There are a limited number of vocational issues in a Social Security disability case. They are: 1. What are the physical and mental demands of the claimant’s past relevant work as the claimant performed it? A vocational expert (VE) is probably not necessary to answer this question. A Social Security regulation provides that “statements [...]
At your Social Security disability hearing, sincere, straightforward lay testimony from your lay (non-expert) witnesses can well be the deciding factor in your disability claim. It is a very rare disability claim under the Social Security Act that does not need good lay witnesses. Select a Few Good Witnesses Your attorney will not want all [...]
The following questions are the types of questions that the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) or your attorney may ask you during your Social Security disability hearing. Not all of these questions will be relevant to your Social Security case, and for some of the questions the answers may not matter too much to the judge's [...]
A Social Security disability hearing is held in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ). It is much less formal than a court hearing, and is non-adversarial. That is, there is no lawyer representing the Social Security Administration who appears to present SSA’s side. Indeed, SSA claims that it doesn’t have a “side.” The agency [...]
People who apply for Social Security disability benefits frequently ask the following questions about the progress of their Social Security disability application.How long will it take for a hearing to be held, a decision to be issued and for benefits to be paid?How will I be notified about the date of my disability hearing?What happens [...]
Preparing for Your Disability HearingGeneral Information About the HearingDetermining DisabilityYour TestimonyAfter the Hearing Preparing for Your Disability Hearing Arrive Early Unless your attorney asks you to be at the hearing office at a specific time, arrive for your Social Security disability hearing about a half an hour early. Any earlier is not necessary [...]