Due to the COVID pandemic, all Social Security hearing offices are closed for in-person hearings. According to Social Security, these closures are expected for the foreseeable future. Fortunately Social Security is offering two secure and safe options for your disability hearing so you won’t have to wait.
If you are a Social Security beneficiary, expect to see your benefit increase next year. All SSDI and SSI disability recipients will receive a 1.3 percent COLA for 2021. COLA stands for “Cost of Living Adjustment”. Social Security annually increases benefits to counteract inflation.
For those of us in Social Security law practice, it is evident that the hearing offices in Northern California, Reno and Hawaii are taking longer to issue written decisions following hearings. It has been publicized that the waiting times to obtain hearings has slowed across the U.S., and we have passed along the statistics showing these delays in a separate article.
The Administration recently released data that shows that claimants who are represented at a hearing have a higher approval rate than those who are unrepresented.
Free consultation – There is no fee for the initial consultation. Our lawyers will ask questions about your disability and work background, explain the Social Security regulations and how your case fits into the law, and go over the timelines for the application and appeals process.
Last week, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case, Selia Law v. CFPB. The case involved a challenge to invalidate the entire Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal agency created to prevent predatory lending. Instead of invalidating the entire agency, the Justices focused on the question of whether the president can remove the CFPB’s sitting director “at will.
Because it can take a long time to collect SSDI benefits, many individuals turn to other sources of income as a means of support. One source of income is unemployment benefits.
Each state administers its own Unemployment Insurance program.
The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act expanded each state’s ability to provide unemployment benefits for many workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including for workers who are not ordinarily eligible for unemployment.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all claimants across the Bay Area are being offered the option to conduct their disability hearing via telephone. Claimants have the right to object to the telephonic hearing, but this leads to an indefinite postponement of their hearing until it is safe for in-person hearings to take place.
The Social Security Administration recently announced that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will soon receive their COVID-19 impact stimulus check. The recipients will receive their payment just as they normally receive their SSI benefits, either through direct deposit, Direct Express debit card, or by paper check.
