The Law Offices of Steven R. Dolson, PLLC

Lawmakers including local representatives have introduced a bill in Congress that would expand the ability of people filing for bankruptcy to include student loans in their discharge. Right now only special circumstances allow the discharge of student loans in bankruptcy. If this bill becomes law the ability to get rid of student loan obligations will greatly increase. Below is a blog post on the bill. https://auburnpub.com//article_6d566225-0b32-5faa-a80a-20d

It looks like Congress may finally be looking at fixing the Social Security insolvency problem. Next month the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives are planning on going to Capital Hill to lobby on behalf of claimants. Below is a recent article about some of the proposals being circulated. https://www.cnbc.com//social-security-expansion-bill-poise

Authorities warn about Social Security scams https://www.localsyr.com//authorities-warn-abou/1803217569 (Via 9 WSYR)

Today brought another example of how our office is on the cutting edge of developments in the legal fields we practice in. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion of first impression in one of our Social Security Disability cases today. In Lockwood v. Commissioner of Social Security the Court held that an ALJ was required to inquire about conflicts with the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and vocational expert testimony under SSR 00-4p and that overhead reaching is an apparent conflict when reaching generally is precluded. A special thanks to Patrick Radel, Esq. for assisting in the Circuit Court.

Social Security makes Syracusans wait 2 years for disability benefits they paid for http://www.syracuse.com//social-security-makes-syracusans-

The Social Security Administration will not be subject to a potential shutdown. We’re sure you’ve heard that the government may partially shut down on Friday, December 21. Because the Social Security Administration received its Fiscal Year 2019 appropriation in September 2018, any potential shutdown will not affect SSA. Your hearings will be conducted as scheduled, and all district and hearing offices will be open as usual, even if there is a government shutdown.

Social Security field offices and Hearing offices will be closed on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, to honor the memory of America’s 41st President, George H. W. Bush. See the website below for more information: https://www.ssa.gov/agency/emergency/

Social Security has announced a COLA increase for 2019 of 2.8 percent. Medicare part B premiums are also set to rise, but the COLA increase should more than cover the premium increase for most people. Below is an article related to the Medicare increase. https://www.forbes.com//medicare-part-b-premiums-rise/amp/

In late June the New York Times published an article linking the strengthened economy to a dramatic decrease in social security disability applications. The article cites the Administration’s own statistics that this decrease has lead to a projection that the program will remain solvent (collect more in revenue than pay out in benefits) much longer than anticipated in recent reports (prior projection 2023; now 2032). This analysis ignores three key factors that are also drivi...ng the projections. First, approval ratings for benefits have dropped from around 60 percent in front of a judge down to around 40 percent. This is in large part due to stricter rules governing disability. Secondly, as the economy improves the labor market becomes more competitive. Employer tolerances for disability related underperformance increases. Third, as more people work the program gains greater revenue. Even with this missing analysis the article is worth a read and is available at https://www.nytimes.com//social-security-applications.html See more

The reasons that people file for bankruptcy are numerous. In an article posted to ABC news today some of those reasons for older Americans are flushed out. Even though the overall number of people filing for bankruptcy is at the lowest level in decades, increased costs and stagnant retirement income have caused a larger percentage of filers to be people who are over 65. The full story is available at https://abcn.ws/2vQjXjr

NPR is currently featuring a series of stories about sexual assault and the intellectually disabled. Today’s story features the perspective of two therapist that have first hand experience working with this population. Our office regularly assists people with intellectual disabilities in their claims for Social Security benefits. Making a claim based Intellectual disabilities include more than a low IQ score. A showing must be made that there are deficients in adaptive functioning. Further, some intellectual disabilities don’t include IQ scores, such as autism. As the story from NPR points out this population is particularly vulnerable for abuse and those who service these individuals must be mindful to look for warning signs of abuse. The story can be found at: https://www.npr.org//from-the-frontlines-of-a-sexual-assau

According to the Social Security Administration November 2017 saw a record number of people collecting some form of Social Security. Just under 62 million people are now collecting a benefit. There are several commentators including The Blaze that are comparing this number with the number of workers and the national debt. Whereas there is cause to be alarmed about the ratios between workers and recipients, this should not be the battle cry to cut benefits or raise taxes. Thes...e ratios were predicted by Social Security’s actuaries and are in large part because of the baby boomer generation entering retirement.The real problem is that the payroll taxes collected to fund Social Security have not been invested to meet inflation. Over the long term this gap has created ever deepening deficients. Add to that general government waste and we as a society see ourselves facing an ever looming crisis. We need to keep our promises and protect the most vulnerable in our society, but we must to it smarter and more efficient than we have in he past. The data from the Social Security Administration can be found at https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/icp.html See more