| Disability Benefits Center

Social Security Funds Projected to Be Depleted In 25 Years

Submitted by Ram on Thu, 07/07/2011 - 12:17

A recently-released report from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Medicare Board of Trustees paints a grim picture regarding the future of Social Security benefits. Based upon current projections, the trust funds which provide the basis for payments to Social Security beneficiaries will be completely exhausted by 2036. As a result, millions of Americans whose retirement plans include payments from Social Security will be left with nothing.

Former SSA Commissioner to Counsel New Healthcare Service

Submitted by Ram on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 10:17

Dorcas R. Hardy has been selected to serve as the Chair of the National Advisory Board for Early Bird Alert Inc., a healthcare company which provides a multitude of services to senior citizens and to the chronically ill.

Family indicted in Seattle for fake mental disability claims

Submitted by Ram on Fri, 07/01/2011 - 12:40

Nine people in and around the Seattle, WA area have been indicted on charges that they fraudulently obtained Social Security payments. Among the group’s tactics have been filing claims for apparently non-existent mental health issues and receiving benefits under fake identities. The total bill to the American taxpayers was in excess of $700,000.

SSA Disability For Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

If you have been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis you may be wondering if you will be able to continue work activity and, if not, how you will possibly pay your daily living expenses and make ends meet. The majority of individuals who are diagnosed with this condition are faced with a lack of income and, as a result, mounting financial stress. Fortunately, in cases such as these, Social Security Disability benefits may be able to offset some of the financial burden that has been caused by your disability.

Common Social Security Disability Mistakes

The Social Security Disability process can be long and strenuous. It can take the Social Security Administration (SSA) between six to twenty four months. You will have to decide when you should apply for disability, fill out numerous forms, obtain medical documentation, file appeals and attend a disability hearing if necessary.

It can be easy to get confused and make mistakes that could end up with your disability benefits being delayed or even denied. Listed below are common mistakes that you should avoid when applying for disability benefits:

Filing an Incomplete Disability Claim

There are many ways in which claimants do themselves more harm than good when they file for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, especially when they try to go through the process alone. Filing an incomplete disability claim is one of the most common mistakes, and almost always results in a denial.

SSA Webinars now in session

Submitted by Ram on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 10:27

It used to be that if you wanted to get information, particularly information regarding government programs, you likely had to drive to the nearest branch office (which was likely not near enough to be convenient), wait in line, and ask several different people the same question (usually phrased a number of different ways) before you got anything that even remotely resembled assistance. And if the information you needed was to be delivered via a seminar, it meant that you had to carve time out of your schedule.Thankfully, those days are gone.

Progress on disability benefit backlog disputed

Submitted by Ram on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 09:27

A little more than four years ago, the Social Security Administration (SSA) embarked on a mission to reduce the ever-increasing backlog of cases waiting to be heard on appeal. A newly-released study calls into question claims of success in this endeavor made by the SSA.

Filing a New Disability Claim, Rather than Appealing a Denial

There’s little that’s more frustrating than receiving the notice that your claim for Social Security Disability benefits has been denied. But yet it happens to about 70% of applicants. Those who are denied often make mistakes that could cost them both time and money.

What Happens If You Skip Your SSA Medical Examination?

The majority of claims are initially denied, and often for reasons that are entirely preventable. One of the biggest mistakes made by people making disability claims is failing to go to their Social Security Disability medical examinations.

If the Social Security Administration has requested you to have a medical examination, it’s a good sign. If the information they had in your file didn’t give them some reason to believe you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, they would simply deny your claim.

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