Everyday People Matter
The number of disabled Americans who applied for Social Security disability insurance during the 3rd quarter of 2012 remained the same compared to last year, even as data from insurer Allsup revealed that the unemployment rate for disabled Americans increased. During the 3rd quarter of 2012, the rate of unemployment for Americans with disabilities increased to 13.7% from 12.9% during…
Disabled veterans groups are throwing their support behind a bill that would ease the process of Social Security Disability Insurance payments for injured veterans returning from combat duty. The bill called the Recovering Service Members Disabilities Benefits Act would exempt veterans, including Reserve and National Guard service members who have suffered injury during combat from the 5-month waiting period that…
Fiscal cliff budget negotiations are ongoing through the end of this year. Republican House Speaker John Boehner put forth his proposal this week: cutting 600 billion from federal healthcare programs over the next ten years via raising the Medicare eligibility age and moving to a chained CPI (Consumer Price Index)for Social Security. Meanwhile the White House has asked for some…
There are certain medical diseases or conditions for which Social Security disability claims can be processed quickly under a program called Compassionate Allowances. Recently, the Social Security Administration made the decision to increase the number of conditions that are covered under the program. About 35 new conditions were included in the program, and the list now consists of a total…
The use of software that uses electronic health records in the processing of Social Security claims could speed up the process of processing the claims, and reduce the amount of time taken to determine whether an applicant is eligible for a claim. According to a new report, the system was developed by researchers at the Wright State Research Institute in…
Sufferers of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) seek to promote awareness of this chronic respiratory condition during the month of November. COPD encompasses bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung diseases. Symptoms include chronic cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. COPD is characterized as obstructed airway through the lungs. This inflammation usually will worsen over time. COPD is also the third leading…
Now that the election is over, and we know that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay, Georgia must decide whether it intends to expand its Medicaid program. This summer, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act as constitutional, but left open the possibility for states to opt out of expanding their Medicaid program. Budget analysts…
The Social Security Administration is so overrun by pending claims that officials are unable to conduct adequate reviews of applications, compounding problems at the already beleaguered agency. A report released recently by congressional investigators revealed to Georgia social security claims lawyers that officials at Social Security are frequently overworked, and often, award disability benefits without conducting a proper review of…
The month from September 15 of October 15 is being marked as National Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the uniqueness of the Hispanic culture and the Hispanic community in the country. Social Security benefits are even more essential for members of the Hispanic community. The one thing that most Social Security attorneys already know is that Hispanics tend to have…
With all this election-year talk of “victims” and “47 percentages,” many Americans are understandably concerned about the state of Social Security and their continued eligibility for benefits. Last month, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which is a nonpartisan policy group working on policy and public programs that affect Americans in low and moderate income groups, released a report…