January 2012 Archives

The Social Security Field Office

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Social Security field offices are the public face of Social Security. Most individuals who have to contact with Social Security will do so at their local Social Security field office.

Field offices provide a wide range of services for the public. Currently, field offices complete applications for new Social Security cards as well as card replacement services for both Social Security and Medicare. Social Security field office personnel complete applications for Social Security disability, Supplemental Security Income disability (SSI), retirement, and survivor applications (i.e. widow/widower, surviving children).

The social security office is often the first point of contact for applicants. However, individuals who are applying for disability should keep in mind the fact that after a disability claim has been filed, calling the social security office to check the status of the disability claim will not be very helpful. This is because after the claim is taken in a field office, it is transferred to disability determination services where a disability examiner will begin the work required to make a disability determination.







Additional Information on:
Social Security Disability







Social Security Disability Questions



Homepage for the: Social Security Disability Resource Center




















Social Security claims representatives are responsible for obtaining and verifying information used to determine eligibility for retirement, survivors, disability and Medicare health benefits.

Social Security claims representatives take applications for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability (SSI), retirement, and survivor applications. Claims representatives clarify information, resolve discrepancies, and make final eligibility and payment decisions on initial disability claims, retirement claims, and survivor claims.

While claims representatives do not make medical disability determinations for initial disability claims or continuing disability medical reviews, they make the final decision on the disability claim.







Additional Information on:
Social Security Disability







Social Security Disability Questions



Homepage for the: Social Security Disability Resource Center




















Social Security Unsuccessful Work Attempt

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Social Security Disability considers an individual's work history when making their medical disability determinations. To that end, Social Security considers any job performed for three months or more in which the individual's earnings were at a SGA level to be relevant work activity for their disability medical determination.

SGA is a monthly earnings amount that Social Security considers to be self- supporting----this monthly amount can change each year.

Social Security can discount earnings that are over the SGA monthly earnings amount when someone applies for disability if they had a significant break in their employment.

For Social Security purposes, a significant break in SGA is a period of at least thirty days in which the disability applicant has been forced to reduce their earnings, change their type of work, or move to another employer because of their disabling condition.

An unsuccessful work attempt in which an individual is performing SGA can last six months or less before it is considered a successful attempt at work.

Generally, Social Security does not require a lot of documentation for relevant jobs that ended in three months or less due to an individual's condition or loss of special considerations given by their employer. However, that changes when evaluating an unsuccessful work attempt lasting more than three months but less than six months.

In order for Social Security to grant an unsuccessful work attempt lasting more than three months, there has to be thorough documentation from the employer with regard to absences, loss of special considerations, etc to substantiate the allegation of an unsuccessful work attempt lasting more than three months.

It is important to note that unsuccessful work attempts are six months or less of performing SGA-level work activity, which means a person can have an unsuccessful work attempt while remaining with the same employer if they are no longer performing SGA (earning SGA-level income) after six months.

To see the current SGA limit on monthly earned income for individuals filing for disability or receiving disability benefitsl







Additional Information on:
Social Security Disability







Social Security Disability Questions



Homepage for the: Social Security Disability Resource Center




















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This page is an archive of entries from January 2012 listed from newest to oldest.

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