LDP LAW

As SSA's hearing-level processing time hits a new all-time high every month, some claimants are unable to survive until their hearing dates. NOSSCR requested information from SSA about the number of claimants who die while their hearing requests are pending. The agency's response was that 7,897 such claimants died between September 26, 2016 (the last work day of Fiscal Year 2015) and September 1, 2016. This is approximately 23 claimants a day, or nearly one an hour. Accordi

SSA issued a final rule on revised medical criteria for evaluating mental disorders in adults on September 26, 2016. The final rule was published more than six years after the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the Federal Register (75 Fed. Reg. 51336). The final rules go into effect on January 17, 2017 and can be found at https://www/gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-09-26/pdf/2016-22908.pdf. Major changes from the current listings include updated titles and addition o