The Role of Nonattorney Representation in the SSDI Determination Process: A Case Study of One Prominent Intermediary

2020 ◽  
pp. 104420732093354
Author(s):  
Dara Lee Luca ◽  
Yonatan Ben-Shalom
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Disability Insurance ◽  
Social Security Administration ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Disability Determination ◽  
Employment Supports ◽  
Determination Process ◽  
Social Security Disability

Intermediary organizations that provide nonattorney representation services to people applying for Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits are a prominent but understudied part of the disability landscape. A better understanding of these intermediaries and their clients can help to inform policies that influence the extent to which intermediaries support or impede SSA’s disability determination processes. This article describes how one prominent nonattorney intermediary screens potential clients and supports actual clients throughout the application process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. We describe the intermediary’s operations and the characteristics of its clients and compare the characteristics and outcomes of the intermediary’s awardees with all SSDI awardees. Our findings point to one important avenue through which people enter SSDI and suggest some policy options that could improve the entry process and identify employment supports that might serve as alternatives to SSDI.

Social Security Disability Application Experiences of People With Multiple Sclerosis in the United States

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa I. Iezzoni ◽  
Long Ngo ◽  
R. Philip Kinkel
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Disability Insurance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
Income Support ◽  
Social Security Administration ◽  
The Social ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Social Security Disability

Studies suggest that more than half of working-age Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) are unemployed because of their health. Many turn to public disability insurance for income support, applying through the Social Security Administration for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which provides benefits to formerly employed people, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which supports impoverished individuals. Anecdotal reports suggest that many patients with MS face considerable problems when applying for federal disability benefits. To gather more systematic information about these experiences, we surveyed 983 working-age people with MS nationwide from May through November 2005. Most (60.2%) were unemployed; 36.4% had federal disability insurance, with 27.8% having SSDI alone. Almost one third (31.3%) had their initial SSDI application denied, and 31.9% used legal assistance when applying for this benefit. Although the time elapsed between SSDI application and approval was <12 months for 60.4% of applicants, 12–23 months passed for 19.8% and 24+ months for another 19.8%. Among people without SSDI, 15.4% had applied for this benefit at some time. Failure to meet disability criteria caused 60.3% of rejections, and inadequate documentation contributed to 32.1%. Neurologists must fully document the breadth of MS-related impairments in their patients' disability applications.

Characteristics and Employment of Applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance over the Business Cycle

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Lindner ◽  
Clark Burdick ◽  
Javier Meseguer
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Unemployment Rate ◽  
Disability Insurance ◽  
Work Capacity ◽  
Social Security Disability Insurance ◽  
Administrative Records ◽  
Eligibility Determination ◽  
Determination Process ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
Social Security Disability

Abstract We investigate the relationship between the unemployment rate and characteristics of applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance using administrative records of the universe of applicants between 1991 and 2008. As the unemployment rate rises, applications shift to those with higher work capacity who are rejected early in the eligibility determination process and have higher pre-application earnings and employment. However, post-application earnings and employment of denied applicants are slightly negatively related to the unemployment rate, suggesting that both compositional changes toward applications with higher work capacity and adverse economic conditions affect their employment and earnings.

scholarly journals The Windfall Elimination Provision & Social Security Benefits: A Case Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Stephanie Owings-Edwards ◽  
Rick Mull
Keyword(s):  
Public Finance ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Financial Analysis ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Social Security Administration ◽  
The Social ◽  
On Line ◽  
Social Security Benefits

This case is appropriate for an introductory financial analysis course, intermediate case study in financial analysis, or any course that is preparing students to take the CFA exam. Because of the policy analysis that is included, it could also be used in a public finance class or an intermediate microeconomics course. It provides a basis for developing an understanding of how Social Security benefits are calculated. The specific focus of the case is on the Windfall Elimination Provision and the calculations which must be made to re-estimate benefits for those who are affected by this provision. The student plays the role of financial advisor. When advising a client about the stream of income which can be anticipated in retirement, it is vitally important to realize that, if the client has worked both as a government employee and in the private sector, the benefits the client will receive from Social Security may be less than what is indicated in the annual Social Security Statement. The policy implications section of the case also points out some of the surprising affects resulting from the structure of the Windfall Elimination Provision. The questions at the end of the case test the students understanding of the complexities of the system. Depending on the instructors guidance, students can familiarize themselves with the on-line calculators developed by the Social Security Administration.

How the COVID-19 pandemic could reduce near-retirees' Social Security benefits

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Biggs
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Disability Insurance ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Social Security Benefit ◽  
Social Security Administration ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Security Disability ◽  
Social Security Benefits

AbstractA quirk in the Social Security benefit formula interacting with the sharp economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic could cause certain groups of near-retirees to suffer significant and permanent reductions to their Social Security retirement benefits. A sudden decline in the Social Security Administration (SSA)'s measure of economywide average wages in the year a worker turns 60 causes the Social Security benefit formula to devalue all the worker's earnings prior to age 60, resulting in a lower measure of career-average earnings and a lower benefit in retirement. A middle-income worker aged 60 in 2020 could receive an annual Social Security benefit reduction of around 9%, with losses through retirement approaching $46,000. Individuals becoming eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits would be subject to similar reductions in percentage terms. Several methods are discussed to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of similar benefit ‘notches’ occurring in the future.

Who’s at risk of entering Social Security Disability Insurance? A comparison of application and allowance rates for groups of at-risk individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara Contreary ◽  
Todd Honeycutt
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Disability Insurance ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Social Security Disability Insurance ◽  
Program Participation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Social Security Disability ◽  
Employment Characteristics

BACKGROUND: The U.S. government has implemented several programs to reduce federal expenditures on Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and help beneficiaries return to work, but the limited success of these efforts has raised interest in approaches that help workers with disabilities remain in the workforce. OBJECTIVE: This paper provides information on individuals at risk of applying for DI benefits to help build the evidence base for policies that provide workers with disabilities support to eliminate the need to apply for and receive DI benefits. METHODS: Using three panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation matched to SSA administrative data, we describe the employment characteristics of seven groups at risk of applying for DI benefits before and after application, as well as the outcomes of their DI applications. RESULTS: New private disability insurance recipients were more likely to apply for and receive DI than members of other at-risk groups. However, individuals with high healthcare expenditures made up the largest proportion of successful applicants across the at-risk groups considered here. CONCLUSION: While it seems plausible that individuals within an at-risk group who are likely to apply for DI benefits can be identified and provided supports to help them maintain employment, focusing on a specific group to promote employment over DI benefits may have a limited effect on the DI program because applicants come from multiple groups.

Contingencies and Convergence in European Social Security

2013 ◽  
pp. 268-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido van Os ◽  
Vincent Homburg ◽  
Victor Bekkers
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Welfare State Regimes ◽  
Back Office

In Western European welfare states, one of the uses of ICT is the delivery of integrated public services in social security. In order to do this, the deployment of ICT (especially in the back office) requires coordination among various central and local levels of government, and among social insurance executive institutions, welfare authorities, and job centers. Viewing ICT-enabled integration as a technological and managerial “practice,” the authors analyze ICT coordination in various institutional regimes (in a decentralized regime like Denmark, a decentralized unity state like The Netherlands, and in a federal state like Austria). By a comparative case study, the authors investigate whether ICT coordination adapts to the institutional context in which it is shaped (contingency-approach), or whether in various institutional contexts coordination practices more or less resemble each other (convergence-approach). Two methods are used to gather data. First, for each country policy, documents and strategy papers are analyzed by using a structured code list. Second, in each country five key respondents at ministerial level and five respondents at local/regional level are interviewed. The authors reflect on the findings by discussing the role of ICTs in providing coordinated and integrated services in various welfare state regimes.

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