rajiv@optimizedco.com

The doctor who is testifying that their patient is impaired is the first and most important piece of evidence in any Social Security claim. There are many people who bring their doctors into the fray, and the doctor is the only person who can speak directly to the disability of someone. Doctors are bound by [...]

The sheer size of the Social Security Administration is a fundamental problem in dealing with it. With more than 57,000 employees, including a separate Office of Disability Adjudication and Review covering about 8,000 employees, 1,300 law and 34 administrative appeals judges, and 14,000 state agency employees who constantly determine disability benefits below hearing levels. It [...]

In more than three decades as an Albuquerque disability lawyer, I have found that most people do not understand what it means to be “disabled” for purposes of receiving Social Security disability benefits. It is not enough simply to have a physical or mental impairment. You must have a severe impairment that prevents you from [...]