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We are sorry to hear about your mother’s stroke, but she is lucky to have you to help her. When victims’ of strokes try to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) on their own, they often have a great deal of trouble with such a complex task and often find they are denied on their first attempt. With the help of a family member, your mom has a much better chance of having her disability application approved the first time around.

According to the National Stroke Association, between 50 and 70 percent of stroke survivors regain functional independence, but 15 to 30 percent are left permanently disabled. Because of this, strokes are considered to be a leading cause of adult long-term disability. Whether or not your mom receives SSDI benefits will depend on the severity of her current disability. She does not need to be permanently disabled, but the physical and/or mental impairment that is preventing her from working should be expected to last a year or more. The Social Security Administration will also need to see that she cannot perform the work she used to do before the stroke and she cannot adjust to new work.

When you help your mother apply for disability benefits, be sure to have copies of all her medical records. You can never send too much evidence to the SSA; your goal is to prove the disability so your mom is able to receive the benefits she so desperately needs. If you need help with the application or appealing a denial, the Social Security disability attorneys at Schmidt Kramer can be extremely helpful.

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Nearly everyone collecting Social Security Disability, or SSD, benefits will tell you that they would rather be back working and earning a standard paycheck. Why? Simply stated, the amount an individual can earn while on SSD benefits is limited to a percentage of their former earnings, so they receive a fraction of their old salary.

Many people that do not understand SSD assume that recipients receive the same amount of money as they would if they were working. This assumption is false; most people receive about 80 percent of their former average salary, but that amount is often stretched very thin as the individual often has expensive medical issues that requires regular care and attention.

When a person receives SSD, they may also be receiving other types of disability benefits. SSD is considered a public source, so if the individual also receives benefits from another public source, their SSD benefits may be reduced for the duration of the other benefit payments, which is called an offset.

Common Public Disability Benefits That Affect SSD Benefits

Benefits That Will NOT Affect Your SSD Benefits

The reduction, or offset, is calculated by totaling the applicable benefits against your former average earnings before you became disabled. These benefits can only total 80 percent of your average earnings; if they are greater, the remaining amount will be deducted from your SSD payments. If the other benefits end or are reduced, your SSD will increase accordingly.

Do you have more questions about Social Security disability benefits and offsets? Reach out to us today by calling a Lancaster Social Security Disability attorney from our firm or starting a live chat now!

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With the end of tax season one week away, you may be one of the many people scrambling to get their tax information together at the last minute. If you’re ahead of the curve, you filed your taxes weeks ago and are resting easy. You may also be among those who received Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and did not work last year—so you assume that you do not need to pay taxes on those benefits.

Do You Need to Pay Taxes on Your SSDI Benefits?

Whether or not you will need to pay taxes on your Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits will depend on the amount of income you received last year. If your income (which includes your SSDI benefits, taxable income, and tax-exempt interest) minus your deductions is greater than the base income (typically $25,000 for single filers and $32,000 for married joint filers), any amount of income you made over the base income for your status is taxable.

On top of figuring out whether a portion of your income will be taxable, you will also need to figure out at what percentage that portion will be taxed. Similar to a standard tax bracket system, the higher you are above the base income, the more your benefits will be taxed. This can greatly assist those individuals and families who are just above the base income for taxation, but not drawing enough money to be taxed at a higher rate.

While the tax legalese can be confusing, you should have received two forms from the Social Security Administration that should make the process easier: Form SSA-1099 and Notice 703, which is a worksheet that helps you determine your income.

Why Should I Put the Effort Into Calculating My Deductions and Income Properly?

While preparing your taxes and going over your income and deductions with a fine-toothed comb can be frustrating and time-consuming, it is well worth the time you spend. You protect yourself from audit, and have the possibility of not owing any tax or even a refund.

Sometimes, the best advice our Social Security Disability attorneys can give our clients whose tax situation may be challenging is to hire a tax professional. While you may spend a small amount up front for their services, you have the best odds of minimizing your taxes. If you have yet to see your “tax guy,” make an effort to do so—your wallet will thank you!

Looking to learn more about SSDI income? Browse through our helpful online articles to brush up on your SSDI knowledge today!

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Michigan is supposed to be a lovely state. We hope you enjoy living there.

The good news is that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a program sponsored by the federal government, so it has uniform rules across the nation. Your existing benefits will continue in your new location.

Note, though, that the same is not necessarily true for people who are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The federal government provides a basic level of benefits, but that floor level is quite low. Some states choose to give additional money to some or all SSI recipients, in order to ensure they are not living in desperately poor conditions. When you move from one state to another, you may need to reapply for any additional income supplement your new state offers to its residents.

There are two important issues to consider when you move to another state while receiving SSDI benefits:

If you are experiencing difficulties in obtaining the disability benefits you deserve, our Social Security lawyers are ready to take up your cause. Call (717) 888-8888 toll-free to speak to one of our Schmidt Kramer Pennsylvania disability attorneys. We are happy to answer your questions or to sign you up to receive FREE copies of our law firm newsletter.

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Sorry, you can’t get a physical copy. But you can have something just as good.

The Social Security Blue Book is an essential reference for people who are trying to qualify for benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. Both of these programs provide regular payments to people who are unable to work, and the Social Security Administration—in cooperation with state disability agencies—has been given the job to set up consistent disability rules.

The result was the book Disability Evaluation Under Social Security, which became known as the “Blue Book” for its distinctive binding. Nowadays, the book is no longer printed, and all the information it once contained has been moved online to a page on the Social Security website.

The heart of the Blue Book is its “listings” of adult and childhood disorders and the criteria used to determine whether an ailment rises to the level of a disability. The adult disorders section, for instance, provides 14 broad categories, most of them relevant to major body systems:

  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Special Senses and Speech
  • Respiratory System
  • Cardiovascular System
  • Digestive System
  • Genitourinary Impairments
  • Hematological Disorders
  • Skin Disorders
  • Endocrine Disorders
  • Congenital Disorders that Affect Multiple Body Systems
  • Neurological Disorders
  • Mental Disorders
  • Malignant Neoplastic Diseases
  • Immune System Disorders

Each of these classifications is further broken down into particular ailments or clusters of symptoms, with guidance about when the severity of specific symptoms should be considered disabling.

Don’t Give Up Hope If Your Condition Isn’t Listed in the Blue Book

The online version of the Social Security Blue Book is occasionally updated with new diagnostic standards. The Social Security Administration recognizes that medicine is always a developing science that develops over time. Therefore, even if your specific diagnosed illness is not listed as disabling condition in the Blue Book, you may still be able to qualify for SSDI or SSI benefits.

At Schmidt Kramer, our Harrisburg disability attorneys have found success in helping clients secure SSDI benefits with these three approaches:

Over the last 25 years, our Social Security Disability lawyers in Harrisburg, PA have done a sterling job helping your neighbors and friends in central Pennsylvania obtain the disability benefits they need.

If you need our help today, give us a call at 717-888-8888 or (717) 888-8888 toll-free to obtain a confidential and FREE discussion about your case with one of our attorneys.

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Having a pacemaker installed is not by itself a qualifying condition for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. However, it may be a sign that an individual is experiencing serious heart health problems that, taken together, are disabling.

The human heart is a marvel. Its regular operation provides a steady regulator for all the body’s systems and assures that even the most remote tissues and organ system will receive the nutrients and oxygen they need.

When the heart cannot be trusted to maintain a steady, regular tempo, the whole body is put in danger.

Two heart conditions, in particular, disrupt the heart’s rhythm in critical ways: bradycardia, a significant slowing of the heart rate; and arrhythmia, a spasmodic, irregular heartbeat. Either of these conditions can be an indication of other forms of heart failure in the near future.

Not long ago, the only treatment medical science had for irregular heartbeat conditions was a handful of medicines. Today, a conventional approach would be to begin with medical therapy and, if needed, complement that with implanting a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Both these operations require minor surgery. The device is inserted under the skin of the chest or abdomen, and wires lead to specific sites on the heart. Periodic electrical shocks—so subtle that the patient cannot feel them—keep the heart’s rhythm steady.

Using a pacemaker does not cure heart disease. Many people with pacemakers and ICDs still face significant limitations on their activity levels—restrictions that may rise to the level of a disability. In addition, people with these implants must not engage in heavy lifting and avoid some sources of electromagnetic radiation, and those limitations may rule out returning the job held before the pacemaker was implanted.

Most heart disease patients will still be able to perform very light or sedentary work after receiving a pacemaker or ICD implant, despite the restrictions they face. Even if you must have an adjustment in your job duties after you return to work, you will be unable to file successfully for SSDI payments for your pacemaker. The Social Security Disability Insurance system does not provide benefits to people who are “partially disabled.” If you can perform any gainful work on a regular basis, you will not be eligible for SSDI benefits.

However, if you find yourself unable to perform your job or any other work that has been assigned to you, you may qualify to receive SSDI benefits. Proving you are truly disabled may be a significant challenge, but careful documentation of your disability in your SSDI application can make all the difference.

The central Pennsylvania Social Security lawyers at Schmidt Kramer can be an immense help in getting the benefits you have earned. We have successful fought to get SSDI payments for patients with cardiovascular conditions—including pacemaker patients—in our community. To get your questions answered and to learn if we can help with your case, call us at (717) 888-8888 toll-free. Your initial conference with an experienced disability attorney is FREE.

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What you have heard is true. There are professional criminals who contact Pennsylvania Social Security disability recipients (and people getting Social Security retirement benefits, too) in order to take advantage of them. Often, these con artists seem to be very pleasant, compassionate people. They adopt a helpful attitude and share stories about their own (fictional) parents’ struggles with disabilities.

They gain their victims’ trust. But once they find out the Social Security number, bank account numbers, and other personal information they were seeking, they vanish. Sometimes their targets don’t even realize they were victimized until weeks or months have passed, when they find their checking or savings accounts drained or their monthly benefits redirected to someone else.

Three Reasons Why You Don’t Need to Worry

We know many people can be reluctant to contact a lawyer because they fear they will be taken advantage this way. This fear can prevent them from seeking Social Security disability benefits that would make a tremendously positive improvement in their lives. However, there are some important reasons why you may be worrying too much about identity theft when contacting a Pennsylvania Social Security disability attorney:

Choosing a Pennsylvania Disability Lawyer You Can Trust

Of course, finding the disability benefits attorney who is the best fit for you and your case is a complicated topic that we’ll have to reserve for another time. Although you may choose any lawyer to represent your interests when dealing with the Social Security Administration, you would probably prefer to select one with a strong background in Social Security disability claims.

At Schmidt Kramer, we are justifiably proud of our Harrisburg Social Security disability lawyers’ achievements in successfully resolving clients’ claims for benefits. We follow all ethical requirements for client advocates in Pennsylvania, including tight security on our clients’ personal information. Contact us by phone at (717) 888-8888 to schedule a free, confidential consultation or to request a free copy of our client newsletter.

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While your Social Security Disability benefits should never be cut off for no reason, there are several things that may cause your benefits to end. This can be an incredibly stressful time for people, especially after they worked so hard—and waited for what feels like forever—to receive the benefits in the first place.

Whenever there is a major change to your qualifying factors, such as your disability or your other income, you can expect to see a change reflected in the benefits you receive. While the change may range from subtle decreases to being outright cutoff, these events are generally easy to anticipate. These life changes may include factors such as:

These are just a small number of the ways that your disability benefits could be adjusted or ended. If you have concerns about your benefits, our firm can help—call one of our offices today, or fill out our online contact form to get in touch with our SSDI attorneys today.

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If your application for Social Security Disability benefits was denied, you are in good company—in fact, most people’s initial attempt at applying for Social Security Disability is a flop.

After your initial application is denied, you are given a 60-day window to file an appeal to the Social Security Administration, or SSA. While it is incredibly important that you adhere to all deadlines related to your application, life often gets in the way—especially if you are coping with a challenging disability.

Should you miss the 60-day deadline for filing an appeal, you may still be able to file if you are able to prove to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that you had a valid, substantial reason for missing the deadline. This is known as “good cause,” and the SSA lists several causes that would be honored and granted an extension.

What Constitutes Good Cause in the Eyes of the Social Security Administration?

After reviewing your reason(s) for missing the appeal deadline, the SSA will determine whether you did, indeed, have good cause for missing the deadline. Should they find that you satisfactorily demonstrated a valid reason for missing the deadline, you will be granted an extension to file the appeal.

The reasons listed by the SSA as “good cause” include, but are not limited to:

While obtaining an extension to file your appeal is possible, it is much easier to address the appeal as so as you receive your denial. If your SSDI application was denied, immediately seeking the help of a Harrisburg Social Security Disability attorney can help you strengthen your appeal. For assistance with your case, call our office today or fill out our simple online contact form.

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Each month, it seems more difficult to stretch your Social Security disability check to cover all of your expenses and needs. This is not unusual due to increases in the price of food, fuel, and other necessities. Accordingly, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is required to periodically consider whether Social Security checks, including those for Social Security disability, need to increase.

The SSA Approved a Small Increase for 2015

Every October, the SSA uses a formula to determine what, if any, change to make to Social Security disability payments for the next calendar year. The formula is tied directly to the inflation rate. Inflation in 2014 was relatively low; therefore, there will be only a modest increase in 2015 Social Security payments.

Specifically, the SSA determined that Social Security disability checks should be increased by 1.7 percent in 2015. This is in line with the other small cost of living adjustments (COLA) that have been approved in recent years.

The exact amount that you will receive in your 2015 Social Security disability checks depends on how much you received in each check during 2014. According to the SSA, the average disabled worker will receive an estimated $19 more in each monthly Social Security disability check, and the average disabled worker with a spouse and children may receive an estimated $33 more in each monthly check beginning with the check that you receive from the SSA in January 2015.

Any COLA increase for 2016 will be decided by the SSA in October 2015.

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