What's New


Frequently Asked Questions

Newsletter

The Process

About Us

Attorney Profiles

Contact Us

Links and Resources


Return to the Social Security Group Home Page

What's New in Social Security?

Woodland Office Is Now Open!

The law firm has opened a small office in Woodland, CA for the convenience of clients. The office is located at 770 Dead Cat Alley, Suite 226, Woodland, California and is open by appointment only.

New Cardiovascular Listings

Social Security has issued new cardiovascular listings for the evaluations of disability claimants with heart disease. These listings were last changed in 1994. Social Security believes that the new listings update medical criteria and provide more information for evaluating heart disease.

Does The Social Security Act Grant The Right To A Hearing Before An Administrative Law Judge?

The answer, according to Social Security, is negative. Claimants apparently only have a right to a telephone hearing or case review by a paralegal, not an administrative law judge. This conclusion is based on a recent interpretation and comments by Social Security regarding the new Medicare Part D subsidy program. The agency states that the Social Security Act "provides a statutory right to a hearing, [but] it does not require a hearing before an administrative law judge". Instead, Medicare "hearings" may be conducted over the telephone, with a decision made by "qualified and impartial specialists." Will Social Security decide that disability hearings should be conducted in the same fashion? Stay tuned.

Social Security Goes Electronic

The Sacramento Office of Hearings and Appeals is slowly converting to paperless hearings. The goal is to have only a computer disc with all the medical and other documentation available for claimants and their advocates for review prior to the hearing. However, claimants may still request and receive a paper copy of their Social Security file for review and copying. Since this project is in the early stages, most claims still have paper files.

Social Security | Political/Government Law | Newsroom | Home