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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