Spencer Bishins | Guest: Coup Save America

Author/Attorney

Spencer Bishins has a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and a law degree from Florida State University. After law school, he worked in the private sector for two years prior to joining the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2010. He worked at the Appeals Council for almost four years, reviewing thousands of disability decisions for compliance with SSA’s complex rules and procedures. He then worked at the hearing level for seven years, where he drafted almost 2,000 decisions for SSA Administrative Law Judges.

After working for SSA for more than 10 years, he wanted to help demystify the complicated disability system. His first book, Social Security Disability Revealed: Why it’s so hard to access benefits and what you can do about it, explores the obstacles that disability claimants face as they try to access benefits.

Oct. 7, 2022

The Politics of Disability

Have you ever wondered how you would survive do if you were suddenly unable to work and earn money? In the United States, all workers contribute a portion of their income to maintain a safety net program that we can fall back on in times of need, but how easy is it to access these funds that we are entitled to receive if we become disabled? Not so easy, according to Spencer Bishins, a former employee of the Social Security Administration. This week on Coup Save America, our podcast begins with the story of Emily, a woman currently struggling to obtain disability status. Sean talks with Emily about her 'invisible disabilities' and the difficulties she's encountered while trying to prove the validity of health issues such as fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, anxiety, and depression. Spencer Bishins, author of the book Social Security Disability Revealed: Why it's so hard to access benefits and what you can do about it, confirms the sad truth of Emily's experiences as he explains how and…

Guest: Spencer Bishins

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