Monthly Archives: September 2020
Will a Failure to Seek Treatment for My Mental Illness Hurt My Claim for Disability Benefits?
One factor that Social Security will consider if you apply for disability benefits is how closely you follow the treatments recommended by your doctors. In other words, if you claim that you are unable to work due to a particular medical condition, but you are not taking any medications prescribed by your doctor or… Read More »
Federal Appeals Court Rejects Social Security’s Incorrect Use of Vocational Statistics
One of the oddest facets of the Social Security disability application process involves the use of an outdated government publication called the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). The U.S. Department of Labor published the DOT in 1991. It was essentially a manual that classified all of the known types of labor into roughly 13,000… Read More »
What Is Social Security’s “Listing of Impairments,” and How Can It Affect Your Disability Claim?
One of the key tools that Social Security relies upon in assessing applications for disability benefits is its Listing of Impairments. As the name suggests, this is a document that lists various disabilities. More precisely, the Listing explains the medical requirements the applicant must meet in order to be classified as legally disabled. Social… Read More »
What Happens When Social Security Ignores All of the Available Expert Evidence in a Disability Case?
When you apply for Social Security disability benefits, a number of doctors and healthcare professionals may offer expert opinions regarding your physical and mental condition. A Social Security administrative law judge (ALJ) will consider all of these opinions, decide which are supported by the available medical evidence, and use that information to create a… Read More »
