New York Social Security Disability Lawyer Blog

Today, about a dozen of my clients faxed me a copy of a notice from the Social Security Administration reporting that an employee of the New York Office of Disability and Temporary Assistance (the state agency that contracts with the Social Security Administration to make initial disability determinations) had access to and might have stolen names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. This is a huge deal considering the priority that SSA places on claimants' confidentiality.

While I think it's unfortunate that this has happened, particularly to my clients who have enough to worry about without now needing to monitor their credit reports for identity theft, the reality is that this is happening more and more. I hope that SSA doesn't feel that offering 1 free year of credit monitoring is the only fix necessary and that the decision makers put a lot of thought into how best to protect the citizenry's personal information.

For more information on the story, click here.

Gabe Hermann

I was in the Hackensack, NJ Social Security Field Office yesterday to take care of some personal business and I must say that the process went much more smoothly than I would have expected in light of all the negative comments I frequently read online. I arrived and, even though it was lunchtime and the waiting room was crowded, the Agency's staff were moving the cases along and providing, what appeared to me, proper service to the public.

Although I admit that what I was taking care of was relatively simple and need not have taken a long time, many of the other consumers at the office obviously had more complicated business to attend to and they were also serviced quickly and, it appeared to me, properly.
The office was clean and instead of showing trashy daytime television on the TV, the video screens were offering suggestions, explaining the various Social Security processes to the waiting consumers and showing, dare I say it, peaceful images while the loudspeakers were playing - I'm not kidding - spa sounds.

All in all, it was an uneventful visit. I got done what I came to do and the claims representative was extremely accommodating in helping me replace my own long lost social security card! By the way, for all of you wondering, while a valid driver's license is acceptable in most circumstances, it doesn't hurt to bring your passport in to show citizenship if applicable.

Gabe Hermann

One of the things I do often, but especially as the year ends, is check the numbers surrounding our Social Security Disability cases. As I do that this year there are two numbers that come together in a way that I think shows a lot about who we are and what we do.

We always ask all of our clients how they were referred to us. I am happy to report that the percentage referred by previous clients keeps going up. That shows that we are not only doing our job, but doing it well. As in any business, satisfied customers are your best source of goodwill and free advertising.

The other number is the percentage of cases we win at the Initial Application (IA) level. We win just over 50% of our claims at IA when we get to file the claim. The nationwide average is only 36%, and even though the states in which we practice have the highest percentage of IA wins, I think our number is still impressive, since we do not get that many "presumptive disability" or "compassionate allowance" cases.

We are winning cases at Initial Application and getting money into our clients hands many months sooner than if they had filed on their own and had to wait for a hearing, or if they had gone to another firm that told them, as many do, to file the Initial Application themselves and come back when they were denied.

The result is obvious: we have more and more satisfied clients who mention us favorably. I would certainly like to thank them; but I think the thanks also has to go our staff of excellent paralegals, who file the claims and make sure the records get to Social Security so that our deserving clients win sooner rather than later and become spokespersons for the job we do!

Lew Insler

Once again, I am proud to be volunteering my time and expertise on disability law to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society when they hold their upcoming Legal Day on Saturday, December 4, 2010. I first participated in their regular event on May 8, 2010 alongside other professionals possessing different areas of expertise of particular interest to those suffering from multiple sclerosis.

At the last Legal Day, the issues presented to me covered a wide range of scenarios. Some were relatively straightforward, whereas others proved to be quite complex (though I personally enjoyed the challenge). Of course, the real reward is in helping those who come to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for assistance. I've been assured that every appointment slot has been reserved by someone seeking Social Security assistance this Saturday. I am looking forward to offering my help to these individuals whose lives have been affected by MS as well as reuniting with the other professionals who also kindly volunteer their time and knowledge to such a worthy organization.

Brian Anson