Incorrect or missing information in your genes is what causes muscular dystrophy. In order to have healthy muscles, certain proteins are needed. Muscular dystrophy prevents these from being made. Muscular dystrophy is not contagious. You cannot catch it from someone who has the disease.

Your muscles are weakened over time by muscular dystrophy. The ability to do things that most people take for granted like walking or sitting up is lost by children, teens and adults who have this disease. These problems caused by muscular dystrophy can begin at birth or shortly after. Sometimes, they can also start later on in childhood, adolescence or adulthood.

There are several different kinds of muscular dystrophy that affect different muscle groups in different ways. Distal muscular dystrophy is one of the types of this disease.

Distal muscular dystrophy was first described in 1902. It usually begins in middle age or even later. However, it can begin in childhood.

Distal muscular dystrophy is really a group of diseases rather than a single disease. Just as there are several forms of muscular dystrophy, there are also different types of distal muscular dystrophy.

This disease affects your distal muscles. These are the muscles that are farthest away from your shoulders and hips. These are the muscles in your hands, lower arms, feet and lower legs.

The primary signs and symptoms of distal muscular dystrophy are wasting and weakness in the muscles of your hands, forearms and lower legs. In time, however, other muscle groups may be affected.

The signs and symptoms of this disease usually progress slowly. Other possible signs and symptoms that you may experience include:

• Difficulty walking
• Frequent falls
• A waddling gait
• Joint contractures
• Heart problems

Your intellect is not affected by distal muscular dystrophy.

You or your child with disability may have been diagnosed with distal muscular dystrophy. This disease may be why you or your child with disability is disabled. This disorder may be why you need financial assistance.

Have you applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration for you or your child with disability because of the disability caused by distal muscular dystrophy? Were you or your child with disability denied?

If you decide to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, please pay close attention to this. People who are represented in the appeals process by a disability lawyer like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than those people who are not represented by an attorney.

Please do not put this off. This is something that may affect you or your child with disability for the rest of their life. Contact the dependable disability lawyer at socialsecurityhome.com, today.

Personality disorder is used to describe an unbending and potentially self-destructive, self-denigrating way of thinking and behaving regardless of what the situation is. This results in hindering your ability to carry out routine functions at social situations, school or work. It brings about distress in your life.

You may or may not know that you have a personality disorder. This is because the way that you act and think may seem natural to you. You may blame others are for your circumstances.

Nearly 15% of adults in the United States have some kind of personality disorder. This means that over 30 million Americans have some type of personality disorder.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD or APD) is one of these forms of personality disorder. It is a psychiatric condition in which there is a pervasive pattern of thinking and acting in a way that shows violation of, and disregard for, the rights of others. Antisocial personality disorder often involves breaking the law and getting into frequent conflict or trouble.

Antisocial personality disorder is also referred to as sociopathic personality disorder or psychopathy. However, some experts believe that psychopathic personality and antisocial personality disorder are two different conditions.

Approximately 3% to 5% of men in the United States are believed to have some kind of antisocial personality disorder. It is believed that 1% of women have this personality disorder.

There are several signs and symptoms that may be an indication of antisocial personality disorder. Some of these are:

• Violent or aggressive behavior
• Agitation
• Work behavior that is not responsible
• Impulsive behavior
• The use of wit or charm to manipulate others
• A disregard for wrong and right
• Abusive or poor relationships
• Ongoing deceit or lying
• Recurring problems with the law
• Intimidating others
• A lack of remorse when hurting others
• Violating the rights of others repeatedly
• Neglect or child abuse.

You or a loved one may have antisocial personality disorder. This disorder and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it may be the reason you or your loved one is disabled.

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by antisocial personality disorder and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it? Were you denied?

If you appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, always remember. People who are represented by a disability lawyer like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than people without an attorney.

Please do not wait. Contact the disability lawyer at socialsecurityhome.com, today.

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease describes people who have certain laboratory markers and clinical characteristics that suggest a systemic autoimmune disorder or connective tissue disease. However, these patients lack sufficient features for a well-defined connective tissue disease like lupus, scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis.

It is similar to mixed connective tissue disease but is not the same. With mixed connective tissue disease, patients have enough characteristics of more than one connective tissue disease to simultaneously meet the criteria for several of these disorders.

In contrast to this, people with undifferentiated connective tissue disease do not have enough features of any one connective tissue disease to meet the established diagnostic criteria for that condition. Instead, they may have features of several known diseases. Therefore, they are said to be “undifferentiated”.

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease is believed to be a systemic autoimmune disorder. “Systemic” means that it can affect almost any system in your body. “Autoimmune” refers to conditions in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body tissues.

There are several different effects that you may experience with undifferentiated connective tissue disease. Some of these effects are:

• Oral ulcers
• Rash
• Arthritis (link to page Arthritis and Disability)
• Fever
• Photosensitivity
• Neuropathy.

A preliminary classification criterion for this disorder has been proposed. This involves two things:

• Signs and symptoms for at least 3 years that are suggestive of a connective tissue disease but that do not meet the criteria for any defined connective tissue disorder.
• The presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) being identified on two different occasions.

The effects caused by undifferentiated connective tissue disease can be debilitating. You or a loved one may be disabled and unable to work because of this disease.

You may be looking for help if this is the case. You may be searching for financial help.

Have you or your loved one applied for that financial assistance from the Social Security Administration for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by undifferentiated connective tissue disease? Were you or your loved one denied?

You or your loved one may be thinking about appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If this is what you decide to do, here is something for you to think about.

You or your loved one may need a disability attorney like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com to represent you in what can be a long and trying process. The reason why this is true is because people who are represented by a disability lawyer are approved more often than those people who are not represented by an attorney.

Do not delay. Contact the disability lawyer at socialsecurityhome.com, today.

If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and you get Medicare, your state may pay your Medicare premiums if you have low income and few resources. In some cases, your state may also pay Medicare expenses like deductibles and coinsurance.

Only your state will know if you are qualified. Your state or local welfare office or Medicaid agency can tell you whether you are qualified to receive these benefits.

You also may be able to get extra help paying for the annual deductibles, monthly premiums and prescription co-payments related to the Medicare prescription drug program (Part D). You may qualify for extra help if you have limited income (tied to the federal poverty level) and limited resources. These income and resource limits change each year and are not the same as the SSI income and resource limits. You can contact Social Security for the current numbers.

If you have both Medicaid with prescription drug coverage and Medicare, Medicare and SSI, or if your state pays for your Medicare premiums, you automatically will get this extra help. You will not need to apply for it.

As you can see, there is a worthwhile monthly cash benefit that you will receive if you qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In addition, there are the additional benefits listed above that you may qualify for because you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). It is certainly worth the time and effort to apply for SSI.

You may have applied and been denied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). What can you do now? What options are open to you?

If you decide to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, you are probably going to need the help and advice of a good disability attorney. People who have an experienced disability lawyer are approved more often than those without an attorney.

SocialSecurityHome.com is the Web site where you can get in touch with a disability lawyer who can help you get the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits that you are entitled to.

Appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration can be a long and trying process. The disability attorney at SocialSecurityHome.com can counsel and assist you in your efforts to win your claim.

Do not put this off. Do not wait or delay. This is something that is vitally important to you and your future. Contact the disability lawyer at SocialSecurityHome.com, today.

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It can affect any part of your gastrointestinal tract from the anus to your mouth. Like ulcerative colitis, another common IBD, Crohn’s disease can be both painful and debilitating and sometimes may lead to a life-threatening complication.

Crohn’s disease may be an autoimmune disease. This is a type of disease where your body attacks its own cells. For example, cancer is an autoimmune disease. Heredity and environment are also possible factors in the development of Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease usually begins between the ages of 15 and 30. However, this condition can occur at any age in life.

It is possible for you to be affected by Crohn’s disease for many years before it is diagnosed. Some of the signs and symptoms that you may experience are:

• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Diarrhea
• A bloody stool
• Reduced appetite and weight loss
• Delays in growth or sexual development
• Ulcers.

As mentioned above, Crohn’s disease can be both painful and debilitating. It may have reached that point with you or a loved one. Crohn’s disease may be why you or your loved one is not able to work. It may be the cause of your disability.

If this is the case, you or your loved one may need help. You may need financial assistance because of the disability caused by Crohn’s disease.

Who can you call on for the financial help that you or your loved one needs? Where will that help come from? What will you do?

Have you or your loved one thought about applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by Crohn’s disease? Have you or your loved one already done this and been denied by the Social Security Administration?

You may be wondering what to do next? What options do you have? Do you have any recourse?

One step that you or your loved one can take is to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you decide to do this, here is something to keep in mind.

You or your loved one is going to need the help and assistance of a reputable disability lawyer like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com in what can be a long and arduous process. The reason why this is true is because people who are represented by a reliable disability attorney are approved more often than those people who are without a lawyer.

Do not hesitate. Contact the proven disability attorney at socialsecurityhome.com, today.

Infective endocarditis, which is sometimes called bacterial endocarditis strikes somewhere between 10,000 –20,000 people in the United States each year. Although endocarditis is not a common disease, it is important because even with antimicrobial therapy it can lead to the need for open heart surgery, stroke or even death.

Endocarditis is known by some other names besides the two just mentioned. It is also called rheumatic endocarditis, acute endocarditis, valvular endocarditis and mural endocarditis.

There are also several types of endocarditis. These range all the way from acute forms that appear suddenly to subacute forms that develop gradually over a period of time.

The effects that you may experience with endocarditis vary according to the cause of the infection and the type of the disease. Some of the ways that you may be affected by endocarditis are:

• Weight loss
• Night sweats
• Fever
• Chills
• Chest or back pain
• Joint or arthritis pain
• A persistent cough
• Shortness of breath
• Tiny, purplish-red pinpoint spots of bleeding under your skin (petechiae)
• Headaches
• Painless, bumpy nodules on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.
• Dark red lines of bleeding under your nails (splinter hemorrhages)
• Tender spots under the skin on the pads of your fingers (Oster’s nodes).

There are other clinical effects caused by endocarditis that will have to be confirmed by your doctor. Some of these are:

• An enlarged spleen
• Stroke
• A change in the quality of an existing heart murmur or a new heart murmur
• Embolisms caused by clumps of blood cells and infectious fungi or bacteria.

Endocarditis and problems along with or resulting from it may be causing you or a loved one’s disability. This disease may be why you or your loved one cannot work and needs financial assistance.

Who can you turn to for the financial help that you need? Where will this assistance come from?

Have you or your loved one applied for financial help from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by endocarditis and problems resulting from or along with this disease? Were you or your loved one denied?

If you or your loved one is planning on appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration, here is something that you need to remember. People who are represented and assisted by a skilled disability attorney like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

Do not wait. Do not put this off. Contact the trustworthy disability attorney at socialsecurityhome.com, today.

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.

Here is a list of the information that you will need to have in order to fill out the application. 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.

However, if your repetitive stress injury is going to cause you to be unable to work for one year or longer, or it is in conjunction with other disabling conditions that will keep you from working for over a year; you may then qualify for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. 

This may be your situation. You may have applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration and been denied.

If you plan to appeal the denial, remember this. People who are represented in the appeals procedure by a skilled disability attorney like the one at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than those people who are not represented by a lawyer. 

Repetitive stress injury refers to any of a loose group of medical conditions resulting from the overuse of some kind of tool or instrument. For example, it could be a knife, guitar or computer. It can be anything that requires repeated movements. 

 Repetitive stress injury is a syndrome that affects nerves, tendons and muscles in your upper back, arms and hands. The medically accepted condition in which repetitive stress injury occurs is when muscles in these areas are kept tense for extremely long periods of time. This is due to repetitive motions and/or poor posture. 

Repetitive stress injury (RSI) is also known by several other names. It is also called repetitive strain injury, cumulative trauma disorder (CTD), occupational overuse syndrome or work related upper limb disorder (WRULD). 

The people who are most at risk for getting this syndrome are those whose job requires them to make the same repeated movements over a long period of time. Repetitive stress injury is common among assembly line workers, computer workers and guitarists. 

You may think that this syndrome is nothing serious, just a minor nuisance. However, repetitive stress injury is no small, laughing matter. It accounts for 34% of all lost-workday illness and injury, and it costs $20 billion a year. An estimated $50 billion a year is lost by businesses, annually, due to decreased productivity, sick leave and medical costs linked to repetitive stress injury. 

There are several varied signs and symptoms of repetitive stress injury. Some of these are: 

• Recurring soreness or pain in your hands or wrist, shoulders, neck or upper back
• Weakness, lack of endurance and loss of gripping strength
• Numbness or pain while lying in bed
• Numbness, tingling, coldness or loss of sensation
• Muscles in your arms and shoulders feel wiry and hard to the touch. 

If you can’t work because of a repetitive stress injury, don’t wait. Contact the tough disability attorney at socialsecurityhome.com, today.

Multiple sclerosis is thought to be an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are those in which your immune system attacks parts of your body as if they are something foreign.

With multiple sclerosis, your body mistakenly sets white blood cells and antibodies against proteins in your myelin sheath. This is a fatty substance that insulates nerve fibers in your brain and spinal cord. This leads to injury and inflammation to your myelin sheath and ultimately to your nerves that it surrounds. This in turn may lead to multiple areas of scarring (sclerosis). Eventually, this damage can block or slow your nerve signals that control your strength, sensation, vision and muscle coordination.

Multiple sclerosis affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States and probably more than 1 million people around the world. Women are twice as susceptible to multiple sclerosis as men. Most people experience their first signs or symptoms between the ages of 20 and 40.

Multiple sclerosis is unpredictable and varies in severity. Multiple sclerosis can range anywhere from being relatively mild and benign, to somewhat disabling, to devastating with permanent disability.

The effects that are caused by multiple sclerosis vary widely, depending on the location of your nerve fibers that are affected. Some of the ways that you may be affected are: 

• Blurring of your vision or double vision
• Pain or tingling in parts of your body
• Dizziness
• Electric-shock sensations that happen when you make certain head movements
• Fatigue
• An unsteady gait in your walking, tremor or lack of coordination
• Weakness or numbness in one or more of your limbs
• Partial or complete loss of vision.

 These effects may keep you or a loved one from working. Multiple sclerosis may be the cause of you or your loved one’s disability.

If this is true, you or your loved one may need assistance. You may need financial help.

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by multiple sclerosis? Were you or your loved one denied?

You or your loved one may plan on appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you decide to do this, here is something that you need to think about.

You will need an established disability lawyer like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com to represent you in what can prove to be a long and trying process. The reason this is true is because people who are represented by an experienced disability attorney are approved more often than people who do not have a lawyer. 

Do not wait. This may affect you or your loved one for the rest of your life. Contact the good disability attorney at socialsecurityhome.com, today.

Social Security Disability Insurance requires that you are disabled and you have worked a certain number of pay periods and paid employment taxes. When you work and pay taxes you are accumulating work credits. If you become disabled and have enough work credits accumulated you may be able to draw Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Benefits may also be available to widows, dependents and widowers.

Supplemental Security Income is the second program administered by the Social Security Administration. This program is for individuals who are aged (65 years or older), blind or individuals who have limited income and resources and are disabled and unable to work. The disability requirements that must be met for each program are the same. Limited income and resources are determined by the Social Security Administration and the amount can vary by year.

To apply for Social Security Disability benefits, both SSI and SSDI, you can contact the Social Security Administration in the following ways:

1. Call the Social Security Administration’s Office at 1-800-772-1213
2. Visit the Social Security Administration online at www.socialsecurity.gov and complete the Social Security Disability application.
3. Make an appointment to meet with a Social Security Disability representative at a local Social Security Administration Office. To locate the nearest Social Security Administration office in your area go to the www.socialsecurity.gov website and find the Social Security Administration office locator page. Enter your zip code and the nearest Social Security Administration Regional Office in your area will be listed for you.
4. After you have met with a SSA representative or filled out the Social Security Disability Application on line your completed Social Security Disability application will be sent to the appropriate Social Security Administration Office. It may take 30-90 days for your Social Security Disability application to be processed. If you are denied Social Security Disability benefits, they will send you a denial letter in the mail. You have 60 days from the date of the denial letter to file your Social Security Disability benefits. If you are approved for Social Security Disability benefits they will send you a letter outlining the Social Security Disability benefits you can expect to receive and the date you will receive them.

If you are applying for Social Security Disability Benefits or if you have questions regarding Social Security Disability benefits, you can contact a Social Security Disability lawyer who can answer all of your Social Security Disability questions. If you have been denied benefits a Social Security Disability Attorney can also help with each phase of the Social Security Disability appeals process and increase your chances for getting benefits.