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Archive for March, 2009

Asthma And Disability

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Are you one of the millions and millions of people in the United States who suffers with asthma? Does your spouse or your child with disability have asthma?

Is asthma so severe that it is causing a disability for you, your spouse, or your child with disability? Is asthma the reason you or your spouse is unable to work?

If this describes your situation, you may need help. You may need financial help.

If you are a single parent and your child with disability has asthma, your need for financial help is probably even greater.

You may be in the process of looking for help. You may be looking into the various options that you have open to you.

One option you may or may not have thought about is applying for a Social Security disability benefit or disability benefit from the Social Security Administration for you, your spouse, or your child with disability because of the disability caused by asthma.

You may have already filed for a Social Security disability benefit or disability benefit for you, your spouse, or your child with disability because of the disability caused by asthma and been turned down.

What do you do now? What can you do now?

You may or may not have thought about reapplying or appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you decide to appeal or reapply with the social security administration for a Social Security disability benefit or disability benefit for you, your spouse, or your child with disability because of the disability caused by asthma, there is something crucial you should know. You will need the help and direction of an experienced disability lawyer to guide and assist you through this process.

You are where you need to be. This is the Website where you need to be. The expert disability lawyer who will work with you through SocialSecurityHome.com can guide and aid you in appealing or reapplying for a Social Security disability benefit or disability benefit because of asthma for you, your spouse, or your child with disability.

It may be helpful to you to know some basic things about asthma. It will help you to be better equipped and prepared.

Asthma is a chronic condition, which means it is recurrent or long lasting. Asthma involves the respiratory system in a way in which the airway occasionally constricts, becomes inflamed, and is lined with excessive amounts of mucus. This often happens as the result of one or more triggers. These attacks may be triggered by such things as exposure to an environmental stimulant (or allergen) such as moist air, cold air, warm air, exertion or exercise, or emotional stress. In children, the most common triggers are viral illnesses like those that cause the common cold.

Asthma is increasing rapidly in developed countries like the United States. It is now estimated that asthma affects up to one in four children in urban areas. It is estimated that 17,000,000 people are affected by asthma in the United States, alone.

There are several different types of asthma. These include allergic asthma, cough-variant asthma, exercise-induced asthma, nocturnal asthma, occupational asthma, and adult-onset asthma.

The signs and symptoms of asthma can be anywhere from mild to severe. Before an asthma attack there are usually some warning signs. Here are some symptoms to watch out for:

Chest pain or tightness
Increased wheezing or shortness of breath
Inability to sleep because of wheezing, shortness of breath, or coughing.

Asthma may be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. If asthma runs in your family you are more likely to get this condition. If you are sensitive to environmental irritants or allergens you are more likely to develop asthma. Some of the environmental allergens and irritants that can trigger asthma are:

Smoke
Cockroaches and dust mites
Pollen, animal dander, or mold]
Air pollutants and irritants
Strong odors, scented products, or chemicals
Respiratory infections like the common cold
Cold air
Stress and strong emotions
Exercise or physical exertion.

Diagnosing asthma can be hard because the signs and symptoms are similar to other conditions like emphysema, vocal cord problems, or congestive heart failure in its early stages. In order to rule out these other conditions there are several tests the doctor may perform. In addition the doctor will probably ask for your complete medical history, and want you to have a physical exam.

In addition to their being different types of asthma, there are also different ways that asthma is classified:

Ø Mild intermittent. This is the mildest form of asthma. Usually, the symptoms are mild for up to two days a week and up to two nights a month.

Ø Mild persistent. This is asthma where the symptoms are mild more than two times a week, but no more than once a day.

Ø Moderate persistent. This involves symptoms once a day and more than one night a week.

Ø Severe persistent. This is the most severe class of asthma. This involves symptoms that go on thru the day on most days and often at night.

One of the most effective ways of treating your asthma is to identify what triggers an attack, and avoid or eliminate your exposure to them. Several types of medications are used in treating asthma. Most of the time it involves a combination of quick relief and long-term control medications. There are also some alternative treatments people have tried, but the results are inconclusive as to how beneficial they really are.

Tags: Asthma, disability lawyer, Social Security Disability, social security disability attorney
Posted in Respiratory | Comments Off

Explanation Of The Social Security Disability Application Process

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

Below is a brief explanation of the process that your Social Security disability claim will follow. This may not be exactly the way your case is reviewed, because all cases are different and certain circumstances are and are not present in every case. But in general here is how a Social Security disability case will proceed.

- Claimant files their case with the Social Security Administration;
- The local Social Security Administration field office will decide if a claimant meets the legal eligibility requirements for SSDI or SSI;
- If the local SSA field office determines the claimant meets the eligibility requirements, the case is transferred to the Disability Determination Services office, where a medical examiner will review the case;
- The medical examiner will determine the severity of the disability or whether it meets the SSA listing. If the medical examiner determines in favor of the claimant then the claim for disability will be approved. If the claimant is a child (disability for children is paid through Supplemental Security Income, SSI) or does not meet the listing the claim is denied;
- If the disability does not meet the listing then the examiner will rate the claimant’s residual functional capacity to work;
- If the claimant can do prior or other work, the claim is denied. If the claimant cannot do other work the claim is approved;
- The claimant can request a reconsideration if denied at this point to have the case reviewed by a different medical examiner;
- If again denied, the claimant may appeal before an administrative law judge (ALJ) who will determine if the claimant is disabled;
- If again denied, the claimant can appeal the ALJ ruling to the SSA Appeals Council;
- If again denied, the claimant can appeal to federal district court.

It is not uncommon for a case to go completely through the appeals process. Individuals who try to tackle the Social Security Administration alone often find their cases denied. Individuals who have attorneys representing them through the process succeed much more often and quicker. The statistics speak for themselves. Claimants with an attorney win more often and do little to no work in recovering benefits than claimants filing their cases without an attorney.

Tags: social security administration, Social Security Disability, Social Security Disability Process
Posted in Social Security Disability | Comments Off

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Disability

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that is triggered by an extremely traumatic event. You can develop PTSD when a traumatic event happens to you. It can also happen when you see a traumatic event happen to someone else.

A lot of people who witness traumatic events or are involved in traumatic events have a brief period of difficulty in coping and adjusting. Healthy coping methods and time usually help these traumatic reactions to get better on their own. In some cases, however, your signs and symptoms can get worse or last for months or years. Sometimes these traumatic events may even completely disrupt your life. In these cases, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder.

PTSD can affect survivors of such traumatic events as torture, war, an airplane crash, a natural disaster or a physical or sexual assault. Post-traumatic stress disorder can also affect rescue workers at the site of mass casualties or other tragedies. These kinds of events may cause intense helplessness, fear or horror.

The disorder has been called by other names, including shell shock, combat fatigue, battle fatigue, combat stress, traumatic war neurosis or post-traumatic stress syndrome. In the American Civil War it was called “soldier’s heart.”

Approximately 7 to 8% of people in the United States will likely develop post-traumatic stress disorder in their lifetime. The lifetime occurrence (prevalence) in combat veterans and rape victims ranges from 10 to as high as 30%. In any given year about 5 million American adults have this syndrome.

Your or a loved one may be one of the millions suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It may have become so severe that you or your loved one is unable to work. PTSD may be the reason for you or your loved one’s disability.

If this is true, you are probably in need of financial help. You may have applied for that help from the Social Security Administration in the form of Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits.

If you or your loved one was denied, what will you do now? If you have decided to reapply or appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, here is something to think about. People with a trustworthy disability lawyer are approved more often than those who do not have an attorney.

SocialSecurityHome.com is the right place to find a capable disability lawyer. A wise disability lawyer at SocialSecurityHome.com will help and guide you or your loved one in reapplying or appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. Our dedicated advocates will help you fight for the disability benefits that you or your loved one suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder deserve.

How much do you know about post-traumatic stress disorder? The more you know, the better prepared you will be to deal with this disorder. Here is some more information that may be useful and helpful to you. (more…)

Tags: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Social Security Disability, SSDI
Posted in Neurological | Comments Off

The Benefits of Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

You are disabled and unable to work. You apply for Social Security disability benefits (SSD) and are denied by the Social Security Administration because you have not worked enough to qualify for SSD benefits.

What do you do now? What other steps can you take? What other options do you have open to you?

One of your best options may be to apply for Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI). It is a federal income supplement program. Although the Social Security Administration manages Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the funds come from general tax revenues, not Social Security taxes.

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program is designed to help aged, blind and disabled people with little or no income. It provides cash to meet the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter.

While you may not have worked enough to qualify for Social Security disability benefits (SSD), you may qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). With SSI there are no work requirements that you have to meet.

One of the good things about Supplemental Security Income is that the Social Security Administration does not count all of your income when it decides whether you qualify for SSI. For example, the Social Security Administration does not count:

The first $20 a month of most income you receive;
The first $65 a month you earn from working and half the amount over $65;
Food stamps;
Shelter you get from private nonprofit organizations;
Most home energy assistance.

You may ask, “Is it worth it? What are the benefits available to me through Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?

The first benefit that you will receive if you are approved for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is your monthly cash benefit. The monthly benefit for an individual is $674. A qualifying couple receives $1,011 a month.

In addition, if you qualify for SSI, you also may be able to get help from your state or county. You will need to check with the state and county that you live in to see what other benefits are available because you qualify for Supplemental Security Income.

For example, you may be able to get Medicaid, food stamps or other social services. Your will need to call your local social services department or public welfare office for information about the services that are available to you in the community where you live.

If everyone in the home where you live signs up for SSI or gets SSI, Social Security will help you fill out the application for food stamps. If you live in a home where not everyone signs up for SSI or gets SSI, you will have to go to your local food stamp office to apply for food stamps.

Tags: benefits of Supplemental Security Income, Get SSI, qualifying for SSI, SSI
Posted in Supplemental Security Income | Comments Off

Addison’s Disease and Disability

Saturday, March 7th, 2009

Addison’s disease is also called adrenal insufficiency, adrenocortical hypofunction, and hypocortisolism. Addison’s disease is a disease that affects your adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands are located right above your kidneys. The outside layer of these glands make hormones that help your body regulate your salt and water balance and your blood pressure. These hormones also help your body respond to stress. Addison’s disease occurs when your adrenal glands do not make enough of these hormones.

If you, your spouse, or your child with disability has been diagnosed with Addison’s disease, you may be in need of financial help. This may be especially true if Addison’s disease has become so serious a problem that it is the reason for the disability of you, your spouse, or your child with disability.

In fact, you may have applied for a social security disability benefit or disability benefit from the social security administration because of the disability caused by Addison’s disease.

If you were denied, and are planning on reapplying or appealing the denial by the social security administration, you will need the help and skill of an experienced disability lawyer who will work with you through this involved procedure.

This is a Web site where you can find a capable disability lawyer. The expert disability lawyer who will work with you or your spouse through SocialSecurityHome.com can assist you in reapplying or appealing the denial for a social security disability benefit or disability benefit for you, your spouse, or your child with disability because of the disability caused by Addison’s disease.

It will be good for you to know what you can about Addison’s disease. The more you know about the condition that you have, the better prepared you will be to deal and get help with Addison’s disease.

Addison’s disease is the failure of your adrenal glands to produce certain hormones. These hormones give instructions to nearly every tissue and organ in your body. Cortisol is one of the hormones not produced sufficiently in Addison’s disease. Aldosterone is another hormone that there is too little of.

Addison’s disease can happen at any age of life. It usually occurs, however, in people between the ages of 30 and 50.

The symptoms and signs of Addison’s disease may appear slowly over a period of several months. Some of these indications of Addison’s disease are:

Craving salt
Irritability
Depression
Vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
Muscle fatigue and weakness
Decreased appetite and weight loss
Low blood pressure and possible fainting
Skin darkening (hyperpigmentation).

There are times, however, when the signs and symptoms of Addison’s disease can manifest themselves suddenly. This happens with acute adrenal failure (addisonian crisis). This may involve additional signs and symptoms like:

Low blood pressure
Loss of consciousness
Pain in your abdomen, legs, or lower back
Severe diarrhea and vomiting, resulting in dehydration.

The most usual cause of Addison’s disease is the body attacking itself (autoimmune disease). For some unknown reason your immune system looks at the outer layer (cortex) of your adrenal glands that produces essential hormones as something foreign to be attacked and destroyed. Other possible causes of Addison’s disease are:

Cancer spread to the adrenal glands
Tuberculosis
Bleeding into the adrenal glands
Other infections of the adrenal glands.

The above listed things are possible causes of what doctors term primary adrenal insufficiency. There is also what is termed secondary adrenal insufficiency. This is caused by the failure of your pituitary gland to produce a hormone that stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce its hormones. This can result in your adrenal cortex failing to produce its hormones even though your adrenal glands are not damaged. This is what doctors call secondary adrenal insufficiency. Another more likely cause of secondary adrenal insufficiency happens when you are taking corticosteroids for the treatment of chronic conditions like arthritis or asthma, and you abruptly stop taking them.

Your doctor will probably ask you about your signs and symptoms and your medical history. If your doctor thinks you may have Addison’s disease there are several tests you may be asked to take. Some of these may include imaging tests, blood test, insulin-induced hypoglycemia test, and ACTH stimulation test. All of this will help your doctor to diagnose Addison’s disease.

Treatment for your Addison’s disease if diagnosed early may involve taking prescription corticosteroids. Your doctor may also want you to take one or more hormones that your body is not producing sufficiently. These are usually taken in amounts that are what the body would normally produce. Stressful situations like an infection, minor illness, or an impending operation may require a temporary increase in your dosages.

One of the dangers associated with Addison’s disease is an addisonian crisis. This is a life-threatening situation that results in high blood levels of potassium, low blood pressure, and low blood sugar levels. An addisonian crisis is usually treated with intravenous injections of saline solution, hydrocortisone, and sugar (dextrose).

Hopefully, this information about Addison’s disease will be helpful in getting the assistance you, your spouse, or your child with disability needs because of your disability caused by Addison’s disease.

As mentioned at the beginning, if you intend to apply for a social security disability benefit or disability benefit because of the disability caused by Addison’s disease, or you have already applied and been turned down, and you plan on reapplying or appealing the denial by the social security administration; you will need to enlist a competent disability lawyer to help and guide you through this process.

This is the right Web site for finding a skilled disability lawyer. The expert disability lawyer at SocialSecurityHome.com who will work with you or your spouse can help you in your claim for a social security disability benefit or disability benefit because of the disability caused by Addison’s disease.

This is something important for you, your spouse, or your child with disability. Do not put this off. Contact a skilled disability lawyer at SocialSecurityHome.com today.

Tags: Addison's disease, Disability Attorney, Social Security Disability, Social Security Disability Lawyer
Posted in Social Security Disability | Comments Off

Details About The Social Security Disability Benefits Application

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Applying for Social Security disability benefits can be a long and difficult process. It takes patience and perserverance to complete the application and receive the benefits you deserve, and sometimes, even that is not enough. If you are having trouble getting the disability benefits you need from the Social Security Administration, you need a tenacious disability attorney on your side.

As a continuation of our previous post, here is a list of the information that you will need to have in order to fill out the application and some details about what the application will look like. You will need:

Your social security number
Your birth or baptismal certificate
Names, addresses and phone numbers of the doctors, caseworkers, hospitals and clinics that took care of you and dates of your visits
Names and dosage of all the medication that you take
Medical records from your doctors, therapists, hospitals, clinics and caseworkers that you already have in your possession
Laboratory and test results
A summary of where you worked and the kind of work you did
A copy of your most recent W-2 Form (Wage and Tax Statement) or, if you are self-employed, your federal tax return for the past year.

If you have the above mentioned information ready, it may only take you 15-30 minutes to fill it out. The Social Security Administration estimates that it will take you 10-30 minutes to fill out the application with the average time being about 15 minutes.

The first section is personal information including your name, social security number, gender and date of birth. It also will ask you if your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months.

The second page of the Social Security disability application asks for your address, phone number, the best time to call and your email address. Your language preferences are also asked for on the second page.

The third page of the application is about citizenship. It asks if you were born in the United States or a U.S. Territory or Commonwealth, and if you are a United States citizen.

Once you finish the three page application for Social Security disability benefits, you will be given an application number. In order for the date that you fill out the application to be the official application date, you have six months from that date to complete the application process.

There is then an additional information section that you have to fill out of two pages. The first wants to know if you have ever used any other social security number or name. The second page asks if you want to receive reduced Retirement benefits while waiting for the disability decision.

The next section is a three page section that asks about your family. It asks about your spouse and children.

The next section is about military service. If you were in the military, you will need to provide information about the branch you served in and dates of service.

The next section is about your work history. You will need names, dates of employment and what you did.

Next, is a section about direct deposit. Here, you will need to supply information about your bank or credit union.

You are then asked to list your disability or disabilities. At the end of the application you will need to authorize the Social Security Administration to get a copy of your medical records to confirm your disability and eligibility for Social Security disability benefits.

If you are denied by the Social Security Administration in your application for Social Security disability benefits, you may need the help of an experienced disability attorney to help you in appealing the denial. SocialSecurityHome.com is the website where you can contact a skilled disability lawyer who can help you in what can be a long and complicated process.

If you have been denied, do not wait or delay. Contact the reliable disability attorney at SocialSecurityHome.com, today.

Tags: disability lawyer, social security administration, Social Security Disability Benefits Application
Posted in Social Security Disability | Comments Off

Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

You believe that you are disabled and would like to apply for Social Security disability (SSD) benefits. Or, you have a child that you believe is disabled and would like to apply for Social Security disability benefits for your child with disability.

How do you go about doing this? What do you have to do to apply for these benefits? Where do you have to go? Is the application hard to fill out? How long is the application? What information will you need to have to fill out the application?

These are all questions that you may have. These are questions that you need answered.

To begin with, there is an application that you have to fill out in order to apply for Social Security disability benefits. This application can be filled out in one of three ways.

The first way to fill out an application for Social Security disability (SSD) is by going in to your local Social Security Administration office where you can fill out the application in person. If you do not have a Social Security Administration office near where you live, there are two other ways to fill out the application.

You can fill out the application online. To do this, you have to go to the Social Security website which is www.socialsecurity.gov. Here, you can fill out an application for Social Security disability (SSD).

The other way to fill out the application for SSD is by telephone. The number to call is 1-800-772-1213. If you are deaf or hard of hearing the number is 1-800-325-0778.

When you go to the website to apply for SSD online, the first thing you are asked to do is to select the age category of the person who is disabled. If it is a child under the age of 18, you are then directed to a page that tells you how to apply for disability benefits for a child.

You have to complete an Application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and a Child Disability Report. At the present time, only the Child Disability Report can be filled out online. The SSI application has to be done either by phone or in person.

Also on this page, you will find steps on how to apply for your child with disability. These steps include a Child Disability Starter Kit that answers common questions about applying for SSI benefits for children, and it has a worksheet to help you gather the information that you will need.

If you are applying for yourself or another adult over age 18, you are directed to a page that tells you how to apply for disability benefits for an adult. You have to complete an application for Social Security Benefits and an Adult Disability Report. Both the application and the Adult Disability Report can be done online, by phone or in person.

As with the page on filing for a child, there are also steps on how to apply for an adult on this page. There is an Adult Disability Starter Kit that answers common questions about applying for benefits for an adult, and a worksheet to help you gather the information that you will need to fill out the application.

Our next post will give you details about the application and the information you will need to fill it out.

Tags: applying for ssd, Getting Social Security Disability, Social Security Disability, Social Security Disability Application
Posted in Social Security Disability | Comments Off

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Archive for March, 2009

The Benefits of Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI)