The Social Security Administration has been fighting to reduce poverty and help homeless people to avail benefits in the United States for many years now. Recently, SSA went up a notch in their efforts to reduce homelessness among veterans and seniors. Carolyn W. Colvin, the Acting Commissioner, declared the Social Security Administration as the the most successful anti-poverty program to help vulnerable populations in United States history.
If an adult or child has a disability due to a mental disorder, they may be eligible to receive Social Security benefits. Since mental impairment affects a person’s ability to perform daily tasks and decreases their capacity to work, the SSA provides disability benefits to such individuals based on the severity of their condition.
On September 26, 2016, the SSA published a final rule, titled Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Mental Disorders, which will be enforced in January, 2017. This is a comprehensive revision made to the process for evaluating the disability claims of adults and children who have mental disorders.
People seeking Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits have the option to appeal for a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ). This option is available to people who have been denied of their SSD benefits and the Disability Determination Services has also turned down their reconsideration request.
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