Blog posts

Many people assume that Social Security Disability benefits are only available to those who suffer from physical disabilities. This is definitely not the case. Those who suffer from mental illness may also be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits if they meet the SSA's qualifying criteria. In fact, mental illness is the most common affliction among younger Social Security Disability applicants. There are, however, some things that you must understand before applying for benefits based on a mental illness.

With recent cuts to the Social Security Administration's budget, plans that were in progress to open new Social Security Disability appeal sites were understandably put on hold. However, putting the construction of new sites on hold was not enough to address the financial issues that the Social Security budget cuts have caused. Some of the existing Social Security Disability hearing sites have had to be closed to help the SSA address its current financial crisis.

The economy has suffered some serious blows in recent years, and while it may be coming back, the after-effects are still being felt across the nation. Millions of people are unemployed and many of them have used up all of their unemployment benefits. As a result, lawmakers are worried that the Social Security Disability program will be fraudulently used as an extension for expired unemployment payments. To support this theory, focus has been put on a single judge who has had a 100% award rate over the past six months.

Many individuals wonder if it is possible to collect unemployment benefits when filing a Social Security Disability claim. After all, the Social Security Disability claim process can take months, if not years, to complete. Wouldn't it be convenient if you could obtain unemployment benefits while you wait? More importantly, is it legal to do so? There is technically no law stating that you cannot apply for Social Security Disability benefits while receiving unemployment payments.

With all of the focus lately on Judge Daugherty's high disability approval rates and the SSA's outcry against the low percentage of claims that he actually denies, one must ask whether there is too much scrutiny being placed on the judge. After all, no one is scrutinizing the judges with abnormally high denial rates. How can one end of the spectrum be criticized without an investigation of the other?

There is no doubt that the Social Security Administration is inundated with problems. Recently, Charlie Andrus, the Chief Social Security Administration judge in Huntington, West Virginia, has stepped down from his post due to political issues within the disability program and a federal probe into the actions of one of the judges under his supervision.

Sixty-six-year-old Paul G. Smith has received an 18-month prison sentence for Social Security Disability fraud. The chiropractor and former boxing judge's “under-the-table” employment definitely did not pay off when the Social Security Administration was made aware of his actions and prosecuted him due to the fraud he had committed.

June is National Headache Awareness Month, and the goal is to raise awareness and help people to better understand the nature of headaches.

Do you know what is and what is not considered normal?

Do you know how you can get help when suffering from chronic or severe headache pain?

If severe or recurrent headaches have been affecting your life or the life of someone close, the following information may help you better understand the affliction and the options that are available to you.

The Social Security Administration is plagued by financial problems, and the recent budget cuts are not helping matters by any means. In April, Congress passed a budget cut that took approximately $1 billion dollars away from the amount that the Obama administration had requested for the Social Security Administration's budget. As a result of this significant cut in revenue, the Social Security Administration has been faced with a multitude of financial burdens and administrative setbacks.

In a perfect world, the Social Security Disability programs would always work the way it should. Disabled individuals would apply for the benefits they need and a few months later those benefits would start coming in and would keep coming in as needed.

Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. Oftentimes the Social Security Disability system does not work as it should and innocent people suffer because of it. The case of Willie Monteith is a perfect example of this fact.