An Old Error Corrected

From The Day of Connecticut:

Montville — A local man was recently awarded more than 25 years worth of disability benefits, retroactive to the Reagan era.

Uncasville resident Robert Kram, 64, could receive about $150,000 in benefits dating back to December 1982, according to his lawyer, Thomas Albin. ...

Kram was granted Social Security disability benefits in July 1970, when he was 27 years old, based on chronic schizophrenia that was diagnosed and well-documented, according to Albin. Kram was paid monthly disability checks until the Social Security Administration, pursuant to a policy initiated by President Reagan, determined in December 1981 that Kram had made significant medical improvement.

Kram, living with his parents at the time, did not contest the decision and went without funds for many years while his parents took care of him.

“His parents didn't know how to go about filing an appeal, so instead, the following year they filed a new application,” Albin said.

His new application was also denied and not appealed.

In 1995, Kram's sister, Dorothy Smith of Quaker Hill, brought Kram to Albin's office to see what recourse he might have. ...

everal years passed and several court appearances followed. Kram's parents died during the appeal process, and another sister, Dolores, moved in to his Uncasville home to take care of him. ...

At a hearing in March, Billings S. Fuess, a medical expert, testified that Kram's condition had been disabling at all times, that he had never made any significant improvement and that his condition would have prevented him from filing his own appeal.

Administrative Law Judge Ronald Thomas found that Kram was impaired by schizophrenia and that he had not engaged in substantial activity since his diagnosis in 1970. He noted that Kram's condition had not improved, and the claimant meets the criteria to receive disability benefits.