Firm Assists Two Clients in Gaining Disability Benefits

Hughes Hubbard won fully favorable decisions on behalf of two separate clients in New York who appealed the initial rejections of their applications for Social Security disability benefits. The Legal Aid Society referred both cases to the firm.

On June 26, 2013, Administrative Law Judge Joseph Rowe granted benefits to Paulino Frias, a 39-year-old suffering from lower back pain, a congenital heart defect and depression. 
 
Ari Jaffess interviewed the client, collected medical records, drafted a memo in support and successfully argued his case. Judge Rowe found the medical evidence credible, which showed Frias had been disabled since February 2012, the date he originally filed for benefits.

Frias broke his back in a car accident in November 2011. He cannot sit more than 35 minutes at a time, can only walk about two blocks, cannot bend at all without pain and was told by his cardiologist not to lift or carry more than 10 pounds. Before his injuries, Frias had worked as a pet store salesman.
 
“The claimant’s inability to sit, stand or walk at sedentary work levels completely erodes the available occupational base, even without considering his mental limitations,” Judge Rowe said in his opinion.
 
On June 28, 2013, Administrative Law Judge Miriam Shire granted disability benefits to Darrell Greene, a 47-year-old suffering from various severe psychiatric disorders, including depression, insomnia and paranoia. Jacob Gartman drafted a brief and argued his case to victory. Judge Shire found that Greene had been disabled since August 2011, the date he originally applied for benefits. Greene has suffered from mental illness for decades, although he first sought professional help in July 2010.
 
Jaffess and Gartman worked on these cases under the supervision of Shep DiCesare.