Using the web as a travel tool

Emarketer has published a report that finds that more than half of vacationers use the world wide web to help plan their trips. I'm really not surprised at all. I recently took a trip to Albany, New york. The flights were booked using Orbtiz, the hotel reservations were made after locating a nearby hotel online, and mapquest was consulted for the most efficient route home (we flew up and drove

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Can Wifi make you ill?

Here's a link to an article about a woman who claims that wireless internet has made her ill.Wireless technology made me sick I have to admit, I've wondered about this myself. Truth is, humanity did not evolve under the conditions we currently live in: television broadcasts, radio waves, cell phone transmissions, broadband output, etc, etc. Those who say there's nothing to worry about point to

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Quebec an independent nation within Canada?

The candian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, told Canada's parliament that the province of Quebec would be recognized by his office as a nation. What does this really mean? Who knows. "Nation", in this instance, however, seems to be more analogous to (I can't think of another example) an indian nation, as opposed to a sovereign nation. In other words, kind of a nation, but not quite a nation.PM to

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Will Nintendo's Wii revolutionize gaming?

With regard to this question, I don't have clue nor a crystal ball. However, the latest gaming console from nintendo, the Wii (pronounced "we") may be up for the task.Honestly, when I first heard about the unconventional controllers for Nintendo's Wii, (you actually hold them in each hand to enable onscreen actions versus the standard types of controllers that require two hands to manipulate

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How much information should you put on a disability application ?

Someone who was considering filing for disability benefits once asked me this question and the actual point of the question was---how detailed should you be when it comes to supplying information about medical treatment on a disability application. My answer was "give them (meaning social security) complete and accurate information, as much as you can possibly recall".Here's the thing. After a

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Apple stock and good decisions

Just as the price of an individual share of google stock is at all-time high, so are shares of apple. According to some industry watchers, Apple will soon reveal plans for an Iphone (get it? Ipod, Iphone?) that will incorporate the features of mobile phones with music capability. Ordinarily, I would think this is just another company jumping on the latest bandwagon (I'll be honest, I don't even

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The Google millionaires

Well, I told my sister-in-law to buy google stock when the company IPO'd. And she didn't. Back then, the stock opened with a value of about 87 dollars if memory serves. This week, google stock passed the 500 mark per share, giving the company a market capitalization of 156 billion dollars. And just as was the case with microsoft years ago, there are now a great many happy twenty-somethings at

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Disability and Breast Cancer

I came across a post on Gimpgirl's blog about breast cancer patients. Actually, it's a repost of a reuter's article that states that the death rate of breast cancer patients who've had early treatment is higher than the death rates for women without disabilities. Hmmm. Seems kind of obvious that that would be the case. Well, gimp girl didn't write the article, rather someone at reuters or AP.The

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Can you change disability lawyers if you are not satisfied ?

Yes, you can. At any point in the process of pursuing disability benefits (the application or on an appeal), you can change representation. However, even if you are dissatisfied with your disability lawyer or non attorney representative, you should be very careful about seeking new representation. In other words, with something as important as who represents your disability claim, don't make this

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Healthcare and disability - reform may rear its head again

An AP article quoted Senator Hillary Clinton as stating "Healthcare is coming back. It may be a bad dream for some".Is healthcare reform necessary? To me, its incomprehensible that someone would think an overhaul of the system is not necessary. Sure, the U.S. healthcare system may be one of the best in the world...but it doesn't work at all if you become disabled and lose your insurance

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Walmart and the holidays

I came across a recent reuters article that indicated Walmart's management is upbeat about their sales forecasts for the upcoming holidays. Well, why wouldn't they be? They only plan to wreck havoc with the burgeoning plasma tv and lcd market by dramatically undercutting other electronics retailers.A friend of mine informed me that he read an article about Walmart's plans to seriously undercut

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Exercise as a preventative against disability arising from arthritis

I read this in a WebMd news article. A Northwestern University study of more than 3500 individuals over the age of 50 has found correlations between the limiting effects of arthritis and the amount of physical activity engaged in by study participants. Those who exercised at least a half hour per day, 5 days per week, were found to be least likely to become disabled as a result of their arthritic

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Good grief, this guy is a news conduit?

Talk-news host Larry King not only does not use the internet, he is completely resistant to ever using it. This came out on King's show during an interview with comedienne Roseanne Barr.The amazing thing is, during the interview King references statements written by Barr on her blog. Does King really even know what a blog is? Can he even conceptualize it? For someone who can't even type in www

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Using pollution to fight global warming

An article appeared on Cnn.com a few days ago bearing the title: pollution could combat global warming. Scientist Paul Crutzen's idea is that pollutants, discharged into the atmosphere, might serve as a barrier between the earth and the sun, helping to cool the planet.I have no doubt this idea sounds strange to anyone who reads or hears it. But let's talk for a second about the potential effects

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Surprising news about angioplasty

A reuter news article states that an angioplasty may only provide benefits to a patient who has suffered a heart attack if the angioplasty is performed within the first twelve hours of a heart attack. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, using an angioplasty to restore blood flow three days following the occurrence of a heart attack provides no benefit other than what can be achieved

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Senate hearings on global warming

Senator Barbara Boxer is planning is planning to conduct "a very long process of extensive hearings" on global warming. Not a bad idea, particularly if it leads to some of our elected leaders becoming more educated on the various facets of this issue. However, one potential critic may have had a point when he said that efforts to curb global warming may not be fruitful unless all the big players

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Air guitar for real

BBC News reported that scientists in Australia (if you want to say the word right, it is actually pronounced "os-stray-lee-ah") have come up with...a t-shirt that allows a person to play air guitar and actually have the sound produced. The shirt has sensors which record an individual's movements and relays these recordings to a computer which then translates the movements into sound. In other

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Social Security Budget cuts - the word is getting out (finally)

Headquartered in Jackson Heights, New York, the United Spinal Association has posted an action alert regarding Congress' significant slashing of the administration's budget request for the social security administration.ACTION ALERT: Help Prevent Social Security Budget Cuts Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts A disability claim tip: Never never never call the

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Ed Bradley - dead at 65

You know you're getting older when it seems to you that a lot of familiar faces are starting to pass. This one was a little bit of a shocker. To me, 65 just doesn't seem that old anymore. In fact, I tend to think that if you don't make it into your early eighties, you've been cheated.Mr. Bradley died at age 65 of leukemia complications.60 Minutes' Ed Bradley Dead At 65 Return to the Social

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Advances in stem cell research

Myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, always involve necrosis (tissue death) of cardiac tissue. Consequently, even a mild heart attack causes permanent damage to the heart muscle. But what if the damaged heart tissue could actually be repaired from "the ground up".According to this article, a new procedure may use stem cells from a heart attack patient's own bone marrow to initiate repairs

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Social Worker On-line training

I'm posting about this for no reason other than the fact that I find it interesting. A course is being offered by Austin Community college to become...a social security disability advocate. The course has been approved by the national association of social workers and is being taught by an individual who is both a former social worker and a former disability examiner. The course seems to be aimed

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Is it easier to get disability if you are older ?

To some extent, the answer to this question is yes. In the U.S., the disability system is currently set up so that older individuals get some consideration for their age. For example, the medical-vocational framework of rules (known as the grid) makes it easier for individuals who are fifty and over to get approved versus individuals who are younger than fifty. The system also gets a little

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Will the severity of a condition determine if you can get approved for disability ?

In my last post, I mentioned an online discussion that I took part in. One of the participants in the discussion was from England and one of his questions about the U.S. disability system was this: "Surely the help that people are entitled to depends on the severity of the condition?"And the answer to the question is Yes. In the U.S. disability system (the social security disability and SSI

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Is it hard to get approved for disability with Chronic Fatigue ?

I took part in an online discussion recently and the individual who initiated the discussion professed a certain belief. Basically, he thought it should be easier to get approved for social security disability or SSI on the basis of a medical impairment for which the cause is not completely known, such as chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. Is he correct in this belief? Is it easier (compared to

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How to get approved for SSI disability

I came across a question the other day and the question was, "Is getting approved for ssi disability different from getting approved for social security disability.Answer: there is no difference in procedure between the two programs. And after a disability application has been taken at a social security field office, there is practically no distinction as to whether or not the app was for title

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A Disability resource for Veterans

I don't often point out or recommend other websites, but yesterday I came across a site that had linked to Disability Secrets. I need to read all of it, but with just the amount I've read so far this seems to be quite an excellent veterans disability resource, written by a vet. The site is http://veteransdisability.blogspot.comReturn to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts

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Voting in the Wrong Precinct - Anne Coulter

According to an ap article by Brian Skoloff, columnist and flamethrower Anne Coulter has refused to cooperate in an investigation of whether or not she knowingly voted in the wrong precint in a Palm Beach, Florida election. This may be making a mountain out of a mole hill, but the matter may be exacerbated by the fact that Coulter did not respond to 4 separate letters sent to her by the elections

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Microsoft may actually take a stand in China

This is actually some pretty fascinating news. A major American corporation, and a tech company at that, may actually stand up and make a statement against the government policies of the People's Republic of China. I say more power to Microsoft if they do...you know, I saw a PBS frontline documentary about a year ago and the connection between Walmart and the PRC is amazing. Walmart actually

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Social Security Privatization - they are at it again

I found an article on yahoo news (I won't link to it because, unfortunately, unlike BBC News articles, yahoo news articles expire after a certain point) that states that, according to the National Social Security Council of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE, my wife's union), the white house is once again renewing attempts to privatize the social security system.According to

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Florida Disability Lawyers - Advice on Disability Claims

If you are filing for social security disability or SSI, or have already filed, and are looking for representation in the state of Florida, you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding assistance. A search for, florida disability lawyers, will generally result in about five million pages on google. Which is not surprising since Florida is one of the most populous states in the nation and

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Selling or buying a computer on Ebay

I just a bought a laptop from a seller on ebay. Would I generally advise someone to do this? I'm not sure I would wholehearterdly do so because of the risks. In my case, I wanted a particular type of laptop: the compaq presario m2000---it has a fanatastic keyboard that is very smooth for little stress on the fingers (anyone who types all day long will know how important this aspect of a keyboard

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Auto insurance cheaters in the garden state

Richard Rubin, of the Charlotte Observer, writes that North Carolina plays a role in a new type (new to me, at least) of insurance scam. Apparently, because its so easy to get an NC plate (you don't need an NC license or proof of residence to get a vehicle registered here), drivers in new jersey (and also the state of new york) are getting them simply to get their vehicles insured at North

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What are you paying for when you get a disability lawyer

This is a very interesting question, mainly because there are so many assumptions as to what one will get when social security disability representation is obtained. Here are some of those assumptions:1. A disability lawyer will ensure that my social security disability or ssi case is won.2. A disability lawyer will be able to speed my case up.3. A disability lawyer will do everything for me on

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Why anyone can be represented on a disability or ssi claim

It occurred to me at one point (and it has reoccurred to me many times since then) that, in the U.S., one's ability to seek and derive justice, and one's treatment in the justice system itself, may be mediated by one's finance's, i.e. ability to pay upfront. Getting assistance on a traffic case is one example of this phenomenon. If you have the cash (and depending on the infraction and the state

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Don't drink 'em

What I mean by this tag line is that I personally don't drink them. But, according to the associated press, 31 percent of American teenagers do (That's nearly eight million U.S. teens). What are they? Energy drinks. Some of these drink concotions are served in containers that are only 2/3 the size of a regular soft drink can, yet have up to four times the amount of caffeine as a can of coke. Does

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I won't be vacationing there I guess

I had no idea this was true. St. Louis, Missouri has been ranked as the most dangerous city in America in which to live. I guess most of us don't really associate the midwest with high and rising crime rates, but, according to FBI statistics, crime is going up much faster in the heartland than in the rest of the USA. And in St. Louis, crime rates skyrocketed 20 percent from 2004 to 2005.Return to

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Post-retirement lifestyle

I read an article that stated that saving for retirement is the number one savings goal for workers. But, this goal is being undermined by day-to-day finances. Unfortunately, saving for retirement may increasingly be more difficult since technological consumerism tends to add more and bills. Think about it. Fifteen years ago, individuals didn't have cell phone bills and internet access bills. And

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Vacationing in Orlando

I just flew in from a vacation in Orlando (and boy are my arms tired ba-bump-bump!)What did I do there? Well I went for other reasons, but I hadn't been to Florida in about a decade and so I was compelled to do the various theme parks, including Epcot, Islands of Adventure, Mgm Disney, Sea World, and Universal Studios. And all I can say is "blah". Don't get me wrong. There's some really

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Google Google Google

I told my sister-in-law a long time ago that she should have invested in google stock when the company IPO'd. After all, as the divorced spouse of a major leaguer who will probably be inducted into the hall of fame in the near future, she has the kind of money that could have been turned into a fantastic investment. And for those who either don't remember or were not aware, google stock

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Partial Disability and Social Security Disability SSI

Just one sentence will suffice on the subject of partial disability benefits from the social security administration: they don't exist. I've probably been asked this question a few dozen times over the last few years. And it's really a reasonable question. After all, the military rates individuals on percentages of disability. However, with social security disability and SSI, it doesn't work that

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Walmartitis

A while back I became aware of the fact that Walmart had become the nation's largest company, larger than IBM, Microsoft, and GM. I assumed that this was based on the company's net worth (the company earned 10 billion in 2004 and has grown substantially since then). However, I came across an article that stated that Walmart had become the country's largest employer. In my own home state of North

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The danger of napping

It's somewhat interesting the topics that academics will sometimes debate. According to someone in my own home state, Dr. Bradley Vaughn (head of the sleep and epilepsy division at the Unc school of medicine's department of neurology), the issue of whether or not people should take naps is "hotly debated" among sleep professionals. Napping, it is agreed, can sometimes increase the ability to

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The Problem with Social Security Disability and SSI

...is that both programs are run like social services programs. Why do I say this? Well, I've been listening to my wife---who is a social security office claims rep---gripe lately about how the field-office personnel situation is continuing its inexorable decline (take increasing workloads and increased attrition and throw them into the pot along with an unwillingness on the part of the Social

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Questions about Disability Benefits from Social Security

This page is a repository of older posts as well as an FAQ on social security disability and SSI disability. The information found here may be useful for individuals who have applied for benefits and have a pending claim at the initial, reconsideration, or hearing level, and may even be helpful for individuals who are simply considering whether or not to put in a claim with SSA (social security

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Social Security Disability - Frequently Asked Questions

If you think you may need to apply for disability benefits, or even if you have already applied for disability benefits, you probably have a number of questions about how the process works, what to do if you get denied, and what your chances of winning social security disability or ssi may be. The following links have been compiled to bring together various posts on this blog. However, this first

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What you need to have when you file for disability

Here's a link to a post by another blogger. His wife is a federal employee and she's about to file for disability benefits from the social security administration (he didn't mention if his wife is an employee of SSA or another federal agency). As the poster indicates, a fair amount of information needs to be provided to the social security office where a claimant will file a social security

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Unhappy about how long the disability process takes

Here's a short post from Charles Hall's blog with a little bit of humor embedded. Thirty percent turnover of DDS employees? Not surprising in the least. The job must really suck when the turnover is 30% Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts Mental Disability - Social Security Disability, SSI, and Mental Disabilities Social Security Disability SSI Benefits and

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Getting financially wiped out while waiting to be approved

I've written a number of times on this sad fact: for the majority of social security disability and ssi claimants who are denied at the intitial claim level and are forced to file appeals (no one forces you to do that, but if your application is turned down, then following the appeal process is generally advised for claimants), the road ahead is typically financially devastating and, thus, fairly

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What disability claimants get angry about - Part II

This is probably one of the most common grievances held by social security disability and SSI disability claimants---not getting calls returned. Disability claimants routinely do not receive call backs from the social security office and sometimes not even from disability examiners. Why does this happen? Well, in my own opinion, disability examiners have less justification for not returning calls

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Wikipedia 2 ?

According to the Daily Mail, a UK based online publication, the founder of Wikipedia (one of my favorite sites -- a good example of the best intentions of the web) plans to build a rival to...wikipedia. Why you ask? Founder Larry Sanger believes that the very core aspect of wikipedia, its openness, may be what ills it. Translation: the lack of editorial review combined with final authority on

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HIV in China

This troubling statistic from a reuter's article: "There are 190 new HIV infections every day ... and one percent of all pregnant women in China are infected". This quote was attributed to a high ranking official at the PRC's Ministry of Health. Given the chinese government's history of "minimizing" news that might reflect poorly on its leadership, one can only wonder if these statistics are

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A blog by a psychology grad student

I don't often link to other blogs, but this one may make for some interesting reading. It's by a psychology graduate student. Who knows? Perhaps she'll end up doing psychological CEs at some point. (Disclaimer: I haven't "vetted" this blog and do not endorse any of it. But at first, and second glance, it does seemthat the posts may be interesting. Whether they're illuminating or insightful, I

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Housing Decline could cut job growth by nearly a third

A decline in housing construction has always signaled a slowing economy. But an article by Bob Willis of the bloomberg news points out just how much a slow down in housing can affect the national economy. He writes that, by the middle of 2007, job growth could be cut by nearly 27 percent.That's pretty staggering for an economy that's been growing for so long. In fact, job losses that are

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Does it matter if pictures are on the site?

I was looking at several websites that are operated by various social security disability claimant's representatives (lawyers and non attorneys) and I noticed something, a psychological response within myself. The sites that were text-only struck me in one fashion while the sites that included pictures of the reps struck me in a wholly different fashion.How did I react differently to each type of

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Earthquakes in Winston-Salem

At one point in time, I actually lived in winston-salem North carolina, so it struck my eye when I read this morning that a microquake with an epicenter 3 miles northeast of winston-salem occurred this morning. This is from the breitbart article I found this news on:"About 150 calls came into the Winston-Salem Police Department after the quake, said police Lt. David Kiger. "They reported a loud

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Those regulation-minded Europeans

In the last year, I've developed an opinion of the european union's approach to media regulation and I can't say that it's a good one. Read this article below and you'll probably develop the same opinion, if you haven't already. Essentially, it may boil down to this: would you really want to live somewhere where the politicians were so eager to regulate what you can post on an amateur video site?

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Almost no reduction in cancer mortality rates

I found this one fairly sobering. In an article written by Liz Szabo of USA Today, it was written that, if smoking rates hadn't fallen so much in the last half century, there would have been practically zero reduction in cancer mortality rates. This estimate was provided by the American Cancer Society. This is, on one hand, good news for advocates of smoking-bans. However, what does this say

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Ohio Disability Lawyers

If you're looking for representation for a social security disability or SSI disability claim in Ohio, you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding suitable lawyers or non-attorneys to assist you with your claim. Currently, the web has about 4.4 million related pages for individuals seeking representation from lawyers in Ohio.How can you distinguish the disability lawyers you might choose from

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What disability claimants get angry about - Part I

Applicants for social security disability and SSI benefits get angry about quite a few things as they apply for benefits or appeal a denial of a claim. And here's just one: finding out several months after they've filed an application that their case was never sent from the social security office to a disability examiner. For those who aren't aware, let me briefly define the process a bit. When a

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Seizures to end

This is related to the post immediately prior to this one. Apparently, Congress has felt enough heat over the issue of drug reimportation into the U.S. from Canada that seizures of imported prescription medications will come to an end, a policy that was put into place in november 2005.Aspects of this, of course, are related to what I've posted several times regarding the status of the social

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40,000 shipments seized

I wasn't previously aware of the numbers but I read an estimate that up to 40,000 shipments of pharmaceuticals ordered from canada by U.S. citizens have, to date, been seized. Why would someone purchase prescription drugs from companies operating in our neighbor to the north. That's easy enough to answer. In most cases, this is simply because:1. an individual either does not have health insurance

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The Social Security Administration and Workforce Management

In several posts of this blog, I've mentioned the personnel crunch that the social security administration may soon have to deal with. To quickly recap, here's how I see it. 1. Quite a few social security field office employees (service reps and claims reps) are now eligible to take retirement.2. Many more in coming years will be eligible to take retirement.3. SSA, due to gross incompetence in

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Shrinking field office staff

I came across this on Douglas Smith's blog."Social Security field offices lost 873 staff members between October 2005 and September 2006.Field office managers see the agency moving away from community-based services, and toward Internet and telephone services. This was discussed at a meeting of Social Security managers on September 12."What would be the problem with this? Well, for one thing, the

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Redefining Hope

One of the companies that's charged with the task of rebuilding Iraq is RTI, a company that's based in North Carolina. RTI's taks is to help iraqis with rebuilding basic services (delivery of clean water, treatment of sewage, and trash collection). According to an article by Jay Price, writing for the Raleigh News and Observer, "it will be years before citizens can expect basic services such as

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Cooperative Research

The national institutes of health has set up a network-consortium of universities, the purpose of which is to spur and accelerate the pace of medical research and development. The initial federal outlay is 100 million, but over five years twelve separate universities will be funded to the tune of 700 million, including Duke University (in my own home state).Return to the Social Security

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General Motors consumer car sales drop by 12%

Ah, but there's actually a good reason for this. Apparently, the drop in sales was because car shoppers were particularly interested in buying models such as the chevy malibu and chevy cobalt and not enough of these vehicles were in stock. Likewise, Ford Motor, which seems to have had a recent bounce-back, fell short on providing enough Ford Fusion models to satisfy demand. I haven't driven a

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Will a Disability Lawyer decline taking your disability case ?

In the previous post, I spoke about an individual (Phil) who managed to eventually win disability benefits after four years of trying. Evidently, from his post, he had tried to get representation, but had been declined (obviously, whoever he spoke to underestimated his case since he later won).Do disability lawyers (and non attorney representatives) sometimes decline taking cases? Yes, this does

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An example of why you should never give up on a disability claim

I found a post on another blog by a gentleman named Phil. He indicated that he had been battling the social security disability - SSI system for four years before he finally won his claim. Here's an excerpt."I did it without a lawyer (Not Recommended) but these lawyers gave me little chance so I said I would do it myself. I just told the truth, cited the law and persevered."At the end of his post

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Social Security Disability and Errant thinking

I found this on a post at SSAconnect.com. It's an excerpt from an SSAB (social security advisory board) report titled "A Disability system for the 21st century.A new disability system must incorporate elements that embrace change and...facilitate a culture shift within society to establish the expectation that individuals with disabilities can and should work to the extent of their capabilities

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Laptop engines - I doubt anyone saw this coming

This is really a neat article about a new way to power laptops and significantly enhance their usability.This excerpt should give you the gist of it:"A laptop that will run for three hours on battery charge will run for 15 to 20 hours using the microengine and it should end up costing no more than current batteries," said Professor Epstein."Engine on a chip drives laptops Return to the Social

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Baby Boomers Will Strain U.S.

Quotes from the chairman of the federal reserve:"Unless Social Security and Medicare are revamped, the massive burden from retiring baby boomers will place major strains on the nation's budget and the economy""As the population ages, the nation will have to choose among higher taxes, less non-entitlement spending by the government, a reduction in spending on entitlement programs, a sharply higher

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Google's other search engine

I just learned that Google technology powers the search engine known as searchmash (www.searchmash.com). The search results on searchmash tend to mirror those of google, however the presentation is really quite interesting and possibly may allow for speedier work for those who hate using the back button (try it out and you'll see what I mean). Who knows? Searchmash may be the testing ground for

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What happens when your social security disability check gets lost?

Here's a story of a woman in Philadelphia (best place for soft pretzels and cheesesteaks on the planet bar none) whose social security disability check did not arrive. Life's on hold until disability check arrives Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther PostsHow much does it cost to hire a social security disability attorney?Social Security Disability SSI : Psychological

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Social Security Disability Charlatans

I think I've come across Lee Harris' blog before. I haven't read the entire blog, but if this post on social security disability is an indication of the rest of his content, then the information is fairly good. I have to say that I agree with his commentary in this particular post and I have seen the ad to which he refers. Here's a fact that I don't think Lee has pointed out: the product being

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Zoom zoom? Maybe the slogan should be passed to Toyota

I like Breitbart articles for the same reason I like AP Myway News. They get straight to the point with no popups and no "would you like to skip this ad and continue to the article" pages.Anyway, to the point. I read this article that bears the following title: Toyota trounces U.S. automakers GM and Chrysler in September sales.Toyota posted a 25 percent sales increase while GM and Daimler

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Trivia from the almanac

I found this interesting. According to the 2004 almanac, the U.S population was predicted to hit 299 million in the year 2010. According to...those who keep up on this stuff (demographers?), the U.S. population will actually hit 300 million this year, 3 and a quarter years ahead of schedule.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts:How much does it cost to hire a

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Social Security and Social Security Disability Cola

I don't know how the Army times came to this conclusion, but in an article focused on a 2007 cost of living adjustment for the military (2.2 percent for all ranks), it was stated "The Social Security increase, to be announced later this month, could be as high as 3.9 percent."Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts:Denied for SSI Should you appeal a disability

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Hep C stats

The following statistics are actually from an ad for World Hepatitis Awareness Day.1. There are nearly 4 million Americans with Hepatitis C.2. Hepatitis C is the most common reason for liver transplantation.3. Hepatitis C is the leading cause in the U.S. for developing liver cancer.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts:Denied for SSI Should you appeal a disability

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Growth in the Social Security Disability Rolls

The title of this post refers to an article about the expense of the social security disability program, written by an economist who clearly knows nothing about the title II or title 16 disability programs, other than the financial implications of funding them.Mr. Lotterman states that if trends continue, more than six percent of nonelderly adults in the U.S. will receive disability benefits at

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 9

#9 - Don't make the mistake of withdrawing your claim (or choosing not to file an appeal) if you believe your condition is improving. Why? Because, depending on your impairment(s), the outlook for your condition may suddenly change for the worst, despite recent improvements. And if that happens, you don't want to be in the position of starting all over again with a brand new application...and

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Depression Stats

An article from the parade insert of the sunday paper presented the following statistics on depression:1. Only 20 of those individuals with major depression get minimally adequate treatment.2. Nearly half of those individuals with major depression get no treatment at all. 3. Mental illness accounts for more instances of disability than any physical illness among adults.4. Mental illness accounts

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"The Mexican government strongly opposes the building of walls in the border area between Mexico and the United States"

The statement serving as the headline for this post is a quote from a spokesman for Mexican President Vicente Fox. Ruben Aguilar went on to say "This decision hurts bilateral relations, goes against the spirit of cooperation needed to guarantee security on the common border, creates a climate of tension in border communities,".Good grief. It must scare the daylights out of the mexican politicos

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Why it would really suck to be a teacher today OR An example of why they're having trouble retaining teachers

Let's face it. The pay sucks, the working conditions suck, and its just getting worse. However, nowadays, even an art teacher can be suspended when students encounter nude art on a museum tour. Good grief. I suppose this is an example of the generally spineless nature of school administrators. Here's an excerpt:“Teachers get in trouble for a variety of reasons,” said the association’s general

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Housing bubble deflating

I came across an article that stated that, to date, sales of existing homes fell for the fifth straight month (source: National Association of Realtors). I guess "flipping" won't seem so attractive from here on out.Here are some interesting stats from the article:1. A third of Americans spend 30% of their income on housing.2. Nearly 15% of Americans spend half of their income on housing.The

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Nato to control U.S. troops

An AP article states that 12,000 U.S. troops will be put under Nato command, effectively under foreign battlefield command. This apparently comes with the blessing of the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumseld. Does anyone remember the Clinton administration coming under criticism due to a fear that U.S. troops might come under UN control, effectively under foreign battlefield command as well?

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Here's a story you don't read everday

Monsignor John Skehan and Father Francis Guinan, both roman catholic priests, have been charged with the theft of millions in offerings and gifts made to their parish in Florida.Skehan was arrested at an airport on a return trip from Ireland while Guinan has managed to disappear and is being sought.You have to wonder what Monsignor Skehan's motivation was. Was this for his retirement? He's

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Image Loss for several decades

We're coming up on mid-term elections in the U.S, right before the run-up to the Presidential election. Given the timing, it shouldn't be considered unusual to read commentary as to how the current administration has contributed to a decline in the nation's image and prestige. Here's what one source had to say: "The anti-americanism, the concern around the world...It's going to be the work of

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Indiana

If you need to apply for either social security disability or SSI disability benefits in Indiana, you will need to contact your local social security office. You can actually file for social security disability online (at this time you cannot file for SSI online and receive a protective filing date); however, filing online will not allow you the opportunity to ask questions about how the process

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Massachusetts

If you file a claim for social security disability or SSI disability in the state of Massachusetts, you'll stand a better chance of approval than in a number of other states. The national rates of denial for initial disability claims and first appeals are 63.3% and 84.9%, respectively. By comparison, in Massachusetts, 54.7% of initial claims for SSD and SSI are lost, while 72.7% of first appeals

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Washington

If you've filed for social security disability or SSI benefits in the state of Washington, or are simply thinking of doing this, here are things to keep in mind:1. While disability applications are taken by the social security office, they are actually processed by the division of disability determination services. This is the state-level agency that renders decisions on disability cases for the

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Social Security Budgets and a graying population

Does anyone remember Dan Rostenkowski? If you're very young, you certainly don't. If you're from Illinois and you're a boomer, then there's no way you don't know of him. Rostenkowski served in Congress from 1959 to 1995.Here's what many people remember of Rostenkowski if they're not from Illinois and simply remember his name and congressional affiliation: Rostenkowski being attacked by throngs of

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Five hundred fifty billion and Social Security Disability SSI

As reported on 9/28/06 in my local newspaper, the total cost of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan could reach five hundred and fifty billion dollars by the end of 2006. Please juxtapose that fact alongside this one: the social security administration's budget request may be slashed by tens or hundreds of millions of dollars for fiscal year 2007, possibly leading to furloughs of

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Insulin dependence via pancreas cell transplantation

An AP snippet reported a new approach to dealing with type I diabetes: the transplantation of pancreas cells from donated cadavers into recipients. In time, perhaps, this may represent a significant advancement for restoring normality to the lives of those with juvenile diabetes. However, for the time time being, this treatment has not been entirely successful. Of those patients who have received

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ADHD runs in families

Another associated press article says what I've always believed to be the case with both ADHD and bipolar disorder---that it runs in families.The study cited by the piece was conducted via analysis of year 2005 prescription claims for more than 100,000 children and their parents. This is what the study found: parents who had at least one child on ADHD meds were nine times more likely than other

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The effects of aspirin negated

A while back I heard that naprosyn and aspirin tended to negate each other, though I have no real idea if there's any validity to this and a web search regarding this has not been confirmatory either way. However, yesterday's edition of the People's pharmacy column cited a 2001 report from the New England Journal of Medicine which suggested that Ibuprofen could counteract one of the benefits of

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Will he miss his Ipod?

I just read what has to be a good example of one of the short-sighted teenagers in the world. A 14 year old boy was not getting along with his father so his approach to getting even was...to use his dad's credit card to fly to Cuba to be with his mom. Wow. How---I don't want to say dumb, but that's the only word that really fits---dumb can a person be? His father pegged the situation right: "I'm

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A justification for E85?

Will ethanol ever become a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuel and assist in getting America off its foreign oil addiction? Who knows. But I just read an article about global warming that offers the following advice to farmers. Apparently, corn does fairly well in heat while wheat does not. Corn, of course, is a natural source of ethanol fuel. Other Posts:Denied for SSI Should you

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Virginia

In Virginia, when an individual becomes disabled and is no longer able to work, they contact the social security adminisration and file a claim for either social security disability or SSI disability. However, the social security office only takes the application. It does not process the claim. In other words, it does not gather a claimant's medical records to see if the claimant will qualify for

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Social Security Disability Forums and blogs

David Traver's SSACONNECT.COM is probably the best forum on the net for news and information related to DIB and SSI issues. However, connect mainly functions as a hub and nexus for a variety of different professionals involved in the disability adjudication process, including attorneys, non attorneys, claims reps, examiners, and the occasional administrative law judge. Regarding simply social

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Social Security Disability SSI - Requesting an appeal by phone

I came across a piece of information on disability attorney Jonathan Ginsberg's blog that I was not aware. On august 14, 2006, the social security administration announced that claimants who have had their social security disability or SSI disability claim denied may request an appeal by phone. This would be useful as an last-ditch emergency option for anyone who, for whatever reason, has not

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Social Security Disability SSI and Residual Functional Capacity

Residual functional capacity is not a phrase that most social security disability or SSI claimants will ever hear. However, the concept plays a role in most disability claims. What is residual functional capacity? Well, the phrase simply means what its words imply. However, the easiest way to put it is this: residual functional capacity is what an individual is still capable of doing despite

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI North Carolina NC

If you live in North Carolina and feel the need to apply for disability benefits with the social security administration (whether or not your disability claim will be for social security disability or SSI will be determined by SSA based on your work contributions), simply contact your nearest social security office and advise them that you wish file a disability application. Once you do this, an

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If you get denied for disability should you apply again?

I think I've answered this question a number of times already, but I'll address it again. Reason: I was looking at the responses to this question that were provided in an internet forum and, obviously, no one seemed to understand how to properly answer the question.So let me state the question again. If you get denied for disability should you apply again? No. You should not apply again. You

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI New Jersey

Individuals who desire to file for either social security disability or SSI in the state of New Jersey will need to file an application with the social security administration. This can be done over the phone or in person, and it can be done by appointment (preferably) or as a walk-in visitor to a social security office.However, after an application for social security disability or SSI

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Georgia

Social Security Disability and SSI disability claims in Georgia are adjudicated at the initial claim level (the application level) by an agency within the Georgia Department of labor known as the "disability adjudication section". This state-level agency in Georgia is equivalent to what is known in many other states as DDS, or disability determination services.Individuals who file for disability

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 8

#8 - Don't yell at the people who are associated with your case. This includes the social security field office claims rep who took your disability application, the disability examiner who processed your disability claim, and, in most cases, the lawyer or non attorney representative who provided representation on your social security disability or SSI claim.In most cases, losing your temper and

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A painful egg to hatch

As a former one-time local government employee (as acaseworker for adult medicaid claims based on disability--I'm also a former disability examiner), I recall that the health and retirement benefits I had were, on the whole, fairly decent. In fact, in some ways, they were fairly generous.Well, apparently being generous may come back to haunt many local and state governments. According to an AP

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SSI removed from high risk list

I don't recall how I came across this particular page on the ssa.gov site. However when I read the title ("Supplemental Security Income Program Removed from High-Risk List) and saw the date of the webpage/press release (January 30, 2003), I almost felt like laughing. However, my spouse who is a field office claims rep, corrected me on my reaction. In actuality, as she told me, the SSI program

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Illinois

In the state of Illinois, as in all states, the disability system works as follows: an individual contacts the social security administration and expresses the desire to file an application for disability benefits. Afterwards, a claim for social security disability or SSI disability benefits is taken and the claimant's case is forwarded off to a state-level agency that has the responsibility of

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Pennsylvania PA

Pennsylvania is another state in which the disability adjudication system is decentralized, unlike, for example, north carolina, which has only one disability determination services agency. Unlike the state of florida, however, pennyslvania has three agency locations as opposed to six.In Pennsylvania, the agency that makes decisions on initial social security disability and SSI disability claims

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Florida

Statistics for the state of Florida for a recent year indicated that disability applications were denied at a rate higher than the national average. Nationally, about 63% of initial disability claims (for social security disability and SSI disability) were denied. However, in Florida the rate of denial was nearly 65%. At the first appeal level, a little over 83 percent of all disability claims in

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 7

#7 - Don't continually hop from one disability lawyer (or non attorney representative) to the next. I've actually come across a couple of disability claimants who had managed to change representation four times in a six month period, due to various grievances.Do you have the right to change representation if you feel your needs are not being met, with regard to timeliness (timeliness as in not

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Relaxation on Canadian Imports

If this passes, it may be a piece of good news for those who are not insured or can't get certain drugs approved by their insurance company (a situation my father-in-law runs into frequently).The U.S. House of Representatives has agreed to relax the ban on bringing prescripted drugs from Canada into the U.S. Basically, Americans could bring a three month supply home from the great white north

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Horsepower in the 80's

I recently read the "click and clack" column (if you ever listen to national public radio, you may be familiar with Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the "tap it" brothers) and was amazed to relearn some information I had once known but had forgotten, which is: cars in the 1980's had a lot less horsepower. Today, of course, even the weakest of the weak automobiles generally have about 140 to 150 horses

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Ohio

As I post the approval and denial rates on disability claims for each individual state, I have to admit I was a little surprised by the numbers for Ohio. They're actually as depressing as some of the southern states. Here goes.For individuals filing for social security disability or SSI disability in the state of Ohio in a recent year, 71.1% had their disability claim denied. For Ohio residents

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Michigan

For individuals filing for social security or SSI disability in the state of Michigan, here are recent-year statistics regarding approvals and denials of disability claims. For residents of Michigan who filed a disability application, the chance of being denied was 64.1%. For Michigan residents who decided to file an appeal following the denial of their initial claim, 70.3% of all first appeals

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI New York

If you have filed for social security disability or SSI in the state of New York, or are thinking of filing a disability claim and are wondering about your chances of being approved...here are statistics from a recent year.Of initial disability claims (applications) filed in New York, 61.2% were denied. Of first appeals in New York (filed after the denial of an initial claim), 84.6% were also

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Social Security Disability SSI and Prescription Printouts

I came across this question in a forum: If I am applying for disability, do I need to send in my medical records and, if so, do I need to include pharmacy printouts.Regarding medical records, ideally you should submit these with your social security disability or SSI application and, further still, you should submit medical record updates with your appeals. If you have an attorney or non attorney

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Hospitals as Debt Collectors

I live in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel-Hill area of North Carolina and I was a little bothered by an article I came across in the Raleigh News and Observer. The title of the article was "UNC Hospitals relents on claim on patient's home".Here's the gist of it. Jerry Ansley was bitten by a mosquito in september of 2004 and, as a result, he was infected with encephalitis. He was treated in the UNC

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Texas

How have social security disability and SSI disability claimants fared in Texas recently? At the initial claim level (the application), SSD and SSI claimants in texas have been denied at the rate of 61.5%. For those who were denied and chose to file appeals, texas claimants were again denied at an even higher rate: 84.2%. The rates of denial in texas seem to mirror what you see in most southern

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI California

In the state of California in a recent year, 55.5% of all initial disability claims were denied. Nationally, about 44.5 percent of social security disability and SSI disability claims were approved. At the first appeal level, the numbers look fairly grim. In California, disability appeals were lost at a rate just slightly under eighty-one percent. However, as bad as this seems, california

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Filing for Social Security Disability SSI Tennessee

Apparently, according to nashvillescene.com, filing for social security disability or SSI in the state of Tennessee is no easy proposition. Disability Claims in Tennessee seem to be denied more than in any other state. Coincidentally, the individuals who work on SSD and SSI disability claims in Tennessee are among the lowest paid in the nation. The actual statistics are as follows: In 2003,

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Can you visit the Disability Examiner working on your social security disability or SSI case ?

My answer to this question may not be the correct answer in every state. I do know that, in north carolina, this has happened before on a very limited basis (and whether it happens at all currently, I don't know).However, "if" a claimant can find the location of the DDS facility in their state (in north carolina, the P.O. Box was made available, but not generally the physical address), it won't

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Forest Development Ban Reinstated

On 9/20/06, a federal judge struck down Bush administration rules for developing nearly all roadless forest land (close to sixty million acres). This effectively reinstated the Clinton administration ban on logging and drilling activity in national forests. I was glad to hear it. The gates to National forests should not swung open to commercial interests. I'm sure one of our greatest American

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Synthetic Fuel

When we think of fuel, we generally think in terms of fuel for personal vehicles and the cost associated with it (except lately...funny how those fuel prices come down right before an election, eh?)Here's some interesting news. The military is testing synthetic fuel for use in military jets which would be potentially usable in commercial aircraft. Tidbits regarding this: 1. Synthetic fuel was

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The Sunday Salesman at the Kia Lot

Ok, I've never really been attracted to Kias. I've read in a variety of magazines and clippings that their quality has come up quite a bit, but just the same I've never seen one that I've extremely liked (although the optima doesn't look bad). Anyway, I was out of town visiting my mother and had been co-opted into chauffering her to church. In the interim, while waiting to pick her up, I decided

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Considerations of Cars

Just a warning to anyone who enounters the next few posts here. They will be about car shopping which, I'm sorry to say, is not any better an experience now than it was several years ago.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts: How to get disabilityIf you are turned down and denied for disability SSI Appeal

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Social Security Disability Claim Advice

I received a letter from an individual who, at some point in the past, had filed for social security disability or SSI disability benefits (this wasn't clarified). What stood out about her case was that:1. After her initial claim had been denied, she did not pursue it further.2. She did not consider getting representation because she thought it would be a cost issue.This is what I wrote

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 6

#6 - Don't make important decisions on your social security disability or SSI disability case based soley on what a friend, relative, or neighbor has told you. It's just not a good idea.Now, let me clarify. I'm not saying that you should completely discount the advice you're given from people that you know. Some of this advice may actually be helpful, particularly if it comes from someone who

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Fa(s)t Food Pushers

None of the information I'm about to reference should be particularly surprisingly. However, it may give one food for thought. 1. Obesity now causes four hundred thousand deaths each year in the U.S., according to the American Journal of Public Health. 2. These obesity related deaths are skewed to segments of the population that can be classified as lower income.3. The two largest soft drink

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Can music help you lose weight ?

According to a study conducted at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, the answer is yes. In the study, two groups of women walked three times a week and cut their daily caloric intake by 300 calories. At six months, those who had listened to music while they exercised lost twice as much weight. Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts: How to get

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Social Security Disability SSI - Suggestions anyone?

I've never heard of this before, but, apparently, the social security administration is reaching out to social security disability and SSI beneficiaries so they may express their thoughts on how SSA disability programs work and how they can (watch out) be improved for people who want to work.My gut feeling on this is that everything the federal government and the social security administration

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ADHD and the link to Tobacco and Lead

This was found as a health tidbit in my local newspaper; however, I find it a little amazing to read. Researchers participating in an ADHD study, conducted at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, claim that one third of attention deficit hyperactivity cases have a linkage to prenatal cigarette smoke or lead exposure. If so, ADHD may often be a case of environmental poisoning before

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Medical myths

I came across a list of "medical myths debunked" in the parade insert of the sunday paper. One myth (your brain rests while you sleep) I was already aware of. Contrary to myth, when you sleep your brain does the equivalent of a home computer's defragging. In other words, it retrieves the bits of information stored throughout the day (think of your brain as a camcorder that records every sensory

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Social Security Disability SSI Durational Denials

A sizeable percentage of denials issued by the social security administration on disability claims are durational in nature. What is a durational denial? The phrase simply means that an SSD or SSI claim was turned down because the disability examiner assigned to the case concluded (based on a review of the medical evidence) that the claimant's condition would not be disabling for twelve months or

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An annual osteoporosis shot

This is something that might be worth passing on, particularly if you have older family members. A new experimental drug, zoledronic acid (trademark name: reclast), may be able to reduce the risk of spine fractures by seventy percent. It may also reduce the risk of hip fractures by forty percent. The drug would be given once a year and would do away with the need for daily pills.Factoids: Ten

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Food and Acne Trivia

The Graedons (Joe and Terry Graedon of the People's Pharmacy) mentioned something interesting in a recent column. They mentioned the fact that most dermatologists will tell their patients that diet has no effect on acne. However, in one study, dermatologists found that that low-carb foods (foods that are ranked lower on the glycemic index) resulted in fewer facial blemishes.Return to the Social

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 5

#5 - Filing a new social security disability or SSI disability application versus filing an appeal following the denial of an initial claim is generally a mistake. Unfortunately, disability examiners see it all the time. A case lands on a disability examiner's desk with a unique number of 23 and the examiner thinks "my god, this person has had 23 applications (this number may be inflated if all

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When someone is truly nuts

Read the storyReturn to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts: How to get disabilityIf you are turned down and denied for disability SSI Appeal

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When things began to suck

Once upon a time, there was no Google search engine and, to a degree and in some fashion, things sort of sucked. Then came Google and search became better for web users. Then came Google advertising and things became better for sellers of "this and that" to find rich new veins of potential buyers. Then came Google adsense and things became better for website operators who, prior to this, had

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Waiting on Disability

In many American cities, it might be difficult to take an extended drive through downtown streets without eventually coming to a light and seeing someone stationed on the roadside with a sign that reads "homeless" or "will work for food". Unfortunately, stories of professional panhandlers playing on the sympathies of motorists have left many of us jaded and reluctant to offer help. And, sometimes

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Raid on DVD pirates

Again from the associated press, it was reported that police authorities in New York successfully raided a counterfeiting operation, seizing over 40,000 bootleg discs. Apparently, this was the second largest cd burning lab in the country and over two hundred CD and DVD burners were confiscated.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts:How many disability appeals do you

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Nintendo console prices cheaper

Videogames and the consoles that play them are now a staple of American life. But the costs for indivdual games can quickly add up in a significant way and the initial outlay for next generation consoles can be burdensome for parents whose kids are trying to keep up with the jones'.Of the three next-gen video game consoles, only one is already out. This is the microsoft Xbox 360, which retails

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Social Security Disability SSI and the technical denial

What is a technical denial? A social security disability or SSI claimant may never hear this term even if they receive a denial of this sort. A technical technical occurs when an application has been taken on a claimant who is simply not eligible for benefits based on work earnings or resources. In other words, no medical determination is made (i.e., the case is never sent to the state agency to

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Asthma attacks go up when school starts

Erin Kelly of Gannett News Service has reported that six times as many asthmatic children in primary school are admitted to the hospital at the start of school as compared to summer.Reason? Take your pick, but these were all listed as possible contributors: cooler weather that's amenable to cold and flu, viruses being transmitted in closed-in spaces, mold on ceiling tiles, fumes from cleaning

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Pork and web users

This piece of news is quite interesting. A site called porkbusters.org got its readers to root out which U.S. senators had blocked a certain piece of legisation. The bill would have created an online database of federal grants and contracts and supposedly would have made it easier to spot who in congress was trying to smuggle pork attachments to otherwise legitimate legislation. Who did the

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Improving Social Security Disability, SSI may be dead on arrival

Actually, as soon as I first heard quite a while back that Congress might be trimming as much as $400 million from the requested budget for the social security administration, I thought that DSI (disability service improvement) might be a dead duck. However, a post on attorney Charles Halls' blog adds more to the speculation regarding DSI's viability. Apparently, SSA was only able to find a

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Social Security Administration Furloughs

You have to wonder what Congress is thinking. A work stoppage at the social security administration will likely cause upheaval as retirement and disability claims will not be taken or processed during that time. Social Security warns of potential furloughs Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts:How many disability appeals do you get ? How many times will they deny

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Goodyear plant may close

I'm posting this because it touches on my old hometown. I spent a fair part of my teen years and early adulthood in fayetteville, north carolina. And in that town a prized civilian job was at the Kelly Springfield tire plant, then known as the world's largest tire manufacturing facility (the complex is immense to see). Since that time, the plant has become a Goodyear plant. However, it may close.

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The demise of "It" ?

Does anyone remember all the hoopla that surrounded the soon-to-be-announced techno-device that was proclaimed would have a transformative effect on society... and turned out to be scooter? This was the segway, or "It", the scooter that GW Bush once fell from. According to the AP, all segway scooters are being recalled due to a software muckup that can potentially result in a rider being thrown

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Ethanol doesn't have to come from corn

In the U.S., ethanol is almost always mentioned in the same breath as corn. But...is there really enough corn to fuel cars without causing corn export shortages and dramatic spikes in the cost of corn for the dinner table? It's been argued that there's not.Enter Honda. Honda has announced that it may have a breakthrough in ethanol conversion technology. Instead of corn-to-ethanol, Honda proposes

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Dog the bounty hunter to be extradited?

Here are some opinions on Dog Chapman's arrest. Dog and American &%$@# (bleep) Free the Dog! And lordy, lordy, don't allow him to be extraditedCan you believe it?!? Dog arrested!Screw Meh-hee-coWTF??? Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther PostsHow many disability appeals do you get ? How many times will they deny you for disability before they approve you ?How can a

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Medicare reimbursement cuts

This news is actually more than a couple weeks old. The Bush administration is proposing that reimbursements to doctors who treat medicare patients be cut by 5.1%. What will be the result of this? It's a no-brainer. Fewer doctors who will accept medicare payments from patients. Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther PostsHow many disability appeals do you get ? How many

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Life expectancy in the U.S.

A study of life expectancy in America has revealed some interesting statistics and may point to shortcomings in the U.S. healthcare system. First, the stats. Who lives the longest? Apparently asian americans with an average life expectancy of 85. Whose life expectancy is least? Possibly native americans living in south dakota with an average life expectancy of only 58. However, according to

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 4

#4 - Don't wait too long to file your appeal if your social security disability or SSI disability claim has been denied. And by "don't wait too long" I mean don't wait at all. Why? Because there's absolutely no reason to wait on getting it done and certainly no reason to add more time to the length of your case. When most people get a notice of denial in the mail, they're crushed. And this is

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Falling Gas prices

I just saw a headline that reads "Gas now $1.99 in Iowa. All I can say is that the timing (right before an election) is noteworthy.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther PostsHow many disability appeals do you get ? How many times will they deny you for disability before they approve you ?How can a disability lawyer help you win a Disability case?

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Ipods and the iTV

Here's some fairly interesting news regarding Apple and its Ipod. A while back I read that sales of new IPods are declining dramatically due to a progressive withering away of the "cool" and "chic" factors. Well, Steve Jobs may have come up with a mechanism to not only reverse that trend, but also expand the reach of apple's Ipods. Beginning in january of 2007, consumers will be able to purchase

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 3

#3 - This one is not so much a mistake to avoid, but, rather a suggestion to take. If you have questions about your pending social security disability or SSI disability claim or appeal, don't call the social security administration's toll free line. Reason: over the past few years, I've had to deal with many situations in which a claimant became upset after calling the 1-800 #. In almost every

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Hungry for Ethanol

Ethanol seems to be the catchword lately when it comes to discussion of fuel cost, dwindling availability (I said availability, not supply, big difference), and "foreign entanglements". Will ethanol be the savior of a nation that is increasingly at odds with the various parts of the world that supply its oil? According to a special piece in a recent issue of consumer reports, that's highly

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The 2 billion Email spammer

"These 35 servers were used just for sending spam day-in, day-out for at least a year, probably longer," Molenaar said Wednesday. "This operation probably sent out billions and billions of e-mails."Man May Have Sent 2 Billion Spam E-Mails Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits Blog

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 2

Ok, for social security disability (or ssi) mistake not to make no. 2, here's an obvious one, but, nonetheless, one that should be pointed out and emphasized. Don't wait too long to learn the status of your disability claim. Here's why - I can't tell you how many times over the last few years I've been told by someone over the phone: "They said I was denied but that was four months ago and I

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Axis of Evil: Junk Food, TV, and the Net

Here's an intesting article about the effects of an increasingly technological world on developing minds. Honestly, I don't know what to think (though I believe canned and simplistic answers do little illuminate the issue). Interesting declaration from this article: "His studies found that cognitive skills in 11-year-olds were two to three years behind the average levels of 15 years ago".Some

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Irwin would not have wanted this

I cringed when I read this. some fans of Steve Irwin, the "crocodile hunter"---who was very anti-hunting of any kind and who died after the barb of a stingray pierced his heart---have engaged in the killing of stingrays. Odd how some people choose to vent their grief.Revenge attacks on stingrays Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts:How many disability appeals do

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Social Security Disability SSI - mistakes not to make 1

This will be a short series of postings regarding mistakes not to make if you have a pending social security disability or SSI disability application or appeal.And the first mistake to avoid is:1. Don't assume that the people who will look at your disability application have ESP, because they don't (and if they did, they wouldn't be working as claims reps or disability examiners, they'd be

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Tuna and Fish lowers stroke risk

I think these days most people have the idea firmly planted in their heads that eating fish and tuna (and chicken, of course) versus red meat is healthier. However, the health differences that account from eating these foods can be substantial. A doctor Mozaffarian analyzed the medical records of over 4700 individuals over 65, obtained information on their eating habits, and then reviewed ther

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Good fats lower the risk of death from heart disease

Coronary artery disease runs in my family (I hit the lottery - both sides) so I tend to perk up when I see articles about heart disease and eating (what to eat, what not to eat, etc). A finnish study involving over 1500 middle aged men found that those who substituted good fats for bad fats in their daily diet were sixty percent less likely to die as a result of heart disease. Linoleic acid

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Social Security Administration Budgeting - Idiocy at work

My spouse who is an SSA field office claims rep is a member of AFGE (the american federation of government employees). In fact, she's the union rep for her office. Here are a few words from the AFGE President:Each year, SSA submits a budget which the White House and Congress pare down. This year, SSA is facing further cuts in its administrative budget, which means fewer employees. Couple

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Widescreens -- big deal

I read a tech article about the growing popularity of widescreen displays for laptops and televisions. In fact, one researcher predicted that by 2008 all new laptops will be widescreen. Actually, this is already the case for all new laptops sold by HP with the Compaq label. Yes, that's right, you can't get a compaq laptop that doesn't have a widescreen display...which urks me to no end since

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Weight loss drug awaiting FDA approval

Why is it that the Europeans always beat us to the punch here in the U.S.A? If you recall from an earlier post, the FDA has just now approved ProDisc-L (a spine disc replacement) for use in America though it has a 15-year history in Europe.Well, another example of our laggardly approach is the drug, Accomplia (rimonabant). Accomplia, a weight loss drug, can be bought in Europe but is still

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Increasing Poverty in America

A report on CNN focused on poverty rates in the U.S. and the effect of poverty on public health. The report cites the American Journal of Preventive Medicine which found that people living in extreme poverty have more chronic illnesses, more complications from illness, and make more demands on the health system. According to U.S. census data, poverty in the United States increased 20 percent

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Possible proof behind high protein diets

Here's some information regarding satiety and high protein diets that my spouse would appreciate (she's been a believer high protein eating for quite a while). I have to admit, in my own case, when I wanted to drop some weight high-protein was the only thing that worked. And by high-protein, I mean elimination of most complex carbs for the time I devoted to dieting. Since, then, I'ved tried

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Repercussions for cases involving comatose patients

In the words of neurologist, Dr. Nicholas Schiff, "it really is kind of shocking". Dr. Schiff was referring to a study that focused on a woman who, according to all determinants, was in a deep vegetative state...yet still possessed some measure of awareness and consciousness.Rob Stein, writing for the Washington Post, described what happened. The woman was placed in a scanner and then told that

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Is social security disability and SSI harder for a woman to get ?

I think you can make the argument that, in some cases, it is harder for a woman to qualify for either social security disability or SSI disability benefits. This does not appear to be the case for disability approvals made on the basis of meeting or equaling the requirments of a listing (the impairment listing manual, or blue book, contains approval criteria for a number of medical impairments).

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Drug use among boomers

The last post was about changes in DEA policy. Coincidentally, it was reported this week that while drug use among minors between the ages of twelve and seventeen dropped for the third straight year, drug use among baby boomers in the 50-59 age bracket is rising. In fact, it rose as much as 63 percent in a recent span of years (from 2002 to 2005). The drug of choice for boomers? Pot.Return to the

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The DEA brings common sense to the war on drugs

The DEA (drug enforcement administration) has proposed a rule that would allow for 3-month prescriptions of certain drugs that, historically, have had a history of abuse and also have an illicit street value for non-prescribed uses. Of course, this includes stimulant medications such as ritalin and various narcotic analgesics like oxycontin.This is probably a good step forward since it will make

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Illegal immigrants and stolen social security numbers

A new york times articles details the case of case of an illegal alien using a U.S. citizen's social security number not for credit theft or identity theft, but simply "to get established". Unfortunately, this might as well as be credit theft or identity theft because the effect can be the same.In this case, the credit history that the illegal alien is building is being tied to the victim from

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Social Security Disability Status on a Case

The social security administration is not in the habit of automatically updating claimants with regard to what is happening on their social security disability or SSI disability case. And, in fact, it may not even be reasonable to expect thisgiven how many files are being processed at any one time. Fortunately, an individual who has filed a claim or appeal for social security disability or SSI

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Doctor appointment for Social Security Disability

If you have an appointment to be seen by a doctor for a social security disability or SSI disability medical examination, there are a few things you can reasonably expect...and a few things you should probably not expect.First, the things you can expect:1. The exam will probably be short (ten minutes is usually a good benchmark).2. The doctor may be a bit rude (this has been the experience of

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Social Security Disability SSI and stroke

As a disability examiner working on social security disability and SSI cases, I came across a fair number of cases for which stroke was the major allegation listed on a claimant's application.I recently came across some interesting "factoid" information regarding the incidence of stroke. According to wikipedia, strokes are the third leading cause of disability and even death in the industrialized

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How long does it take get a decision after a Disability Hearing ?

Unfortunately, there is no way to know how long an administrative law judge will take to make a decision on a claim following a disability hearing. This, of course, can be extremely frustrating to claimants and can be the source of significant anxiety, not to mention the source of added financial stress for individuals who have already spent many months trying to get through the disability system

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When should you file for Disability Benefits

There are a couple of very simple answers to the question of when to file for disability benefits. One is that you should file as soon as possible because the social security disability and ssi disability evaluation process is very long.At the initial claim level (this is the application, where all claims start), a case can easily take several months. Social security personnel generally inform an

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Social Security Disability Doctors

There seems to be a fair amount of confusion regarding the subject of social security doctors. And, typically, this confusion concerns physicians who perform independent medical exams for the social security administration (known as CE, or consultative examinations).Claimants who have filed for either social security disability or SSI disability benefits are often sent to consultative medical

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Trying to Win Disability

If you are trying to win disability benefits, this post may be of interest to you. A while back, I received an email question from someone who had filed a social security disability claim more than a year ago. After filing her claim with the local social security office, she waited patiently for a decision notice---mainly because the claims rep who had taken her disability application had told

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Can you Appeal a Denial from Social Security

Yes, you can. In fact, if you have already applied for social security disability or SSI disability, your notice of denial should have contained information regarding the filing of an appeal. If you have a pending SSD or SSI disability claim (one for which no decision has yet been made) or have not yet filed for disability, here are some things you should probably be aware of regarding SSA

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Getting Social Security Disability Benefits

Getting social security disability benefits from the social security administration can be fairly difficult due to a number of factors. For one thing, if a social security disability or SSI claim is approved, this may not happen at the initial claim stage and, in fact, an individual's case may take months or even years before benefits may be received (typically, when an SSD or SSI case takes "

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The IRS and the collection of taxes

In typical fashion, the government has allowed private industry to drink at the public trough again. This time, the IRS is being allowed to outsource collection for owed taxes. Collection agencies, for a hefty chunk of the pie (they get to keep 24% of what they recover), will be provided information on over 12,000 U.S. taxpayers who owe less than 25,000 to the federal government and who have not

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Nicotine levels higher than previously thought

According to a report issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public health, smokers may be getting more nicotine than previously thought and those who use light or ultra-light cigarettes may not be getting the protection they think they're getting since even light cigarettes contain high levels of nicotine.As the report states, there's no significant amount of difference between the amount of

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Fast food portion size

A recent study has found that people who eat fast food tend to underestimate the number of calories they are consuming and that overweight individuals tend to buy larger meals. Some would say these findings should be obvious to any casual observer. However, objective confirmation is always a good thing, since we rely too often on our own assumptions, which may or may not be valid. Take the

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Enlarged prostate over the age of forty

I guess most of us have become more accustomed to seeing medical adverstisements and prescription drug advertisements these days. I saw a print ad yesterday that now makes me understand why I've been seeing television ads for a certain BPH (prostate enlargement) drug. According to the newspaper ad, up to ninety percent of all men will develop enlargement of the prostate at some point and this can

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Austism and older Fathers

Thomas Maugh, writing for the LA times has reported that men over the age of forty are 600 percent as likely to father an autistic child as men under the age of thirty. This comes from a study conducted in Israel using records from 318,000 different individuals.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts:Doctor appointment for Social Security Disability Can I afford a

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McFatten you up

The last post was about the likelihood of kids being overweight at age twelve if they were, in fact, overweight in younger years. In this post, let me reference a report by Nancy Hellmich writing for USA Today (Mcpaper). I won't go into the boring details contained in this report, but suffice it to say, fast food, scientists now believe, tends to make you fat!Personally, I like McCoronary's

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Baby Fat and school meals

At one point when I was a kid, I carried a little extra...insulation I'll call it. My father advised my mother that the wearing of "huskies" was just a phase and that I would grow out of it. And he was right. However, that may not work for every chubby kid. A new study, published in Pediatrics (September 2006) finds that eighty percent of children who were overweight or even obese in earlier

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Wow, that one's a keeper

I couldn't help posting this one particular quote made by the President on Labor Day: "The problem is, we get oil from some parts of the world and they simply don't like us". It may be difficult to read such a statement from this particular President with a straight face. However, there was that saying that "only Nixon can go to China". Wouldn't it be great if a President with an oil-business

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Genetic profiling and Warfarin

Lauran Neergaard (can anyone say odin, loki, asgaard three times fast?) of the associated press has reported that the FDA is launching a study to see if the use of genetic profiles can lead to safer and more effective medication dosing. This dna-based method of prescription already has a name and is called "pharmacogenetics". Without a doubt, this has fantastic potential for more effective

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Obesity a global pandemic?

It's common knowlege that Americans are overweight. In fact, when you travel to Europe, it's not that hard at all to pick the Americans out of a crowd. My wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law all found on a trip to the U.K. that, even in England, portions were not even remotely American-sized (this provided for some banter with waitstaff).Well, a reuter's article (bearing the headline "

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Controversy concerning Representation on VA Disability Claims

I'll preface this post by stating that, in my opinion, social security disability and SSI disability claimants should have representation. If an initial claim is denied, the odds are favorable that a claimant will have to appear at a hearing. And having a representative (it doesn't have to be an attorney, it can be a non-attorney)will improve the odds of winning. To me, that's not even an

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ProDisc-L - an artificial disc replacement

My in-laws both suffer from back problems and each has had lumbar spinal fusions. And, as is the case for many invidiuals who have had this type of surgery, the fusions haven't been completely successful.Having some back problems of my own, of course, I'm interested in news concerning improvements in surgical approaches to back pain. Well, here's an interesting piece of news.The U.S. food and

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How often will social security review my disability claim ? (continuing disability review)

Trying to get approved for social security disability or SSI disability benefits can be daunting, due to these aspects (this is by no means a complete list):1. How long the process takes (which can cause considerable financial repercussions),2. The poor job the social security administration does with regard to explaining "how things work", 3. The fact that while your case is being processed,

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Social Security Disability Overpayment

If you receive social security disability or SSI disability benefits and are found to have an overpayment, consider doing the following:Visit your local social security office to learn what created the overpayment. If the overpayment was caused by computational errors, or work or entitlement issues, you should complete a request for waiver to have collections stopped.Be sure you are prepared to

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Getting ready for a disability hearing

Too often, the mental aspect of getting ready for a disability hearing is not given sufficient consideration and may even be ignored. Now, by "mental aspect", I don't mean mental allegations (such as bipolar disorder, depression, panic attacks, etc) such as those that would be addressed in the presentation of a case at a hearing.Instead, I'm actually referring to the anxiety that every claimant

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Where does it all end?

I just came across a news report that the government of Brazil has given the search engine Google fifteen days to hand over user information from websites that promote criminal activity and has threatened 23,000 dollars in daily fines if they don't comply with the request.At first glance, most people would think "What's wrong with that?" Here's the thing. The problem with Google and Brazil is

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Can you get disability benefits if you have never worked ?

Yes, you can get disability benefits if you have never worked. You would be unable to qualify for social security disability benefits but, rather, might potentially receive consideration for disability benefits under SSI (supplemental security income).The SSI program provides benefits to minor-age children who are disabled and to adults who do not have a work history. It also provides disability

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Will your age affect whether or not you will be approved for disability benefits?

Some people make the assumption that a younger individual cannot get approved for disability benefits. However, this is clearly not the case. For one thing, the medical-vocational grid used by the social security administration has no built-in bias for younger individuals and, secondly, younger individuals and even children get approved for disability benefits quite frequently.The rules, however,

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Choosing a Social Security Attorney

There is actually a section on www.ssdrc.com that answers a myriad number of questions about disability representation and choosing a social security attorney. Here are a few selected pages from that section of the site which, hopefully, will answer some commonly asked questions about choosing a social security attorney.Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther PostsSocial

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How to get SSI - How to get approved for SSI

For all intents and purposes, applying for SSI disability is the same as applying for social security disability. Meaning, no matter which program you draw your benefits from, the actual processing of a disability claim in either program is the same. What this means then, of course, is that to get a claim for SSI disability approved is no different than for SSD, or social security disability. In

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Disability Appeals

Appeals for social security disability or SSI disability claim denials can be filed by either a claimant or by an individual representing a claimant. At the first appeal level (following the denial of an initial claim), appeals tend to be overwhelmingly denied. At the second appeal level, however, the odds of winning tend to go up substantially. Return to the Social Security Disability SSI

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Stress in Social Security Field Offices: A few Complaints

Complaints from field office staffers:"The electronic imitative has been very stressful on the DO's. We had to learn all of this and still had to process to meet our goals. This has created an extreme burden on staff.""I can't say what other offices do, but all of our appeals are checked in when they arrive. Then they're handed out alphabetically to the crs. When the forms are not filled out

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A Social Security Disability SSI Hearing Prep Video/DVD

There's a press release on Emediawire regarding a video (which can be purchased on either a VHS cassette or on DVD) for sale at the site, www.ssaprepvideo.com for roughly $40As the release states, the video explains the role of the judge, vocational expert, and representative (your rep can be an attorney or a non attorney) at the hearing, and is written by Martin Kranitz who, for many years, has

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Invincible - the difference between a movie adaptation and reality may not be all that important

This post has absolutely nothing to do with anything related to disability. This weekend my wife and I wanted to see a movie, but, after reading reviews for most of the offerings at the theater, the prospects for escapist entertainment seemed pretty grim. After finally coming across some favorable commentary on one particular film, Invincible, we decided to give it a try. As it turned out, I'd

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Veterans Disability Claims backlogged in court

I don't read the online version of USA Today very often, but there was an interesting article posted a few weeks ago on 7/13/06. Apparently, the veterans claims' backlog at the U.S. court of appeals has more than doubled in the last two years. And according to Senator Larry Craig, "veterans could be waiting more than three years for a decision from the court".Does anyone see a trend here? This

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Shrinking Budgets and the social security administration

In a recent post on Charles Halls's blog, he includes a copy of a letter written by the social security administration commissioner, Joanne Barnhart, to Senator Robert Byrd, the Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I won't repost the entire letter, but here's a very significant portion of it:The subcommittee mark provides $9.093 billion to the Social Security

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When eustachian tubes get stuck

In the last post, I spoke about the social security administration's position on cases involving hearing loss. However, what I did not mention was that the post was prompted by audiometry I recently had done myself. Why did I have a hearing test done? Well, for the last several weeks, I've had an uncomfortable feeling of pressure in one of my ears. A trip to my primary physician proved

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Social Security Disability SSI Hearing Loss and Ear problems

I've haven't written about the hearing impairments listing (listing 2.08) on my main site, probably because the information in the blue book doesn't really say a lot that would be of much benefit to claimants. Just the same, here's what the listing says (keep in mind that I've paraphrased this a bit):Listing 2.09 - Hearing Impairments (A claimant may qualify for benefits on the basis of either

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Application for Disability - applying for benefits

Many people put off filing an application for disability benefits simply because they find the disability evaluation process intimidating. And this is understandable. The fear of applying, due to the fear of possibly being denied, can be an imposing psychological factor. Just the same, though, a person who has a significant medical condition should really get an application for disability

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Getting a lawyer for social security

Many, if not most, applicants for social security disability or SSI benefits consider (at some point in the process) whether or not they should get a lawyer to assist them with their claim. Here are answers to several commonly asked questions regarding this:1. How much will it cost to hire a lawyer for social security disability or SSI? Upfront, it won't cost you anything. Disability lawyers are

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Social Security Disability Benefits

Of course, every page on www.ssdrc.com is related in some way, shape, or form to social security disability (and SSI) benefits. However, for the purpose of making some of these pages more accessible again, here they are listed. These various pages include general information on SSD and SSI and also focus on making an application for benefits, getting legal help on a pending application or appeal,

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Social Security Disability Requirements

There are a number of pages on www.ssdrc.com that address the various requirements of the social security disability and SSI disability programs, requirements that can involve nonmedical criteria as well as medical requirements for eligibility. Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits Blog

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How to get disability

The following pages appear on www.ssdrc.com and may be helpful in providing information or answering certain questions that some visitors may have.The issues addressed on these links quite naturally relate to some of the most basic questions that applicants usually have, which tend to revolve around issues such as "How do you get the disability process started", "What do you do if the social

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Will a lawyer improve your chances of winning disability benefits?

It's very common to say that, at the initial claim and first appeal levels, a lawyer can do little to have any substantial impact on the outcome of your disability claim. However, whether this is actually true or not probably depends on the individual or firm providing representation on an SSD or SSI case. Some lawyers and non attorney representatives will proactively seek to win a claim at the

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Do you need a lawyer for a disability hearing?

At prior steps in the social security disability - ssi evaluation process (initial claim and reconsideration or review), while some individuals may benefit from representation, having a lawyer is, nonetheless, not essential. At the disability hearing level, however, that all changes. In other words, representation is not just advised, it can actually make for a decidely different outcome on a

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Going to an SSA medical exam

The last post on this blog was about going to a medical exam for a social security disability or SSI disability claim. Coincidentally enough, I came across someone else's blog entry regarding her experience in going to such an exam. Here's the post:Ingrid goes to an SSA medical examReturn to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits Blog

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Social Security Administration Medical Exams

Over the past few years, I've probably heard hundreds of complaints from disability claimants about their consultative exam experiences. For anyone who is unaware, a consultative examination, a.k.a. a CE exam, is what social security disability and SSI disability claimants are sometimes sent to as part of the processing of their disability application. Typically, CE exams are ordered by

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Social Security Disability SSI and Technology Part III

There's an article on the site, Adage a.k.a. advertising age, that's titled "Marketing Reality Check: Blogs, Pods, RSS" and it only confirms what I myself (redundant?) have felt to be true (like everyone else, I love to read confirming tidbits here and there of my own opinions for validation).Here are the tidbits I found most interesting:1. 88% of working-age Americans don't know what RSS is (one

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Social Security Disability SSI Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia are two conditions for which the social security administration does not have a listing in its impairment listing manual. For anyone not familiar with the "blue book", this is a directory of medical conditions for which social security has designated specific approval criteria. Can you still be approved for disability on the basis of a condition that is not listed

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Social Security Disability SSI and Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is seen regularly on social security disability and SSI disability applications and can become (if not diagnosed soon enough, and if not treated properly) a fairly severe impairment. Despite these facts, however, you'd be hard pressed to find a disability examiner (remember: disability examiners are the individuals who "make decisions" on SSD and SSI claims for the social

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Social Security Disability SSI and MS, or multiple Sclerosis

A recent post was about autoimmune disorders and the need, from my viewpoint, for disability claims examiners to have better training (as in ongoing medical information training) to facilitate greater competency as adjudicators. Since I'm on the subject of auto-immune disorders, I thought I'd make a few remarks regarding MS, or multiple sclerosis. First off, the inevitable question: if you have

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To get Social Security Disability or SSI do I need to be disabled for a whole year?

Someone asked this question on a news site: Do I have to be disabled for the whole year before I can apply for social security disability or SSI benefits?Actually, no. This is one area where the definition of disability used by the social security administration can cause some degree of confusion. The SSA definition of disability actually stipulates that an impairment must last or be expected to

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Social Security Disability SSI and Auto Immune disorder (actually disorders)

As a disability examiner, I saw social security disability and SSI cases for which nearly any physical, psychiatric, or psychological condition you can think of was named as a disabling impairment. What's very interesting, though, is how many of those impairments (aside from musculoskeletal, respiratory, digestive, endocrine, and cardiovascular) were defined as an autoimmune disorder. In fact, an

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New Medicare Plans Cost 11% more

Is anyone really surprised?Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits Blog

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Cars and Back problems

J.D. Power and Associates just released the results of a vehicle dependability study. Manufacturers are rated or ranked according to how many problems they have per ever 100 vehicles manufactured. Very surprising -- manufacturers that you would think have high quality vehicles (in terms of reliability) seem to have issues. VW is near the bottom of the list and so is Saturn, which is sad because

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Social Security Disability Benefits and the high cost of housing

I just came across an article about a 44-year-old widow who is moving out of her rental home due to her inability to handle the rent payment. She receives $766 per month in social security disability benefits and her rent is $850.No surprises there. The cost of renting an apartment or house has escalated sharply in recent years. Long (and I mean long) gone are the days when a person could rent a

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Muslim in America

I was shopping at target yesterday in the grocery section and noticed a woman who, apparently by her garb, was muslim. We ended up in the same checkout line and I felt a fair amount of irritation toward her because she took an inordinate amount of time to get her check written (I have the same complaint with my wife: I always ask her to get as much of the check written as possible before we get

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Denied for SSI

I came across this question recently: "I was denied for SSI. Should I have applied for social security disability instead?"Though it may seem strange that questions of this type come up so frequently, it's nonetheless understandable and a fair amount of blame can probably be placed at the feet of Social Security field office personnel for not properly explaining to claimants what they're actually

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Social Security Disability SSI : Old news but what's changed

I came across an article that appeared in the Raleigh Observer in 2003. Granted, it's three years out of date, but I doubt the numbers have gotten any better.Interesting bits:In a statement prepared for The N&O, Robin Palenske, an administrative law judge in Raleigh, said judges in that office used to conduct 50 to 60 hearings a month. Now, she wrote, some are conducting fewer than 20. Palenske

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Seniors in the Hole - Medicare Part D has a big doughnut hole

An article appearing several days ago in the Washington Post (by writer Susan Levine) only echoed what my father-in-law has been grumbling about for several months: people on medicare drug plans are maxing out on their prescription drug coverage FAST and many are now in the position of:1. literally being forced to choose between paying for other normal expenses (food, recurring bills, etc) and

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Newspapers are just slower

In the last couple of years, it's definitely become my habit to get the majority of my news online. But, lately, I began to wonder if, perhaps, I was missing something. I started picking up the daily copy of McPaper (USA Today) and the city newspaper. This is what I noticed. Yes, I had been missing quite a bit. Online news is largely contained to breaking headlines and the occasional eye-grabber

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Don't ask for directions in Florida

A thread at SSA Connect posits a worthwhile question: What is an acceptable margin of error for the application of the death penalty?In my opinion, there is no acceptable margin, meaning that if such a penalty is to be applied, the proof of guilt must be absolutely irrefutable.Here's a story of a senseless killing that almost makes you wish there were surveillance cameras at every street corner (

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Fall from Grace? I'm a Mel Gibson fan, but...

Good Grief, this has got to be one of the weirdest hollywood stories in recent years. Well, ok, Michael Jackson and George Michael are much weirder. I guess for Gibson, this one is just a bit sad. Actually, really sad considering some of the great movies this actor/director has done.Here are a couple that many may not be aware of, but which are fantastic:Gallipoli (WWI film, one of Mel Gibson's

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Social Security Disability SSI and Chronic Pain

Currently, I'm reading a book about headaches and migraines and the sections regarding pain response and "referred pain" are pretty interesting. What's also interesting is the phenomenon in which a person who has been subjected to pain for long periods can 1. become even more sensitive to experiencing pain and 2. can unknowingly adopt physical and psychological patterns that exacerbate and

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Social Security Disability is Easy ?

In a recent post, I spoke about the inevitable problems of relying heavily on technology (Social Security Disability, SSI, the system, and technology ). Well, my spouse who is a CR at a social security field office, is going in to work today on a saturday. Reason: they couldn't electronically input their work for several days and had to rely on paper. Today, since the system is back up, they'll

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Social Security Disability, SSI, the system, and technology, Part Deux

I came across this on attorney Charles Halls' blog (excellent news source by the way - original post: DSI New Decisional Software )----Apparently, DDS examiners will be required to use a new software system that will "will walk them through the decision making process [under DSI] to improve accuracy and consistency".Hopes for the software are: "due to the quality of the decision making using the

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US House Panel Cautious About Social Security Disability Program

The title of this post is taken from the title of another blog post which may be a word-for-word instance of infringement of someone else's copyright. Having said that, here's an excerpt from the other blog post:"A 22% rise in disability applications over the past five years has resulted in an average 477-day wait for an administrative law judge decision on a disability claim, according to the

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Social Security Disability, SSI, the system, and technology

My spouse, like me, is a former disability examiner. However, she is also a current claims rep at a social security field office. She told me something interesting when she got home from yesterday. Well...maybe it's not that interesting since the situation itself is fairly obvious, but I'll pass it on anyway.They had a system outtage of some kind. Not a power outtage, but, rather a problem with

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Social Security Disability SSI and Strokes

Disability Examiners see a fair number of social security disability and SSI disability applications for which the primary allegation is stroke. And, unfortunately, after evaluating the residuals from a stroke three months post-cva (cerebrovascular accident) they turn a lot of these cases down as well. Here's some interesting information regarding strokes:1. "There are 750,000 strokes in America

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Will Federal Reviewing Officials make a difference in the Social Security Disability SSI system ?

You have to wonder about this, and on many levels. I'm thinking this will be a multi-part post about the projected efficacy of FROs (federal reviewing officials -- these are the new "cogs" in the disability evaluation system who will replace reconsideration-level examiners beginning in August, 2006 in the SSA Boston region, which is, essentially, New England) since there are many issues to

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Social Security Disability SSI and falling down financially

Here's a story, the basics of which, unfortunately, form a common template for many social security disability and SSI disability claims. Kim Stubblefield, a resident of Illinois, worked sixteen years in a hospital medical records department. She was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2000, left her job to have her condition treated, attempted to return to work but was unable to keep up, went on

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A small percentage of disabled vets receive Social Security Disability benefits

According to the congressional budget office, only fifteen percent of veterans receiving disability benefits from the VA also receive social security disability benefits. Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther PostsCan you apply for social security disability or ssi if you are working?How can you win disability if you don't have health insurance and can't get seen by a

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Canadian drug imports get a boost from Congress?

There was a brief AP article recently, the headline of which read "Candadian drug imports get a boost". Seeing the headline and reading just a bit into the article, I felt pleasantly astounded since the nation's leadership (executive and legislative) has historically been deadset against making it easier for individuals to get their medications cheaper. ...then I read the rest of it. Though the

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The State of things: minimum wage, jobs that suck, and poor people in the U.S.A.

I usually don't read Molly Ivin's column, but the other day I did and I came across some information that's worthy of repetition. None of this, of course, is surprising; just the same, it's useful to hear/read/see the numbers.1. The minimum wage has not been changed in 9 years while congress (notice I did not capitalize the word congress...infer from that what you will) has voted to raise its own

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Social Security Disability SSI and the Fear of Rejection

Here's a post from a blogger who expresses the dread that many disability claimants must surely feel when a notice regarding their pending social security disability or SSI claim arrives in the mail. Fortunately, for this blogger, the letter was not a notice of denial, but, instead, concerned the need for a C.E. (consultative exam). Fortunately, as well, he seems to be mentally prepared for what,

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What is it like to get an MRI ?

If you've been involved in representing social security disability or SSI claimants or adjudicating claims for any appreciable length of time, you've, no doubt, read a gazillion MRI reports. But what's it like to have an MRI done?Here's what it's like (I had to have one done on my left shoulder -- old rotator cuff injury from wrestling 23 years ago, aggravated by heavy weightlifting over several

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Regarding changes to the Disability System...sounds very strange

This is several days old and is from a recent press release regarding doctoral student Melanie Ellexson, who has been appointed by the Social Security Administration to a national panel. The panel she has been appointed to is examining how to improve the process for determining disability status. Maybe it's just me, but from reading these excerpts, this sounds a bit strange.“Our charge is to look

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Social Security Reps and Online filing

I recently read on a post from Attorney Charles Hall's blog that the social security administration is considering requiring "large, for-profit third party filers" to use Social Security's electronic form 3368.From what my own spouse, who is a social security field office rep, says, that wouldn't be a bad idea at all. Currently, field offices receive electronic and paper filings from reps.

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Social Security Disability and Vocational Considerations

I just came across this blog post about an individual who is deaf, is receiving disability benefits, is working, and is using his trial work months. If you read the post, it may give you an inkling of why the disability evaluation system , as it current exists, is setup in a good way, in that it attempts to take into consideration "vocational concerns" (i.e. it gives consideration to factors such

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Social Security Disability Representation in Minnesota and Wisconsin

I've probably mentioned the phrase "non attorney representative" on this blog and on my website more than I can count. Well, here's a good example of a non attorney who has a thriving practice in the midwest. Disability Specialist, Inc., as it's called was started by Tom Ehrbright 20 years ago and now serves disability claimants in Minnesota, Wisconsin and eastern North Dakota with 18

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