Posts in:October, 2015

2016 Cost of Living Adjustment: Not This Year

Posted October 22, 2015 by Premier Disability Services, LLC® The Social Security Administration has announced some sad news for beneficiaries eagerly anticipating a cost of living adjustment (COLA) in 2016. For only the third time since COLAs began in 1975, there will be no adjustment to benefit rates in 2016 based on cost of living. SSA reports that benefits are increased annually to keep up with increased cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index. According to SSA, there has actually been a decline in the Consumer Price Index which means no COLA is warranted for 2016.
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Posted October 16, 2015 by Premier Disability Services, LLC® The moisolated-breast-cancer-ribbonnth of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise the awareness of breast cancer.  According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States other than skin cancer.  One of the main purposes of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to promote the importance of women taking the proper steps to get tested and facilitate early detection so the condition can be treated immediately.
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Why is my case being “remanded” and what does this mean?

Posted October 13, 2015 by Premier Disability Services, LLC® If a claim is denied by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), the next level of appeal for a claimant is the Appeals Council. If a claimant submits a request for review to the Appeals Council, they will review the request to determine whether to grant, deny, or dismiss the request. If the request for review is granted, the Appeals Council will either overturn the denial or remand the case back to the ALJ. The chances of having a claim overturned by the Appeals Council are very low. As a result, the more likely path to success for a claimant who appeals to the Appeals Council is to have their case remanded.
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