If you think it's hard to get Social Security disability now, just wait until the new Commissioner Andrew Saul finishes with it.
Saul was sworn in as Commissioner on June 17, 2019, for a
six-year term. Previously, he was on the board of the Manhattan Institute, a think tank that seemed to believe that Social Security was much too generous.
The Wall Street Journal today reports that Saul is tightening down the grid rules, the charts which allow a claimant the best chance of being approved for disability benefits--with the result of "eviscerating" the program (the paper's word).
The Social Security Administration has constantly been tightening the rules since 2010 to make benefits harder and harder to get (and taking longer and longer). In 2010, claimants who fought their denials and went before a judge had a 60 percent chance of being approved on appeal. By 2018, that number had dropped to 42 percent. Then, in October 2019, Social Security put a new layer of appeal between the disabled worker and his benefits--a step called Reconsideration. That just makes the process take a few months longer.
If the Journal's report is true (and there's little reason to believe otherwise), where will that leave the nation's disability program? Probably with only the most catastrophic impairments qualifying for any benefit and most Americans who can't work anymore being denied repeatedly with little hope of ever being approved.
And that's not all. When individuals are denied SSDI benefits, they are also denied Medicare, which can cover much of the cost of basic medical care. This will be a disaster.
And what about the FICA tax (Social Security and Medicare tax)? Any talk of reducing or eliminating any of the current FICA burden on workers and their employers? Of course not. Pay the tax but lose the disability insurance it goes to pay for.
This "tightening of the rules" will be swept into place without any announcement and as little fanfare as possible. If you think disability benefits are tough to get your hands on now.....just wait. Brother, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our firm is still here and still winning disability cases. The circumstances are difficult and trying but the disabled need someone to fight for them. If we can help you, call us. We can often handle problems by telephone. (256) 799-0297.
ReplyDelete