Social Security claimants who abuse illegal drugs and alcohol risk losing their entitlement to benefits. Social Security laws can prevent you from receiving disability benefits if your alcohol or drug use is a major factor causing your disability. You may have heard of people receiving disability benefits for alcohol use…
Accepted claim: A claim in which the insurance company accepts or agrees that your injury or illness will be covered by workers’ compensation. Medical only claim: A claim in which the insurance company or employer accepts or agrees that you have suffered an injury, however, they believe that you are still…
Your credibility as a medical patient and as a witness can make or break your Social Security disability claim. Your credibility is built upon many things including your age, education, work history, medical history, criminal history, family history and many other variables. However a cornerstone of credibility, particularly in the…
A recent article from the New York Times says that states are not helping the backlog in the Social Security Administration with cuts they are are making within their state workforce. With states looking to save as much money as possible, they may be laying off employees that review Social…
A report from the New York Times last week says that the F.D.A. is asking makers of some of the more risky medical devices to prove their products are safe and effective. This process was kicked into action by a January 2009 report from the Government Accountability Office that scolded…
Waiting too Long to Apply Once you, through consultation with your doctor(s), have determined that you may be unable to work for a period of 12 months or more, you should file for benefits immediately. You could risk losing benefits to which you are legally entitled by waiting longer than…
I cannot stress this enough. If you fail to tell the medical providers where you hurt and how you were hurt you could not only be harming yourself physically but also legally as well. We all know that it is very important to advise the medical providers of all our…
Immediately after an accident, shock and confusion can make anyone forget to use their common sense. But there are certain steps you absolutely must take, beginning the instant after the accident. If you miss that opportunity, you will never have a chance to completely correct your mistake. Remember, even though…
What does it mean when a friend, family member, client, patient or other acquaintance says they are disabled? In any case, they may or may not be speaking the same language that the Social Security Administration speaks when defining disability. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a rather specific legal…
In the State of North Carolina there are certain time limitations which govern when an injured employee can pursue a workers’ compensation claim. In order to be clear, I am not speaking of notice to your employer of the accident as previously mentioned. These are two separate concepts. I am…
