The Holiday Blues

Someone from my high school posted on facebook that they were in a holiday funk. Understandable, of course. I've not managed to avoid one of those for quite a while. One respondent offered the following advice:Possible solutions to your dilemma.1. Cheesecake.2. Xanax.3. Berate the dog for life's shortcomings.Oh, the Holiday Cheer that's in the air.Additional information on Social Security

Social Security Disability Lawyers, Advertising, and Websites

I read, scratch that, I heard this morning on NPR that yet more advertising money has moved from print media to the web. Not surprising in the least. When you pick up a magazine, you may occasionally find your eyes drawn to the colorful and interesting ads that appear here and there. However, bright, colorful, interesting, and even sometimes wickedly humorous...doesn't quite make up for an

How fast the world is changing and connecting

I'm sitting upstairs in my home, working in what is currently considered to be a fairly normal conventional manner: typing on a keyboard attached to a pc while music plays in the background (I agree, this beats a lot of jobs). Yet, the scene is very different than what might have been possible just a handful of years ago. I have a regular sound system, but instead of utilizing it I'm listening to

Should you use a Health Insurance Broker?

Lately it seems, there's been quite a bit of discussion about health care and health insurance. Well, not exactly "lately". These topics have been hotly debated for the last few years. But, recently, the chatter has heated up a bit more, no doubt fueled by Republican party gains in the Senate and, particularly, in the House of Representatives. Just, yesterday, NPR carried a conversation featuring

What do you do if you get diagnosed with diabetes?

A New York Times articles states some pretty sobering statistics about type II diabetes.One out of every 10 people in America has diabetes (if that's not a staggering reflection on the general health of the nation, I don't know what is)By the year 2050, it's predicted that one in every three Americans will have diabetes Twenty-five percent of those with type II diabetes do not get the care they

Why the U.S. Postal Service is going under, especially in Wake Forest NC

Ok, this post is not really an analysis of the U.S. postal system. But...I had an experience at my own local post office and after relating the event to my wife, her response was: "That's why they're going under. All they have to offer is service and if they can't offer then what good are they?"Here's what happened. We have recently relocated to our new home which is a restoration of an old

Social Security and Applying for Disability Benefits

I can't tell you how many times I've heard it fall from someone's mouth that they thought that individuals filing for disability benefits were a huge drain on the nation's coffers. My immediate response has always been to point out to them that the great bulk of payments issued by the social security administration has everything to do with retirees. Still, the stories that get the most press

Work Records, Medical Records, and Social Security Disability

Most people who apply for SSD or SSI have no trouble demonstrating that they have some sort of severe impairment, but many are surprised when, despite solid medical documentation, they are denied disability benefits. In these cases, when a claimant has been denied on the basis of their presumed ability to return to their past employment or their presumed ability to transition to some new type of

Social Security Disability and the future

I can't recall where I read this information (I came across it about a week ago); however, the subject of the article was the federal government's possible future approach to dealing with its obligations. Of course, this meant tax increases and spending cuts, which seems logical to most people, though not necessarily to all, particularly those who are of the mindset that America, simply because

Applications for Social Security Disability and Unemployment

There is an article appearing in the Chattanooga Times Free Press that discusses a correlation between increasing numbers of social security disability claims and higher unemployment statistics. It's not surprising that this would be the case. Individuals who represent disability applicants in areas subject to work closures and layoffs can easily attest to this phenomenon. As the article states,

Social Security Disability Must be for a Severe Condition

Many, if not most, individuals who consider filing for Social Security Disability (SSD) or SSI probably wonder at first if their physical or mental condition is severe enough to qualify them for benefits. Social Security, in an attempt to avoid subjective disability standards and to inject some uniformity in disability decision-making across the 50 states, has formed its own definition of

The Social Security Disability Determination

Social Security Disability (SSD) is awarded to individuals who file disability applications who can prove A) they have a severe, ongoing medical condition, and B) this this condition prevents them from being able to earn a living, either at a job they've done in the past, or at some form of other work for which they might possibly be suited based on their age, education, skills, and functional

How Long Can You Receive Social Security Disability Benefits?

There is no expressed time limit to Social Security disability benefits, except that all beneficiaries who are receiving disability at the time of their full retirement age automatically convert to full retirement benefits. However, this does not mean that there are no situations that could potentially terminate an individual’s entitlement to disability benefits. For instance, if a person is

Health Insurance, or the lack of, in a faltering economy

I won't debate the national health care issue. One has to wonder how recent legislation will pan out and it may not be for several years where, with the advantage of hindsight, we can see the measured effects of it all. However, that aside, some recent news stood out.According to the U.S. census, which reported the information last week, about one in six U.S. residents are without heath insurance

Does A Doctor Make The Decision On My Social Security Claim Or A Case Worker?

The Social Security Administration does not have caseworkers; it is not a Social Services agency. When you file a disability claim, a Social Security Claims Representative takes your disability information and forwards your claim to the state disability agency for a medical decision. At that point, the Social Security claims representative no longer controls the development of your disability

Is There A Maximum Limit On How Much Social Security Back Pay You Can Receive?

Most disability applicants assume if they are approved for disability benefits there is an automatic back payment of disability benefits. However, this is not the case. Back payment of disability benefits is dependent upon a person’s application filing date and the established date of onset. To clarify, the alleged date of onset is generally the first date that an individual states they were

Does Social Security Deny Strong Disability Claims?

The fact is, SSA routinely denies exceptionally strong claims. As a former disability examiner, I particularly recall one case in which an individual was denied at the initial claim level. The DDS (disability determination services) physician who signed off on the case did so using the rationale that the victim's burns did not cause enough stricture (narrowing of tissue resulting in limitations

Can Younger People Get Disability Benefits?

While there is no doubt that it is more difficult to be approved for Social Security disability or approved for Supplemental Security Income disability if you are a younger individual, it is not impossible.

Social Security uses a disability guidebook that contains a listing of impairments for all of the body systems and the criteria needed to meet the severity requirements of the various

Is A Social Security Disability Reconsideration Usually Denied?

Social Security disability win ratios are not high at any level of the disability process other than the Administrative Law Judge Hearing. Only an average of thirty-five individuals out of every one hundred individuals who file initial disability claims are approved for disability benefits. Which means that sixty-five of those individuals will have to decide whether or not to begin the Social

Social Security Disability Medical Information

Many disability applicants have to attend Social Security disability consultative examinations to receive a medical decision on their disability claim because their medical evidence is to old to be considered current, or they have no medical evidence at all for Social Security to make their medical disability determinations.

Generally, Social Security, for its disability determinations, would

When You Are Applying For Social Security Disability Can You Own Property?

If you are applying for Social Security disability, you can have property. Social Security disability is not a need-based program that requires an individual to meet certain asset resource limits.

Social Security disability is based strictly upon an individual’s insured status and insured status is gained through work activity. Each year an individual can earn up to four quarters of coverage

Atherosclerosis, the hardening of arteries due to cholesterol build up, can often be Prevented

1. Atherosclerosis is the thickening of walls of arteries due to the build up of cholesterol.

2. Arteries, the blood vessels through which blood flows away from the heart, have three layers: the tissue wall, muscle, and epithelial cells in the center.

3. People can have atherosclerosis for years before noticing the problem. Often the first noticeable symptom is a heart attack.

4.

How Is A Social Security Disability Claim Affected If I Move During My Review?

Someone recently wrote: "How Is A Social Security Disability Claim Affected If I Move During My Review? I Am Moving From One County To Another But Within The Same State"

The most important thing to remember about Social Security disability is that it is a federal disability program and, as such, individuals who receive disability benefits are free to move around within the United States. This,