through your employer-provided disability insurance policy and received a denial letter, you should contact a long-term disability attorney for a denial letter review. Unlike the social security administration, long-term disability insurance companies are not impartial and fall under ERISA law.

The first sign your disability insurance company is about to deny y...