Mom loses SSDI appeal for extra benefits on behalf of son
A mother seeking additional disability benefits for her ailing son has failed to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that her child was entitled to benefits before he was 7 years old.
Social Security
Articles
Southern District case challenges reduction of U.S. Social Security benefits for Canadians
A Canadian woman with careers in both Canada and the United States has experienced those complications firsthand and is seeking legal redress for what she says are wrongly withheld benefits. Lorraine Beeler has sued the Social Security Administration in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, alleging her U.S. retirement benefits were wrongly reduced based on similar benefits she receives from Canada.
Social Security retirement benefits must be considered in child support, COA rules
A mother filing for child support couldn’t convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the obligated amount her child’s father owes should be in addition to Social Security retirement benefits that he already gives the child.
7th Circuit remands disability case on ALJ’s improper assessment
A decision denying a man’s application for disability and supplemental security income was remanded after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found an administrative law judge erroneously discredited him and improperly assessed his functional abilities.
7th Circuit remands disability case over ALJ’s errant hypotheticals
A rejection of a man’s application for disability and supplemental security income was remanded after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found an administrative law judge’s hypothetical question ignored one of the man’s most significant deficits.
Split COA: Maintenance not required in divorce of disabled spouse
A woman who receives Social Security Disability was not entitled to spousal maintenance, a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled, turning back a request on appeal to find that eligibility for SSD should constitute prima facie evidence of incapacity.
7th Circuit reinstates hairdresser’s disability benefits case
A woman denied Social Security disability benefits was granted a second chance after a panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found her administrative law judge lacked substantial evidence to prove she wasn’t disabled.
7th Circuit affirms withheld attorney fees in disability cases
Attorneys who successfully represented two clients seeking Social Security disability benefits won’t get paid, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, because their indigent clients owed debts to the federal treasury.
7th Circuit vacates denial of benefits to man with shooting pain and numbness
Finding an administrative law judge did not evaluate the credibility of a claimant and instead relied on the testimony of a physician who had not even examined the patient, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the denial of Social Security benefits to an Indiana man.
7th Circuit slaps ALJ, remands engineer’s disability case after stroke
A district court’s decision affirming a Social Security administrative law judge’s ruling on the onset date of an engineer’s disability was vacated Wednesday by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found medical and other evidence strongly suggests an earlier disability date.
ALJ’s omitted reason for disability decision troubles 7th Circuit
An administrative law judge’s failure to meet the minimum requirement of explaining her decision in a disability benefits case drew criticism from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday.
Equal distribution method, lack of substantial evidence leads to remand of benefits case
A lack of substantial evidence led the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to remand a social security case filed by a woman who was denied benefits despite being severely impaired by a brain tumor.
ALJ erred by ‘playing doctor’ in head trauma case, 7th Circuit rules
Judges must rely on expert opinions instead of determining the significance of particular medical findings themselves, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a case where it found a judge “played doctor” to review limitations caused by a traumatic brain injury.
7th Circuit affirms denial of disability benefits
A man who was has been trying for more than 11 years to obtain Social Security disability benefits failed to convince a panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that he was wrongly denied benefits.
Judge: Kentucky lawyer who fled must forfeit bond
A federal judge in Lexington, Kentucky has ruled that a lawyer in that state who went on the run in a more than $500 million Social Security fraud case must forfeit property put up for bond.
Amended Southern District rules to take effect Jan. 1
The Indiana Southern District Court will implement new rules relating to Social Security appeals and indigent defense fee agreements when two amendments take effect on Jan. 1.
7th Circuit judge: Check with opposing counsel to speed rulings
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David Hamilton had some advice for parties who want the court to act quickly on their case management motions: check with opposing counsel before filing to find out whether they will oppose the proposed motion.
Kentucky lawyer pleads guilty in massive disability scheme
A flamboyant Kentucky lawyer who billed himself as "Mr. Social Security" pleaded guilty Friday for his role in what prosecutors portrayed as a long-running scheme to defraud the government of nearly $600 million in federal disability payments.
7th Circuit reverses dismissal of ‘arbitrary’ Appeals Council decision
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday reversed an Appeals Council decision to dismiss an Indiana man’s good cause request after initially granting the request, finding that the sudden change of course was arbitrary.
7th Circuit tackles ‘moral turpitude’ in immigration case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals is concerned about the classification of every crime involving deception involving “moral turpitude,” which would prevent some unauthorized immigrants from seeking discretionary cancelation of removal under the law.