NMP Newsletter

Do you only receive Sheri Abrams' monthly newsletter that focuses on Disability Issues?

Please consider also signing up to receive Needham Mitnick & Pollack's very informative monthly newsletter that focuses on Estate Planning & Elder Law Issues.

If you would like to receive both newsletters please follow the directions to update your profile by clicking here.

       UPCOMING EVENTS!  

Sheri Abrams will be making a presentation on Social Security Disability Law to the staff of Langley Residential Support Services in Vienna, VA on May 8, 2014.  Langley Residential Support Services serve adults with intellectual disabilities, their families and our communities by providing quality, comprehensive residential and community support services that will enable these individuals to live valued, productive lives.

Sheri Abrams has been appointed to the Virginia Hospital Center's Legacy Planning Committee which will be meeting on May 6, 2014.  The Legacy Planning Committee was established in the Fall of 2010 to learn and explore more about how legacy giving can support the mission of  the Virginia Hospital Center.  The committee is made up of estate lawyers, wealth investment advisors, certified financial planners and certified public accountants. 

Share this Newsletter

Join Our List

See Our Previous Email Newsletters

Article Reprint Authorization

 April 2014

Welcome to our monthly newsletter. 

These monthly newsletters are designed to provide useful information on Disability Law & Issues with a special emphasis on Social Security Disability & Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and Special Needs Trusts & Planning.

You may have been added to our e-mail newsletter mailing list if you are a client, business associate, a Facebook friend, a Linked-In connection, or another professional contact of Sheri R. Abrams, Attorney at Law, or the Law Firm of Needham Mitnick & Pollack, plc.

You may unsubscribe by clicking on the link at the end of this e-mail.

Social Security Issues New Ruling on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued a new Ruling (SSR 14-1p) which provides guidance for decision makers in Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income claims (SSI) involving chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).  This ruling, effective April 3, 2014, replaces prior ruling SSR 99-2p.

A Social Security ruling is a decision by the SSA which is supposed to be followed by all disability adjudicators including Administrative Law Judges. However, a ruling does not have the same level of authority as statutes, regulations or case law.

The purpose of the new ruling is to clarify how Social Security develops evidence to establish that a claimant for disability benefits has a medically determinable impairment ("MDI") of CFS, and how CFS will be evaluated in claims for disability benefits and disability reviews. This new ruling takes into consideration the medical advances and the latest research on the diagnosis and treatment of CFS.

The ruling relies on the definition the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) uses for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  The ruling states that CFS is characterized as "a syndrome that causes prolonged fatigue lasting 6 months or more, resulting in a substantial reduction in previous levels of occupational, educational, social or personal activities".

The new ruling gives priority to postexertional malaise, identifying it as potentially the most common secondary symptom. It also recognizes other possible symptoms, including respiratory difficulties, cardiovascular abnormalities, gastrointestinal discomfort, and urinary or bladder problems. The ruling also acknowledges a number of additional co-occurring conditions, including myofascial pain syndrome, temporomandibular join syndrome (TMJ), irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, Raynaud's phenomenon, migraines, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, and Sjogren's syndrome. It also recognizes new allergies or sensitivities to food, odors, chemicals, medications, noise, vibrations, or touch, or loss of thermostatic stability as symptoms that a person with CFS may exhibit.

The new ruling, however, eliminates neurocognitive problems (e.g., difficulty comprehending and processing information), fainting, dizziness, and mental problems (e.g., depression, irritability, anxiety) from its initial list of possible CFS symptoms. It does retain self-reported impairments in short-term memory or concentration among the CDC diagnostic symptoms, with the caveat that these symptoms will not be considered medical signs or laboratory findings for purposes of establishing an MDI unless documented by mental status examination or psychological testing.

SSR 14-1p is available for review here. 

Social Security Employee in D.C. Accused of Taking Bribes for Favorable Decisions

Sheri Abrams' Book "Don't Gamble With Your Social Security Disability Benefits--What Every Virginia Resident Needs To Know To Win A Social Security Disability Case" Is Available

"Don't Gamble With Your Social Security Disability Benefits--What Every Virginia Resident Needs To Know To Win A Social Security Disability Case" is now available for the Nook here,

and the Kindle here.

OUR OFFICE LOCATION

REFERRALS