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| Meet Trisha! - Click here |
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| Trisha Cardillo, ADR |
| Owner / Representative |
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| SSA Update |
| For those that watched the State of the Union address and are following our nation’s budget deficit, it obviously impacts our clients. The President has proposed a five-year budget freeze for all non-entitlement domestic programs. SSA is operating under a continuing resolution (still no budget) and will likely remain so for the rest of this year. We are seeing the effects of this—delays in processing throughout SSA will likely grow longer, and as staff members leave, they are not likely to be replaced quickly, if at all. Workloads will be impacted. This is not anything new. There tends to be a natural ebb and flow, and while the last couple of years (with an increased budget) helped SSA and ODAR cut processing time and make strides forward, the current situation is going to hurt for a while. |
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| A Distinguished Invitation to Explore Improving the Listings… |
In August of 2010, NADR received an invitation to send a representative to participate in a two-day symposium on improving the effectiveness of the Listing of Impairments, held by the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) Committee of Medical Experts to Assist Social Security on Disability Issues for the Social Security Administration. The purpose of the symposium was to share the views of stakeholders in the disability programs administered by SSA, including claimants and potential claimants, and identify ways to improve the listings. Other stakeholders who participated included the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD); the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR); the National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE); the National Council of Disability Determination Directors (NCDDD); the National Institutes of Health (NIH); SSA regional units, including Centers for Disability and headquarters units including the Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Office of Quality Performance, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, and Office of Disability Determinations.
They symposium was held in late October in Baltimore, and I was privileged to attend on behalf of NADR, presenting on panels including “The Claimant’s Perspective,” “How We Can Improve the Listings,” and “The Future.” Hundreds of experts from all stakeholder groups brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the exhilarating discussion. The papers from each panel and a summary of our recommendations are available to NADR members on the members’ only section of our website, and are also available to non-members upon request. While SSA has not stated that they will adopt any specific recommendations at this time, many of the ideas discussed were logical, feasible, and universally supported. |
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| Disability Assistance Continues to Grow… |
| In June of 2010 I hired an Executive Assistant, Janessa Dauberman. Janessa works in my office part time, as additional customer service support. She is a graduate from Oglethorpe University with a background in art and health and wellness. She feels a deep connection to our clients as she has struggled with Fibromyalgia for 10 years. She strongly believes in helping our clients receive Social Security Disability Benefits so that they may have the funding to also receive the therapeutic benefits they need to better their lives. |
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| The Passing of Public Law 111-142 |
| On February 27, 2010, President Obama signed Public Law 111-142 making fee withholding permanent! For the last five years, the Social Security Fee Withholding Demonstration Project has been in place to allow non-attorneys to take a written examination, which tests their knowledge of all aspects of the disability and SSI programs. Upon passing the examination and successfully satisfying several other criteria, professional non-attorney representatives became entitled to withholding and direct payment of their fees. The Demo Project was scheduled to sunset in late February 2010. Now that the bill has passed and has been signed into law, non-attorneys will continue to have the opportunity to test and be approved for fee withholding. The law also allows for fee withholding and direct pay on SSI cases for attorneys. Trisha is so proud to have been a member of the charter class of eligible non-attorneys for fee withholding, as well as a part of NADR--the professional organization that was directly involved in the passing of the bill. |
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| 2010 brings expansion… |
| We are very proud to announce that we are expanding our geographic coverage to claimants living throughout Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. As the Social Security Disability process is now fully electronic, it is not a hindrance for a claimant to be located in a different state from his/her representative. Having successfully represented claimants throughout the southeast for the last decade, I am thrilled to once again offer our services to a broader clientele. My experiences with Administrative Law Judges throughout the country have been extremely positive. I have often been told by Judges in many cities that my approach to disability claims preparation is better than any they have seen, and my success rate speaks for itself! |
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| 2009 has been an exceptional year... |
**2009 has been an exceptionally busy year, so far. In addition to hosting study sessions again for Demonstration Project participants and preparing for the NADR conference in Baltimore in March, the Social Security Administration has finally begun to schedule more hearings in the Atlanta region. Consequently, and in order to maintain the level of service that I believe my clients deserve, my sister, Eva Sirman, has joined my practice.
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| In October of 2007... |
| **In October of 2007, it was my privilege to sponsor an exciting art show at the Cherry Lion Sculpture Studio in Atlanta. A mixed-media show, the participating artists offered pieces which captured the pain and challenges associated with disability, as well as the hope and healing. The month-long event began with a media preview show on Thursday, October 4th, followed by the opening gala in the evening on Friday, October 5th, and closed with a masked Halloween gala the evening of Wednesday, October 31st. With entertainment including professional belly dancers on Halloween, wine and hors d’oeuvres, a raffle, and silent auction, the month-long event was tremendously fun and rewarding. Proceeds from the auction were donated to one of the fibromyalgia support groups of Georgia. |
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| In the past, I have successfully represented... |
**In the past, I have successfully represented individuals throughout the south, who have had claims involving overpayments, continuing disability reviews, and who have an attorney or other non-attorney, but have wanted to change counsel. As my business has grown, I have had to make several difficult decisions to ensure that my service to my clients stays at the level each and every one of them deserves. Therefore, I have decided to limit my practice to claimants residing in Georgia, and will no longer accept new clients with claims involving overpayments or continuing disability review. The hardest decision involves individuals who contact me, expressing unhappiness with the attorney or non-attorney currently handling their claim. It is my firm belief that every claimant deserves to have a representative who is skilled, knowledgeable, dedicated, and involved. The unfortunate truth is that not all representatives choosing to handle Social Security Disability claims are qualified, and many handle so many clients at once that they do not provide very good service. THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR A CLAIMANT TO ASK OF ANY REPRESENTATIVE, BEFORE HIRING ONE. Although Social Security allows claimants to change representatives, it complicates the claim and makes it far more difficult for subsequent counsel to get paid. Consequently, I have decided that I will no longer accept clients with former counsel, unless the claimant first receives a written statement from that representative withdrawing as counsel, AND WAIVING HIS/HER RIGHT TO CHARGE AND COLLECT A FEE FOR WORK THEY PERFORMED.
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| While many individuals are aware... |
**While many individuals who have filed Social Security Disability Claims are aware that the process can be quite delayed, a recent article in USA Today underscored just how badly claimants in the Atlanta area have it: Atlanta’s hearing offices earned the dubious distinction of being the most backlogged offices in the nation, with claimants waiting an average of 932 days for a hearing, from the date the Request for Hearing is filed. To read the full article, please visit http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-07-29-disabilityinside_N.htm.
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| We will apply all of our experience and resources, and do everything possible to win your disability claim as early as possible in the process. We will always return your calls and answer your questions with patience and understanding. We will treat you with the respect and dignity that you deserve. We will not charge you any fee, unless we win your case. |
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