Tag: Social Security

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Update on Services During COVID – 19 Pandemic From Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security

Please see below this important news release from the Commissioner of Social Security:

I want you to hear directly from me how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our services.  The first thing you should know is that we continue to pay benefits.  Be aware that scammers may try to trick you into thinking the pandemic is stopping your Social Security payments but that is not true.  Don’t be fooled. 

To protect you and help stop the spread of this coronavirus, we cannot accept visitors in our offices at this time.  There are several other ways you can get help.  Many services are available online at www.socialsecurity.gov.   If you have a critical need that you cannot address online, we can help you over the phone.

Please visit our COVID-19 web page at www.socialsecurity.gov/coronavirus/ to find out what services we are continuing and which ones we are suspending, how to contact us, and important information about deadlines we are extending to ease the burden on you and medical providers during this pandemic.

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Join Social Security For a Call on Mental Illness in the AAPI Community – Thursday, May 23, 2019

From Everett Lo, Project Manager, Social Security Administration:

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), recognizing the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States.  May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, when we shine a light on mental health.  No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, Social Security is there for you and your family, providing financial protection and vital services for all Americans, including AAPIs.

The 2019 APAHM theme, Unite Our Mission by Engaging Each Other, affords a unique opportunity to work together to ensure access to Social Security’s programs and benefits for AAPIs experiencing mental illness.  Please join us for an informative call as we discuss Mental Illness in the AAPI Community, and How Social Security Can Help, on Thursday, May 23, 2019, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT. You must register by Monday, May 20, 2019 by 5:00 p.m. EDT to participate in this call. Registrants will receive conference call dial-in information in a separate email on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

Leading advocates in AAPI mental health will share personal insights, and representatives from Social Security will explain how we evaluate mental illness for Social Security Disability benefits, including resources available to help you.

We hope you can participate in this important call.  You may learn more about how Social Security is with AAPIs through life’s journey on our Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders page. For more information, contact Everett Lo, Project Manager, Social Security Administration, [email protected]

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Get 2017 health coverage. Health Insurance Marketplace

Get 2017 health coverage. Health Insurance Marketplace

Dear Colleague:

November 1, 2016 kicks off the Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment season!

Social Security is with people through life’s journey. This includes spreading awareness about the Health Insurance Marketplace atHealthCare.gov. Twenty million Americans have gained healthcare coverage through the marketplace. Today the uninsured rate is the lowest it has been in history.

Open enrollment for 2017 coverage runs from November 1, 2016 through January 31, 2017. To start the New Year with coverage you must enroll by December 15, 2016.

During open enrollment this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expects over 13 million people to secure a health plan through the marketplace. Most of those who already have a plan are satisfied with their coverage overall — with over 60 percent of enrollees describing their coverage as good, very good, or excellent. However, many eligible people continue to remain uninsured. Please help us make certain that everyone who may qualify for coverage knows about their options!

Social Security is securing today and tomorrow for millions, and we welcome opportunities to talk about our programs. If you would like to explore having a Social Security representative speak at your event, please submit a request through our speaker page or contact Diandra Taylor at [email protected].

Thank you for helping us spread the word about the upcoming open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace and Social Security. We appreciate your support!

Sincerely,

Everett M. Lo
Social Security Administration’s Regional Public Affairs Office in the New York Region

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Appealing a social security decision? Check out Social Security’s improved online appeal process.

Social Security listened to customer feedback and made the online appeals process even better. Now, people who disagree with our disability decision can complete their appeal using our improved online appeals process.

More than 90,000 people use our online appeals application each month. We’ve certainly come a long way since introducing the online appeal option in September 2007. Throughout the nation, applicants, their representatives, third parties, groups, and organizations use the online appeal process to request review of disability decisions.

Responding to feedback from our employees and the public, the new online appeals process is easier to use and improves the speed and quality of our disability and non-disability decisions. People can now submit both the appeal form and the medical report in just one online session and electronically submit supporting documents with the appeal request. The screen messages are clear and concise, the navigation has been improved, and we’ve beefed up our on-screen help. Additionally, users who live outside of the United States are now able to file appeals online.

As a reminder, representatives who request, and are eligible for, direct fee payments must electronically file reconsiderations or request for hearings on medically denied Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability or blindness claims.

The next time you need to file an appeal, be sure to complete it online at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityssi/appeal.html.

The above information has been provided by the Social Security Administration. Thank you to the Metropolitan Black Bar Association for sharing.

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PRESS RELEASE: Accepting Applications for Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT

Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse
40 Centre Street
New York, New York 10007

ROBERT A. KATZMANN
CHIEF JUDGE

CATHERINE O’HAGAN WOLFE SALLY PRITCHARD 
CLERK OF COURT DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

March 3, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Criminal Justice Act/Pro Bono Committee is accepting applications for the Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel. The deadline is Friday, May 2, 2014.

Pro Bono Panel members will, at the Court’s invitation or on an appellant’s motion for appointment of counsel, represent pro se litigants in civil appeals that present issues of first impression, complex issues of law or fact, or raise potentially meritorious claims warranting further briefing and oral argument. Pro bono representation will be provided to litigants who would otherwise be unable to pay for counsel and are ineligible for the appointment of counsel pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act.

Cases in which pro bono counsel will be appointed cover a broad range of legal issues. A significant percentage of the cases are prisoner civil rights appeals; others may involve labor and employment, discrimination, social security, immigration and tax law.

Applicants must be admitted to and members in good standing of the Bar of the Second Circuit, or have an application pending before this Court, and have at least three years of appellate experience. Pro Bono Panel members will serve for a term not to exceed three years.

Pro Bono Panel Members who were appointed by the Court in 2011 for a three-year term must submit a new application if they wish to remain on the Panel. A completed application package contains a resume, a written application (available on the Court’s website at http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov) and three writing samples, preferably appellate briefs on which the applicant was the primary author. These materials must be submitted to Sally Pritchard, Director of Legal Affairs, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 40 Foley Square, New York, NY 10007, by Friday, May 2, 2014.