Thursday, September 7, 2023

ALJ Haaversen Rejected Again

I rarely take on a new claimant after an administrative law judge (“ALJ”) has already denied their application for Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits.  However, when I read the decision by ALJ Haaversen, I knew I had to make an exception.  Haaversen’s decision was so indefensible, that after I filed motion papers in the federal district court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Office of the General Counsel for the Social Security Administration obviously asked the court to reverse the decision.

On remand, the case was reassigned to ALJ Andrew Weiss.  The medical evidence supporting the claimant’s application was so strong that ALJ Weiss found two different listings were met.  The good news is that the claimant was finally approved for SSI benefits.  The bad news is that the claimant applied for SSI benefits on August 15, 2018, more than five years ago.  How many people can survive, disabled or otherwise, without any income for that period of time?

No doubt, without our help and expertise, our client would almost certainly  have  been denied again.  Our claimant is happy that she made the choice to contact us for help with her claim and obviously overjoyed with the decision.  If you plan on applying for Social Security Disability benefits, it is always in your best interest to retain an experience disability attorney, who knows what information is needed to support a disability claim.  My office offers a free phone consultation with offices located in both Nassau and Suffolk counties.

 

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