Disability Advocacy Project
NYLAG’s Disability Advocacy Project (DAP) works to ensure that eligible disabled individuals receive benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. DAP provides free legal advice and representation to eligible individuals when SSDI or SSI disability benefits are wrongfully denied or terminated.
For more information contact: 212-613-5024
Resources & Materials – Know Your Rights
Get Your Medical Records
You can ask your doctor and/or psychiatrist to complete these forms describing your conditions:
If your doctors complete these forms, you must submit them to SSA’s Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) even if the forms are not 100% supportive of your disability claim.
The contact information for your local hearing office can be found here: https://www.ssa.gov/appeals/ho_locator.html
In addition, these completed forms are not a substitute for your medical records and you should make sure to request and submit your medical and psychiatric records to OHO as well.
How to Represent Yourself at a Hearing Without an Advocate
While the DAP team works diligently to represent as many people as possible, we cannot represent everyone that calls us for help. Therefore, we have put together some information to help people represent themselves at disability hearings if they cannot find an advocate.
How to Represent Yourself at a Hearing Advice Sheet
How to Represent Yourself at a Hearing Advice Sheet (Spanish)
You can appeal a denial from the judge to the Appeals Council at the SSA website here: https://secure.ssa.gov/iApplNMD/oao
If the Appeals Council denies review of the judge’s decision, you can file an appeal in federal court even if you do not have an attorney. More information is available here:
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The Latest on Public Benefits
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Recent updates from Adams’ administration on reducing the backlog for SNAP and cash assistance do not tell the full story. Abby Biberman, Associate Director of NYLAG’s Public Benefit Unit, highlighted with CityLimits the struggles faced by those who are being denied benefits.
Gothamist: NYC says food stamps and cash aid backlog is nearly gone after record delays
Despite the positive news from the Adams administration, Abby Biberman, an Associate Director for NYLAG’s Public Benefits unit, spoke to Gothamist about the ongoing issue of many SNAP and Cash Assistance applicants being denied.
NYLAG Obtains FOIA Response About SSA’s Proposed Payroll Information Exchange with Equifax
After NYLAG filed a FOIA lawsuit, SSA produced the contract it had entered into with Equifax, pricing tables, an addendum which outlined the specific standards for the Equifax payroll information exchange, and relevant data privacy and security guidelines for the development of such a system. On February 15, 2024, SSA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that sets forth a proposed rule for the use of this data matching process.