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ABLE accounts and Special Needs Trusts can both help people with disabilities preserve eligibility for means-tested benefits such as SSI and Medicaid, but they serve different purposes. An ABLE account offers flexible access to funds for qualified disability expenses, including housing, transportation, healthcare, and basic living costs, while a Special Needs Trust provides trustee-managed, long-term protection for larger assets such as inheritances, settlements, or substantial gifts. First-party Special Needs Trusts generally require Medicaid repayment after the beneficiary’s death, whereas properly drafted third-party trusts generally do not; remaining ABLE funds may also be subject to a state Medicaid claim. Because funding sources, distribution methods, and timing can affect public benefits, many families benefit from using both tools as part of a coordinated plan.

SSA issued updated guidance effective August 17, 2026, clarifying how SSI applications should be evaluated for potential eligibility for SSDI, Disabled Adult Child (DAC), and other Social Security benefits. The guidance also addresses coordinating related SSI and Title II claims, previously omitted claims, and situations where different past relevant work periods could lead to different outcomes for SSI and SSDI. While the update does not change the legal definition of disability, it highlights how filing history, insured status, onset dates, and the interaction between benefit programs can significantly affect a claim—making a careful review of all potential benefits especially important.

The Ticket to Work Program helps eligible SSDI and SSI beneficiaries explore returning to work without immediately losing the benefits they rely on. This article explains how the program works, key protections such as the Trial Work Period and Extended Period of Eligibility, and what beneficiaries should know before returning to work.

Social Security has expanded its Compassionate Allowances (CAL) list by adding 13 new serious medical conditions, bringing the total to 300. The CAL program helps expedite SSDI and SSI claims for applicants whose conditions clearly meet Social Security’s disability standards. Applicants must still provide sufficient medical evidence and meet applicable eligibility requirements, but qualifying claims can be processed significantly faster.

Beginning October 30, 2026, Social Security will use updated rules for evaluating heart conditions in SSDI and SSI disability claims. The changes include three new adult cardiovascular listings: aortic valvular disease (4.07), cardiomyopathy (4.08), and cardiac allograft vasculopathy following a heart transplant (4.16). The new rules rely heavily on objective medical evidence such as echocardiograms, ejection fraction measurements, exercise testing, cardiac imaging, and hospitalization records. Importantly, you can still qualify for Social Security Disability even if your heart condition does not meet a listing if your symptoms and limitations prevent you from sustaining work. These changes may affect both new disability applications and claims still pending when the new rules take effect.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. While many individuals are able to continue working with treatment, others experience symptoms so severe that maintaining full-time employment becomes im...

Fibromyalgia is one of the most misunderstood medical conditions evaluated by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Individuals with fibromyalgia often experience widespread pain, profound fatigue, cognitive difficulties (“fibro fog”), sleep disturbances, headaches, and other symptoms that ca...

Every year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) denies thousands of disability claims. Receiving a denial letter can be discouraging, but it does not necessarily mean you are not disabled or that your case lacks merit. Many applicants are approved only after reconsideration or an Administra...

A Social Security overpayment becomes fraud only when the recipient knowingly lies or conceals information to keep benefits they are not entitled to receive.

Anxiety and depression can qualify for Social Security Disability benefits when the symptoms significantly interfere with a person’s ability to maintain reliable full-time work. Conditions such as panic attacks, chronic anxiety, severe depression, difficulty concentrating, emotional instability, and problems handling stress or interacting with others can create serious vocational limitations even when the condition is not outwardly visible. Social Security evaluates not only the diagnosis itself, but also how the symptoms affect daily functioning, attendance, concentration, and the ability to sustain consistent employment. Strong disability claims often include psychiatric treatment records, therapy notes, medication history, and evidence showing how mental health symptoms prevent ongoing work activity.

Many people are surprised to learn that Social Security Disability claims often become easier to win after age 50 because Social Security applies more favorable vocational rules known as the “grid rules.” These rules recognize that older workers may have a harder time transitioning into new types of employment after developing serious medical conditions such as chronic pain, arthritis, back problems, heart disease, depression, or anxiety. Even individuals who are still capable of some limited activity may qualify for SSDI if their health problems prevent them from maintaining reliable full-time work. Factors such as work history, transferable skills, medical evidence, and age all play an important role in determining eligibility, and many applicants who were previously denied may have much stronger cases after turning 50.

What to do about an Overpayment assessment from Social Security

Here is some great information concerning child SSI that SSA posted today and that I would like to share: SSA's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program helps children with qualifying disabilities and their families. For this program, a child must meet all of the following requirements to be...

Today I received this question: "How do I prepare for a hearing in front of an ALJ (Administrative Law Judge)? I applied for SSI in October 2016 for PTSD, Schizoaffective, and borderline personality. I am waiting for a hearing date. I have therapist records as well as records from my medicat...

Today, I received a pretty common inquiry from a person who has filed an application for both SSI and SSDI disability benefits, Here is how I responded: To answer your question,  as with so much in life, there are both pro's and con's.  I will start with the pro's: personally, I always like to be...

This is perhaps the most fundamental question a client will ask me. The conversation usually starts something like this: "My doctor says I'm disabled! How could Social Security deny my claim?" Well, to begin at the beginning: first of all, just because a doctor says a person is "disabled" does...