Writing to Congressman Jimmy Duncan, Amy Schnelle was able to convince the government to resume her benefits. On Thursday, September 11, 2008, Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted class certification in a disability rights action in which plaintiffs argue that the Social Security Administration (SSA) fails to provide its communications in alternative formats that would enable people with visual impairments to have equal access to SSA programs as required by federal disability civil rights laws and the U.S. Constitution.
This study uses SSA Social Security Administration administrative data linked with National Health Interview Survey data (NHIS) to examine health status, labor force participation at time of NHIS interview, and linked mortality data to examine mortality during the period following NHIS interview.
By way of background, when a request for a hearing is received at a local Social Security office, it is …