Allenstein and Allenstein, LLC

05/29/2026

Nothing is better than calling to tell a client they won their Social Security Disability claim.

One thing might be better...calling to tell a parent that their disabled adult child has been approved for Disabled Child benefits.

Almost every parent I meet of a disabled child says this..."What will happen after I am gone?" They NEED to know that there is an income stream and health insurance for their adult disabled child.

This particular case involves a disabled adult who was drawing SSI only and had been for many years. The custodial parent reached retirement age and so now the disabled adult child is eligible to draw based on the parent's earnings. This means they get access to Medicare and access to a higher monthly payment.

If you have a disabled adult child drawing SSI and a parent who paid taxes into the system is now deceased, disabled, or at full retirement age, you need to reach out to the Social Security Administration and see if the disabled adult child now qualifies for a different benefit.

This case was actually harder than it seems like it should be. I had another one recently and it was also harder than it should be. In both cases, the Judges required that we PROVE the disabled adult is still disabled. I was a little surprised by that but we were ready with the necessary evidence in both cases. We never assume anything here and good thing because both judges examined the evidence in both cases very carefully. It seems that nothing is easy in the world of Social Security Disability law. You have to BE READY.

I am so happy for this precious family. Both families are actually wonderful wonderful people who care deeply for their disabled adult children. I am thrilled with the outcome. Great job team!

05/29/2026

This is a ride you do NOT want to get on and I have seen my share of clients who are stuck in this cycle. Listen...if you struggle with mental health. Get help. If you struggle with addiction, get help. The two together...do not go well. It doesn't just hurt you but it hurts everyone around you.

Mental health challenges and opioid use disorder are two separate struggles, each capable of existing on its own. But when mental health challenges go untreated, the risk of opioid use disorder can rise. These struggles can reinforce one another, creating a dangerous and difficult-to-break cycle.

Support can help interrupt the cycle. Visit opioidstake.com, or text or call 988 today.

05/29/2026

Today was a little stressful. We had 3 Social Security Disability hearings and 4 Social Security Disability cases with with what we call "Five Day Deadlines". This means there is quite a lot of hustling to round up items we need for each of the files in order to get submissions done in a timely manner. I was just sort of thinking about how I didn't love the pace of the day but then I started thinking about it and there were some really good parts of my day....

I got a lot of hugs today. Not just polite hugs but real and sincere and special hugs. Two were from clients who had hearings today. Two were from clients who won and had come in to pay their case expenses and one was from an attorney who used to work in our office. Maybe you remember her...Lindsey Beddingfield Archer. She was an amazing member of our team at one time and it was so good to see her!

We also won one of our three hearings today on the record! So while the pace was rough, I suppose it was a good day after all.

05/27/2026

I am so thankful for the amazing attorney who helps us with appeals to the United States District Court and to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. I love to tell the story about how I found him. My Dad ENJOYED the challenge of Federal Court Appeals. I used to joke that some men liked to fish and hunt but my Dad liked to file Appeals. When he passed, we had 100 cases pending at the Federal Court levels and I knew I needed help with them. I prayed and prayed and the thought came to me to read my Dad's briefs and take a look at the cases he relied upon and see who handled those cases. There was one very unique issue that he relied on over and over again. I looked up the lawyer and drove to Tuscaloosa to meet with him and after he discussed it with his family, he agreed to take over our Federal Court cases. Mr. Bailey gives his all to every case and tries to get us a second chance and has been successful many many times. He seems to also really enjoy Federal Court Appeals like my Dad did. I am so grateful that I found him and grateful for his diligent work on these appeals.

Well, yesterday, we got the word that the United States District Court had Remanded TWO cases. One was a Voluntary Remand and one was a Remand ordered with a Memorandum Opinion.

A Voluntary Remand means that the government made a motion that the case should be re-heard. A Memorandum Opinion means the government fought the case and the Court ruled in our clients favor. In any case, both get to have a second chance on their case and I am thrilled.

One case is a Cessation case which is where a person was drawing benefits and then their benefits were stopped because Social Security decided they were no longer disabled. We met this client at the Appeals Council level in 2025.

The other case, we also took in at the Appeals Council level in January of 2025. The Court found that the Administrative Law Judge did not properly evaluate two medical opinions in the file.

I have never represented either of these clients in front of a Judge so I am really looking forward to the opportunity. One case was sent by their former attorney and I am so thankful that he got them to us.

If you have made it this far, thank you for allowing me to share these victories with you. I used to talk them over with my Dad but now it's you...our Facebook family. :)

05/25/2026

The office is closed today. We open tomorrow at 9am. Have a safe Memorial Day.

05/22/2026

Oh am I excited! I get to call four families to tell them they won their Social Security Disability hearings! I may edit with some details later but I have calls to make!

Those were wonderful phone calls that will have me smiling all weekend.

Each of the cases are interesting for various reasons but one...oh my goodness...

We took one case in back in 2018. It was a Cessation case where a child was drawing benefits and benefits were terminated at age 18. They went to the hearing without an attorney in 2017 and lost. We appealed and appealed and appealed all the way to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals which is one level under the United States Supreme Court. My father obtained a Remand from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. It was likely his last Remand from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals before he passed. We had a new hearing in 2023 and LOST AGAIN. We appealed to the Appeals Council with a special appeal called Written Exceptions. The Appeals Council order a Remand and we finally WON. This person was able to win on a subsequest claim so the whole fight was for a few years of back time. It would have been easy to give up but we weren't about to give up. No way. Really really thankful for this victory.

The second win was a child's case. We met this sweet family in July of 2025 and took the case at the Request for Reconsideration level. Children's cases are completely different from adult cases. The standard is different. The evidence required is different but we did it! I am thrilled for them.

The third one was a return client who drew in the past, had lost benefits and had filed for benefits again. We began this case at the initial level in 2024 which follows the usual time frame. That is the worst 2 years of your life when you can't work and need financial help so I am thrilled.

Thr fourth win is a case we took in April of 2025 at the Request for Reconsideration level. We won following a hearing. This one had a report from a Social Security doctor that was NOT helpful but we had reasons to object to it. It is very important to file those objections when you can if you see bad evidence in the file. I am thrilled with the outcome.

The team worked very hard on these cases. They were all very important. The clients were all so thankful today. I love this job...especially on days like this!

05/22/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to all of the Gadsden City Titans who graduated tonight!!!!!! It was an honor to be there to see a few of my favorite Titans cross the stage. I am so excited for all of you!

05/20/2026

I'm about to head out for the day. I almost did a full 12 hours today! We have a lot going on! Thank you to the sweet client who brought me 2 tangerines this week. They kept me going. My clients are blessings to me and I am so thankful for each and every one!

05/20/2026

One question we get a lot...
"Am I too old to apply for Social Security Disability Benefits?

In the world of Social Security, answers are rarely simple. If you are FULL RETIRMENT AGE on the date you claim that you claim that your disability began, you are too old to apply.

Full retirement age depends on your date of birth.

If you are less than full retirement age on the date your disability began, you are not too old to apply BUT you can only draw benefits one year before the date you file at the most so if you have been drawing Full Retirement Benefits for over a year, then you are too old to apply.

One thing that I see that disturbs me is this...there are too many people out there drawing EARLY Retirement benefits who in my opinion, qualify for disability and it never crosses their mind to apply for disability because they are satisfied drawing their early retirement. Don't let this happen. If you are drawing early retirement and you have health conditions that limit your ability to work, you can file for disability and if you are successful, your monthly benefit will increase and you may even get Medicare. DO NOT DELAY FILING A CLAIM. Delays...cause a variety of problems.

This 👆 information only applies to people who have worked and paid enough into the system to qualify for disability.

You can file an application for disability benefits at www.ssa.gov

Once you file your application, we can take it from there. Just call us at 256-546-6314 ext 0 or text us at 256-900-7703 and we can set up an appointment.

We would love to meet you in person but we are also able to handle all meetings on the phone if that is more convenient for you. We handle cases all over the country as long as the hearing is a phone or video hearing (most are). This is one complex system. We try to make it simple.

Official website of the U.S. Social Security Administration.

05/19/2026

Today we won a Social Security Disability Case at the INITIAL level. Do you know what that means?! This client doesn't have wait any longer for help! They don't have to appeal to the Request for Reconsideration level where it seems like the wait takes FOREVER. They don't have to endure a hearing with a Judge. They don't have to WAIT after a hearing wondering what the Judge will do. They don't have to endure an appeal to the Appeals Council. They don't have to wait for a United States District Judge to decide whether an Administrative Law Judge made an error. They don't have to wait for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to decide if the United States District Court made an error. They will never hear "I am so sorry but we did all we can do on your claim and we are unable to appeal it any further".

That's why I am smiling this evening. I am happy for the one who got approved today at the initial level. I believe we met about five months ago. My hope and wish is that every client gets to win this way!

Corrina helps me carry out the plan on cases at the Initial and Request for Reconsideration levels. Great job Corrina!

05/15/2026

The weekend is here and I was able to call two clients just now to let them know they won their Social Security Disability hearings. For one second, I thought about just calling Monday but then I remembered...these people are at home waiting every single day for a phone call so I couldn't possibly wait till Monday.

These were relatively normal cases. We were hired on both of them in October of 2025. We took one in at the Hearing Level and one at the Request for Reconsideration Level. The only unusual part was that I had to do one in my car out of town in a parking lot when a family thing popped up at the last minute. The client was very understanding and it all worked out well but that was a first!

Both of these cases were referred by local attorneys and I am so thankful that they got these clients to us.

Great job team.