Citizens with disabilities have a much higher rate of unemployment than most other people group in the United States. Physical, mental, and situational disabilities significantly narrow or eliminate any chance for employment for these individuals, especially without outside assistance. This is a statistic which has had the U.S. Labor Department concerned in the last several years, and actively seeking solutions.
Travis Wright, a 52 year old Alabama resident, was formally sentenced this week after admitting to Social Security Disability fraud early this year. For the last ten years, Wright has been collecting disability benefits from the SSA totaling around $70,000. In those ten years, it was discovered that he made an additional $146,000 from working for a trucking company, all of which was unreported.
A front-page article in the New York Times created quite a stir last week, resulting in a flurry of state and federal investigations which have led to the suspension of Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), David B. Daughtery, who formerly served in the Social Security Administration (SSA)’s office in Huntington, West Virginia. The article revealed that Daugherty approved 100% of the 729 cases he has heard so far this fiscal year. Furthermore, Daugherty approved 1280 of the 1284 cases he reviewed last year.
Myasthenia Gravis is among the many autoimmune diseases that are highly unpredictable, undetectable, and incurable. Because there is so little known about the cause and cure for this disease, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America has made June Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month in an effort to raise awareness and funds to continue research.
For those involved in the process of applying for disability, it is a well-known fact that the appeal process after receiving a denial of social security benefits can take a long time. In the last several years, the wait has become even longer, often over a year. There are many reasons for the increase in cases, some of which are the aging of the baby boomer generation, and the federal budget cuts imposed in an effort to reduce the national debt.
