VA Secretary Bob McDonald is under fire as the scandals continue. CBS reports that widows of veterans have not been assisted with burial expenses, nor have they been extended the long tradition of receiving the American flag in honor of their veteran's service.

CBS investigation revealed that the problems with the Veteran's Administration continue to be widespread. Of particular emphasis was the Oakland facility where over 13,000 claims were simply ignored and many of the veteran's with claims had died. Two years after the problems were first reported a follow up found that none of the records regarding these claims could be found. This is part of continuing conduct where the VA destroys records to cover up inefficiencies.

At his appointment, McDonald announced an ambitious reorganization plan for the VA. He planed firings and other discipline, but also better ways to serve the department's customers, the veterans.

In the latest development in Congress' debate over the future of the Social Security disability program (SSD), the White House has offered a new fiscal plan that would prevent the program from running out of funds in 2016. In the White House's proposed budget, $330 billion dollars would be added to the SSD fund starting in 2016, money that would last until 2033 and result in zero cuts in benefits for those currently covered.

In the past, the SSD fund was replenished periodically by funds from the Social Security retirement program, but recently, Republicans in the House of Representatives have moved to end this practice. Representatives have alleged that not only is this process detrimental to the retirement program, but that the SSD program is riddled with fraudulent claims. Under the Republicans' new restrictions, if the SSD fund was not replenished in 2016, 11 million Americans' SSD insurance benefits would be cut by 20%.

As reported by Politico late last month, details of the White House's new plan are as follows:

Last month, the new, Republican-led session of the House of Representatives shocked everyone by taking aim Social Security disability insurance (SSDI). The new bill, which has passed, stops all replenishing funds reallocated from the Social Security retirement fund. The bill instantly stirred controversy and has mobilized Democratic lawmakers who are decrying the new policy.

The reasoning for the new changes were cited as suspicion of fraud by many SSD beneficiaries, but political analysts are positing that Republicans have greater designs for Social Security disability program.

As it stands, numerous reasons have been given for the bill by Republicans. They claim:

Last month, the new session of the House of Representatives passed a bill that will affect the way that the Social Security disability program will be funded. Under the new changes, the fund will no longer be replenished by tax funds from the Social Security retirement fund. The transfer of tax money between these two funds has kept both programs functioning for years.

According to a recent article from Media Matters For America , Texas' own Representative Sam Johnson and Senator Rand Paul are leading the charge on these changes and continue to perpetuate a deep-seated mistrust of SSD beneficiaries among Republicans. The congressmen cite fraud prevention as the inspiration for the bill and insist that countless citizens who are benefiting from disability insurance are not actually suffering from truly debilitating conditions.

However, as a recent report from the Los Angeles Times points out , applying for and receiving SSD benefits is, in fact, a highly regulated and rigorous process.

If you applied for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) benefits and your claim was denied, you are able to appeal the decision at a Social Security disability hearing. This hearing allows you and your attorney to go before an administrative law judge and to explain why you should be granted disability benefits.

While each disability hearing is different, many take between fifteen minutes and one hour, and are oftentimes more informal than a traditional court appearance would be. Additionally, you may find that your hearing is not even scheduled to be held in a courthouse. Depending on how far you live from the hearing site, your hearing may even occur via videoconference.

The hearing will rely on your personal testimony, a vocational expert's testimony, and any witnesses you choose to bring. Once you have arrived for your hearing, you can expect the following: