Just about every American has to work in order to survive. Since labor is such a central part of our lives, every person deserves a safe and productive working environment. Fortunately, there are laws in place designed to protect the rights of the worker that will help ensure you get the coverage you deserve should you ever sustain an injury on the job. Here are some workers compensation tips for any disputes. Understand Your Benefits The benefits you can receive after you’re injured or disabled on the job are typically separated into several different categories, and you’ll only be eligible … Read More

When you can’t remain employed because of an injury or chronic illness, you may be entitled to worker’s compensation or Social Security disability benefits, depending on how you became incapacitated and unable to perform work duties. Both programs provide financial assistance to adults who cannot be “gainfully” employed, or work enough to earn a living salary. What is Worker’s Compensation? When an employee is injured at work severely enough to prevent them from doing their usual tasks, they may apply for and receive worker’s compensation benefits instead of litigating the matter. Employers must carry workers compensation insurance to cover serious … Read More

Every year, millions of American workers find themselves suffering from a disabling health condition that prevents them from maintaining a regular work schedule and prevents them from earning enough income. Luckily, the Social Security Administration provides disability or SSD benefits to help them make ends meet. However, proving eligibility can be difficult, depending on the type of health condition you have and the severity of your diagnosis. It can also be difficult to determine how much your disability payment will be each month before you apply. Keep reading to learn more about the SSD process and which disability factors result … Read More

Congress passed a spending bill on Thursday, Dec. 7, staving off a federal government shutdown for another few weeks. The new deadline is tonight, Friday, Dec. 22. To prevent a government shutdown, Congress must pass a bill to fund the government sometime today. NPR commentators speculated that Congress may once again decide to fund the government for only a few weeks, “kicking the can down the road” once again. But Congress doesn’t always pass a bill to fund the government in time. Sometimes the government does shut down, as it did three times in the 1980s, twice in the 1990s, … Read More

Mental disorders qualifying someone to receive Social Security disability benefits not only include serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and general psychosis but also severe depression, anxiety, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The SSA may approve a claim for a mental disorder if the applicant proves they cannot engage in “gainful” employment, cannot be trained sufficiently enough to maintain employment and has suffered from the mental disorder for at least one year. What Categories of Mental Disorders are found in the SSA Blue Book? Medical and clinical information needed to be approved for Social Security disability is the same for … Read More

Migraine headaches are a common health issue that affects millions of Americans each year. And while most people can manage the pain associated with their migraines, others may find that the migraines and associated health conditions make it impossible to maintain regular employment. While it can be difficult to prove that your migraines are this severe, if you have a well-documented history of struggling with them, you may be able to apply for social security disability benefits. Migraine Headaches: How Can I Receive Disability Payments? Research shows that nearly 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men in the … Read More

When applying for SSD, the application will include a question asking when the disability began. This “alleged onset date” or “disability onset date” is important because it helps determine whether the application will be approved and may influence how much disability back pay an applicant is entitled to receive. However, what an applicant considers the alleged onset date may differ from what the Social Security Administrations decides is the real disability onset date. For example, if someone is applying for SSD because of a severe illness, the SSA does not want the date the illness was initially diagnosed by a … Read More

Decker Law Office. The Social Security Administration defines a “disabled” individual as someone who cannot maintain substantial employment. In 2018, the SSA considered substantial employment (substantial gainful activity) as employment providing a person with at least $1180 each month. People seeking Social Security disability cannot be earning more than $1180 per month when initially applying for benefits. However, some claimants may be able to continue working while awaiting a decision from the SSA. What Medical Evidence is Needed to be Considered a Disabled Person? Social Security disability applicants must submit clinical evidence of mental or physical impairments (functional limitations) that … Read More

What Does Social Security Consider a Disabling Condition? Disabling conditions as defined by the Social Security Administration are physical or psychological conditions severe enough to prevent a person from working and earning “gainful income” for at least one year. The SSA determines whether a health problem is disabling and warranting benefits by reviewing a claimant’s application, physician’s reports, results of laboratory tests and imaging scans. The Social Security disability review board also looks at a claimant’s past work history to ascertain if the claimant could perform other types of work. What If My Condition is not Listed in Disability Blue … Read More

Do you plan to retire someday? Then you should really understand how Social Security works—not Social Security Disability, which we talk about a lot in this space, but the regular old Social Security for retired people. Turns out, there’s more to it than just retiring and then getting paid. You have to do the right things at the right times, or you might only receive a fraction of the amount you’re expecting. Here’s a helpful quiz from MassMutual, and insurance and investment company, about the basics of Social Security. After you answer each question, the quiz tells you how many … Read More