Social Security

Recently, the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the federal government’s interpretation of an Iowa law, written before technology was available to allow genetic material to be preserved. This interpretation has led the court to conclude that a child did not qualify for benefits.  The eight year old girl, born two years after her [...]

Did you ever wonder what happened to your Social Security benefits if you were to leave the country?  If you are receiving benefits and you’re not outside of the country for over 30 days, the answer is nothing.  But if you are making a more permanent move, you will need to alert Social Security so [...]

At Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer, Co., LPA, our mission dedicates us to providing legal assistance to working men and women, individuals with disabilities, and labor organizations. We are very proud of that tradition. Now, I’m happy to announce that the firm is providing legal representation to veterans of our military who have physical or [...]

The Social Security Administration has recently announced that it is shortening its hours.  SSA offices will now be closing 30 minutes earlier than they used to.  The staff will still be working their same hours, they’re just closing it to people that want in person appointments to ask questions, file claims for benefits or to [...]

21 years ago last week the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed by Congress and signed into law.  This Act affords several protections, from both private employers and the government, to people with disabilities. The ADA covers a wide variety of topics.  It required phone companies to have telecommunication services for people with speech and [...]

A hot topic in current news is Social Security reform and entitlements, and most people think that this focuses on the retirement program.  However, if entitlement reform comes to fruition, people with disabilities will also be affected.  A new website www.disabilityandsocialsecurity.org provides information on the impact reform proposals relating to disabilities would have on those [...]

Funding For The Social Security Administration Uncertain, Are Longer Delays To Be Expected? For fiscal year 2011, which began on October 1, 2010, the Social Security Administration is still waiting to find out what its funding will be for the rest of this year.  While the government has been operating on the bases of continuing [...]

American unions have done a tremendous amount for working people in our country, union members or not.  Watch this video it’s only a few minutes and you’ll be reminded of why unions have played, and continue to play, such a vital role in our county.

It sounds weird to say but it is true.  If you are receiving Supplemental Security Income, your maximum benefit, the amount you get each month is based, in part, on your specific living situation.  Social Security will still assess your income/resource requirements after determining what your maximum benefit could be.  Social Security has divided living arrangements [...]

Employers are under increasing pressure to cut costs. More often than not, employers increasingly look to concessions and reductions from their employees in order to achieve those savings. Some employers in fact cheat their employees in order to improve an employer’s bottom line. The Fair Labor Standards Act, or the FLSA, was enacted by Congress [...]