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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