Many people think their Social Security hearing will resemble a courtroom TV drama. Thankfully, that is NOT the case. Social Security hearings are quite informal. You will be in a small room with only the Judge, the hearing officer, a vocational examiner, and your representative (if you have one). Once everyone is settled, the Judge will announce that we are now on the record, meaning the audio recording has begun. There is a little microphone in front of you that does not

In my line of work, I read a lot of medical records and one thing is consistently troublesome for me; the reported 10 out of 10 pain. Most often, this is simply because doctors and their staff do not properly explain what they are asking. So here are some tips on how to explain your pain so your doctor understands what you mean. First, let me say, I understand chronic pain intimately. I wholeheartedly believe chronic pain can be a severely debilitating symptom of a huge ho

Nearly all Social Security cases come down to a determination of your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC). What things you are capable of doing on a consistent basis. Just because your doctor said you are unable to work, does not mean Social Security just takes their word for it. The analysis that must be done on nearly every case involves a determination of what you are able to do, and then based on your age, education, and work experience, are there jobs out there for you

As many know, Social Security Disability claims can take years to resolve. Often these people have medical doctors telling them to file for disability and even documenting in the medical files that people are not able to work. So why do these people get denied? Below are the top five reasons claims, that will ultimately be approved, are denied at the initial level and the reconsideration level. 1) The Number 1 reason people get denied is medical doctors not underst