Recent Settlement Shows That Getting SSDI Benefits Can Be An Uphill Battle
If you can prove you have a medical condition that has left you disabled and no longer able to work, it seems like it should be a fairly straightforward proposition to get the Social Security disability benefits you deserve.
While that would make sense, the Social Security disability benefit attorneys at Farah & Farah in Jacksonville realize that getting those benefits can sometimes be an uphill battle — especially if you are facing hostile and biased judges who are throwing obstacles in your way.
In May of this year, a federal judge in Brooklyn gave preliminary approval to a proposed settlement in a 2011 lawsuit that claimed five administrative judges in Queens were hostile towards disability claimants and had created a “brick wall” of bias” in which they systematically deprived claimants of fair hearings. The lawsuit claimed that the five judges in question engaged in “glaring and intentional legal and procedural errors and the persistent denial of claims.”
Under the settlement, nearly 4,000 people who were denied disability benefits would now be eligible to have their cases reviewed.
On top of that, the settlement stipulated that for a 30-month period after the court approved the settlement, any person whose claims had been denied by any of the five judges named in the lawsuit would have their claims automatically reviewed by a special review unit. And although the judges would get to keep their jobs under the settlement, they would be retrained and would be monitored for the foreseeable future.
The attorney who filed the lawsuit for the claimants called the ruling, “another important step forward for thousands of disabled New Yorkers, who waited too long for justice and disability benefits.”
The attorneys at Farah & Farah are familiar with the methods used to evaluate Social Security disability claims. We work with a team of respected medical professionals to see that you get a proper medical evaluation and we will fight tirelessly to see that you get the disability benefits you deserve — especially if unfair obstacles are thrown your way.
Do you have questions about Social Security Disability Insurance and about how you might be able to make a claim? Contact us online or call us at (800) 533-3555 for a free review of your case.
