Allenstein and Allenstein, LLC

06/02/2026

It looks like The Social Security Administration is getting serious about getting away from paper checks. Please click on the link below to see how you can get your check delivered electronically or via Direct Express debit card.

As of September 30, 2025, federal law and Executive Order 14247 require federal benefits to be paid electronically. To improve efficiency, reduce costs, and …

06/01/2026

Oh my goodness. Do you know how often this happens? ONE percent of appeals to the Appeals Council WIN at The Appeals Council. It is so rare, that I often hesitate to even mention it as a possibility, to clients who are facing an appeal to the Appeals Council. So...I am just thrilled. Great work team. Robin is the Legal Assistant assigned to handle appeals at the Appeals and she does an amazing job. It is rough work. By the time someone is at the Appeals Council, they have been waiting a LONG time for a win. I could see that Robin was sort of discouraged today but this REALLY brightened her day.

Corrina ALSO reported two wins at the Request for Reconsideration level today. That level is frustrating because it often seems like a dead zone where very little happens but look...two RFR wins in one day! Great job Corrina!

I am so thankful for the person or persons at Social Security who took the time to look at these cases closely. I know they are swamped and I appreciate their hard work too.

05/31/2026

Good advice...I currently have two teen drivers at home. Please drive carefully out there!

33.7K likes, 481 comments. “Lawyer Mom: 5 driving mistakes teens need to avoid. 1. Waving people through 2. Trusting a green light 3. Tailgating 4. Forcing a yield 5. Touching the phone Not legal advice, just a lawyer mom begging teen drivers to stop doing the things that turn into lawsuits. Save ...

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!