• 13
  • February
    2012

The Social Security Administration boasts that they are approving more applications now than ever before, reporting that over the past 10 years, the number of approvals has risen sharply. What they won't tell you is that the number of people applying for disability benefits has increased faster than the number of cases approved. Consequently, although the volume of approvals is increasing, the percentage of approvals is at an all-time low. Consider that since 2000, the Administration's approval rate has dropped a shocking 11 percentage points from 46.7% to only 35.7% . According to the Administration's own records, disability approvals have not been this low since1982, when the approval rate was 33%.[1]

Even within the past few years, we have noticed the Judges becoming more and more conservative in their awards. One surprising trend is that the Administration is overwhelmingly hiring their own staff attorneys as Judges rather than making external attorney appointments, suggesting the Administration prefers Judges with an institutional mindset who are predisposed to deny claims.

We are taking steps to combat this serious trend. First of all, we carefully screen our cases to represent people who have severe, documented disabilities. Second, we inform our clients of local resources that are available for help, including The Department of Assistive Rehabilitation Services (DARS). Finally, we research the law and medical literature to present the best possible case for our clients.

Perhaps just as important as developing the case before the hearing is the work we do afterwards. We dedicate a large part of our practice to appellate work, taking cases to the Appeals Council and presenting detailed briefs on our clients' behalf. Further, we have dedicated attorneys practicing in the Federal Courts, presenting arguments in support of our clients' claims. We are admitted into all Federal Courts in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. We also have cases in the Federal Courts in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana, and California.

Next time you hear that more and more people are getting disability, just remember: you're only hearing one side of the story. The fact remains that proportionally, fewer people are receiving disability than before, and disability law firms like ours are fighting this trend with every legal tool available.

[1] http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2011/6c.html