In a country that is divided philosophically along so many topics, it is becoming increasingly clear that Social Security benefits, Medicare and Medicaid are on the political table. In earlier newsletters, we have described the functional issues Social Security has identified as critical in determining the severity of the symptoms of mental, neurological and several […]

In a country that is divided philosophically along so many topics, it is becoming increasingly clear that Social Security benefits, Medicare and Medicaid are on the political table. While supposedly independent, Social Security is subject to the impact of political partisanship. Funding of operations is a key lever for Congress – determining Social Security’s budget […]

Approval of an application for Social Security benefits is almost entirely dependent upon the content and source of the medical records. Medical charts are the core evidence used to decide every disability application at every level of the application and appeal process. We work closely with our clients to make certain they understand that it […]

In a recent newsletter, we described the four key questions being used by Social Security to evaluate the severity of a range of medical problems. While these questions were initially used in mental impairment claims, SSA spread their use to virtually all neurological conditions and to many other medical impairments. Briefly the four questions are: […]

Headaches can be debilitating. Clients typically describe severe headache pain in the most desperate terms – including one claimant who would bang his head against the wall to try to eliminate the crushing migraine pain. Severe chronic headache pain can make sustaining full time work impossible and be the basis for disability benefits. Social Security […]