http://www.blawgrepublic.com/cat/Social-Security-Law/ SOCIAL SECURITY LAW NEWS Condesa Inc. Blawg Republic http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2010/08/27/alzheimers-caregiver-support-group-to-begin-on-second-life/ As I was reviewing my blog just now, I realized that I have not posted in quite a while.  I am now a caregiver for a relative with Alzheimer’s Disease and have been quite busy.  My new role has given me a personal view of what it is like to live with a permanent disability.  [...] http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2010/03/11/continuing-legal-education-semnar-on-attorneys-with-disabilities-offered-in-second-life/ In February I became president of the Second Life® Bar Association. I am excited about the upcoming year and hope to bring new educational content to our members and create networking opportunities between members and other users of Second Life. It may surprise you to learn that people who are disab http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2010/01/24/it-is-no-fun-being-disabled/ Perhaps due to California’s budget problems, it seems that the disabled are an easy target. I have received comments on my blog accusing the disabled of being freeloaders. There is similar talk on the street; something akin to that it is easy being disabled and collecting a government check. http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/11/18/are-survivors-divorced-spouses-benefits-retroactive/ My new motto is to file early and often. It can be detrimental to wait and file for Social Security disability benefits. Perhaps I am being silly by saying “early and often, ” but the point is to file as soon as you can. I recently saw someone at my law office with a [...] http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/11/07/u-s-district-court-orders-ssa-to-provide-correspondence-in-alternative-formats-for-the-blind-or-visually-impaired/ As reported on the NOSSCR (National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives) website, “a federal judge in the northern California district has ruled that SSA violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and its implementing regulations, by failing to provide meaning http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/10/30/california-reduces-ssi-payment-again-in-october-2009/ As those of you already on SSI already know, your SSI monthly amount was reduced in October 2009.  The California state legislature has made a series of budget cuts to the state supplement over the past year: January 2009, the maximum grant was $907 for a single person and $1579 for couples; May 20 http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/10/18/ssa-to-soon-grant-attorneys-access-to-claimants-electronic-hearing-folders/ One of the most interesting presentations I attended at the NOSSCR (National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives) conference in San Francisco was a presentation by  SSA (Social Security Administration) personnel on a new program which will allow authorized representative http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/10/14/ten-tips-for-winning-your-social-security-disability-case-in-federal-court/ I am currently attending the NOSSCR (National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives’) conference in San Francisco.  I am going to write posts this week highlighting some of presentations I go to at the conference.  Today I went to a presentation on “Judicial Review of http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/09/23/how-can-i-prove-i-am-disabled-if-i-cannot-get-treatment-because-i-cant-afford-it/ One of the difficulties indigent claimants face is proving that they are disabled when they have not sought out medical treatment.  It is a vicious circle.  They would have sought treatment if they could have afforded health insurance but because they could not afford health insurance, they did not http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/09/12/average-waiting-times-for-hearings-at-odar-offices-in-san-francisco-bay-area/ The most recent (June 2009) set of  statistics listing processing times at the San Francisco Bay Area Offices of Disability Adjudication and Review (”ODAR”)  does not look good.  The best way to view them though is that although they are not good, they could be worse compared to other OD http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/09/14/it-helps-to-be-local/ My client has not received her retroactive payment.  I have been trying to reach a representative at the Social Security office in San Francisco.  ( I will not state which one so that I do not embarrass anyone there.)   I kept calling the general number but they did not answer their phones.  My clie http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/09/06/osocial-security-administration-to-partner-with-microsoft-in-gathering-health-information/ One of the most important tasks that I have as a lawyer in preparing a Social Security disability case is gathering a client’s list of doctors and medications.  This information is essential because I order all records from the contact information my client provides to me.  The Social Security http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/08/24/what-are-my-responsibilities-as-a-representative-payee-for-a-child/ I recently won a child’s SSI case for a young girl. It was difficult to win but now what is turning out to be more difficult for the family is having to make a choice as to who should be the representative payee.   In all children’s cases, the Social Security Administration [...] http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/07/13/your-social-security-number-may-be-known-if-you-participate-on-social-networking-sites/ I am a big fan of a few social networking sites so I read with alarm a story on the Wall Street Journal’s blog about how it may be possible to figure out a person’s social security number from the information you provide on a social networking site. On sites such as Facebook or [...] http://californiasocialsecuritylawyerblog.com/2009/06/27/news-from-the-san-francisco-social-secuirty-field-offices/ tovah45