3 FAMILY ACTIVITIES
FOR THANKSGIVING
THE DISABILITY BACKLOG: WHAT CAN YOU DO? Five short years ago, an individual would wait about twelve months from the time they requested a hearing in their Social Security claim before a hearing was held before an Administrative Law Judge. Of course, this wait was quite a hardship for those who needed their disability check to pay for rent, groceries, and other bills. Unfortunately, the average wait for a hearing is now 20–23 months! Why the increase? Social Security Administration hearing office staff are working harder than ever. However, a string of budget cuts has caused SSA to reduce their staff and hours of operation, which makes it increasingly difficult to handle the growing volume of SSD cases. Currently, over 70,000 individuals who have had a disability hearing are waiting for their written decision. They likely will wait more than four months to receive the decision and longer before their payments begin if they are approved. The Associated Press recently reported the story of Chris Hoffman, a former bricklayer, who worked through chronic pain his whole life, until a series of heart attacks benched him for good. He applied for Disability Insurance Benefits in 2014 but was denied, as many initially are. He appealed to an Administrative Law Judge, but by the time the judge ruled he was entitled to benefits, he had been dead for 10 months. COLORING-BOOK TABLECLOTHS If you have a big family, you are probably familiar with the Thanksgiving tradition of the kids’ table. It may be smaller than the grown-ups’ seating arrangement, but it doesn’t have to be any less special. Turn your kids’ table into a canvas for a colorful, creative dining experience. To do this, use craft or art paper to cover the table. Tape everything down tightly and provide crayons and colored pencils for every place setting. If you want to add some extra holiday spirit, put the drawing supplies in empty cranberry sauce and pumpkin cans. GRATITUDE MOBILES Of course, Thanksgiving isn’t just about delicious food. It’s also about reflecting on the parts of our lives we are grateful for. Teaching kids Unless you have a child auditioning for “MasterChef Junior,” you’re probably not going to let the little ones cook the turkey this Thanksgiving. Just because the kitchen might be off limits, though, doesn’t mean you can’t find a few creative ways to make the holiday extra special for your kids or grandkids. Spice up Thanksgiving with these fun, family-friendly activities.
about gratitude is the most valuable Thanksgiving lesson. Bring that concept to life with a gratitude mobile.
Grab some colored paper circles — or cut them out — and have your children write down things that they are thankful for. Punch holes in the tops of the circles and run string through them. Tie the other end of the string to a coat hanger or embroidery hoop and hang it from the ceiling. STUFF THE TURKEY GAME Want to get the kids outside so you can get to work in the kitchen? Create a Thanksgiving-themed game to get them playing outside while you get the stuffing prepped and the turkey in the oven. To create a holiday-themed “Stuff the Turkey” game, all you need is a few paper bags. We’ll bet you have some left over from shopping. Use two small bags stuffed with scrap paper to create legs and glue them to a larger bag folded to look like the body of a turkey. Now that you have your turkey, you need some balls to stuff it with. Anything soft and baseball-sized will work, even some balled-up paper. Kids will take turns trying to toss the balls into the turkey, scoring points for every shot made.
Chris Hoffman’s son said that the lack of income didn’t just limit his father — it kept him from doing anything . That’s no way to live your last days. According to the SSA’s own figures, in 2016, there were 7,400 dead people on hearing waiting lists. WHAT WE CAN DO Social Security says it plans to add 500 administrative law judges and 600 new support staff, but with proposed budget cuts, you have to wonder how that will be possible. We encourage you to write or call Congress and ask them to hold off on cuts to the Social Security Administration’s operating budget. You can also ask your congress person to support an increase in the service hours of the SSA offices, which are reduced at this time. The current Administrative Law Judges, and their decision writers, are trying their hardest to provide decisions for everyone, and we commend them for it. Unfortunately, they can only do so much with the ever- tightening budget.
2 | GilletteLawGroup.com
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