With the many potential changes to Social Security Disability coming soon as a result of the current administration, it is important to stay on top of political news and learn how it potentially could affect you. Recently, the current Administration has announced that it is planning on instituting more frequent CDRs, or Continuing Disability Reviews. According to Forbes, the Social Security Administration claims that by having SSD recipients go through the CDR process more frequently, it will ensure that persons who have experienced improvement in their medical situations will no longer be eligible for benefits, thus saving money.
However, the problem with the CDR process is that, according to many experts in the field, the process is extremely difficult and takes a long time to go through. For many persons who are on SSD, particularly if they are on SSD for mental disabilities, they will require the assistance of a lawyer to get through the process with any sort of aplomb. However, given that SSD recipients are very low-income to begin with, many cannot afford this sort of legal assistance.
It is common for the initial paperwork associated with a CDR to be 15 pages of questions. This initial paperwork must be turned in within a specific time frame, or another, more intensive review of the recipient’s situation may be triggered. In the event that a recipient receives a CDR while he or she is hospitalized, this often prevents the recipient from returning the paperwork in a timely manner.
The increased CDR review requirement is important for current and potential future recipients of SSD to be aware of.
