Matt Fendon Law Group Legal Blog
Archive: July 2015
Transferability of Skills and Your Social Security Case
To be found disabled, a person must have a severe physical and mental impairment, and that must preclude them from not being able to do their previous work, and it must preclude them from engaging in any other kind of gainful work which is available in the national economy. In analyzing this situation, judges at…
What Happens In An Initial Hearing At The Industrial Commission of Arizona?
When an Arizona injured worker attorney requests a hearing at the Industrial Commission of Arizona, within 2 to 3 months a hearing is usually set. An Administrative Law Judge is assigned to the file and the hearing is scheduled. The first hearing is usually for the testimony of only the injured worker. Sometimes nonmedical witnesses…
The Roadmap for Findings of Disability in a Hearing
If you are like the majority of the people who have applied for Social Security Disability (SSDI) in Arizona, you were denied at least twice and are on your way to a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ). There is essentially a five step process in the hearing to decipher whether the…
Why I Love Being A Workers’ Com Lawyer
We normally talk about strictly legal issues and subjects in our blog here at the Fendon Law Firm website. However, today I wanted to share with the public why I love being a workers’ compensation lawyer here in Arizona. At the Fendon Law Firm, when an extraordinary event occurs such as a favorable decision on…
Paying Taxes On Social Security Disability Benefits
Many people ask us whether they have to pay taxes on Social Security disability benefits. We typically refer them to their accountant or CPA to answer this question. However, in reality, Social Security disability benefits are taxable to the extent that a person’s income exceeds $25,000 per year with the benefit. That is in the…
Waiting Period for Social Security Disability and Medicare
Most claimants that have gone through the Social Security Disability procedure realize that it is a very lengthy process. In Arizona, it can take at least two years from date of application until a claimant obtains a hearing. Typically, the disabled person will then have to wait even longer after the hearing to get a…
Special Errand Exception
Normally, an employee who is injured while going to or from work is not entitled to workers’ compensation.[1] The rationale behind this rule is that employees do not actually begin work until they arrive on the employer’s premises. Any risk an employee is subjected to while driving to work is the same risk(s) faced by…
Alcoholism And Drug Addiction, And Disability Benefits
Alcoholism and drug addiction are not considered disabling impairments by the Social Security administration. It is important to note that alcoholics and people that are addicted to drugs may still be found disabled so long as those conditions are not “a contributing factor material to the determination of disability.” To simplify this, what this means…