Disability Advocacy Program

In a significant move to reshape federal regulatory practices, President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order 14219 on February 19, 2025, titled “Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Deregulatory Initiative.” This order mandates a comprehensive review of existing regulations to identify and repeal those deemed unlawful or exceeding statutory authority. […]

In our last newsletter we detailed the changes that the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023. This legislation was aimed at enhancing retirement benefits for public sector employees, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers, by eliminating the government pension offset.   The implementation of this significant change has not been smooth, with the burden on the […]

Recently it was reported that Office of Management and Budget (OMB) gave the Social Security Administration (SSA) its proposed budget (fiscal year starting 10/1), which cut funding for the Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) from $3 million to zero. Clearly, defunding the Board will bring its work to a halt, but officially ending the Board […]

Millions of individuals recently received letters related to the Campos Class Action. As reported in the January 2024 issue of Disability Law News, the Campos v. Kijakazi class action lawsuit was filed against the Social Security Administration (SSA), alleging that the SSA wrongfully reduced or denied Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for certain individuals based […]

In a significant legal challenge, three major labor and retiree organizations—the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Alliance for Retired Americans—filed suit against the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the U.S. District Court for the District […]

In the case American Association of People with Disabilities et al. v. Dudek et al., No. 1:25-cv-00977 (D.D.C.), a coalition of disability rights organizations and individual plaintiffs filed a federal lawsuit against top officials at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), alleging sweeping violations of statutory and constitutional law. […]

On April 25, 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued Emergency Message (EM) 25029 implementing a default withholding rate of up to 50 percent of a person’s monthly benefit for Title II overpayments beginning as of that date. The action partially reverses a change that SSA had made less than two months prior, on March […]

On April 17, 2025, the National Academy of Social Insurance’s Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Emerging Technology, and Disability Benefits released its Phase One report on current and future use of AI in, and related technology at, the Social Security Administration (SSA). The report covers how SSA is currently using AI in the disability […]

Social Security Overhaul Driven by DOGE Like many other federal agencies, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) programs and services have been the subject of dramatic and far-reaching cuts and other changes initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the past three months. The changes have been expansive and rapid; several have already been partially […]

Congratulations to Disability Advocacy Program (DAP) attorney Mary Grace Ferone from Legal Services of the Hudson Valley on a recent successful Federal Court remand from the Southern District of New York. Lennette E. v Comm’r of Social Security; 1:24-cv-01831(November 25, 2024) that hit on many of the most common administrative law judge (ALJ) errors. Magistrate […]