2. About two and half million disability claims are filed with the social security administration each year. And, of these, more than two-thirds are denied.
3. Most disability applicants tend to give up on their claims after the receipt of an initial claim denial or after the reconsideration denial.
4. The number of disability applications is rising, commensurate with an aging population.
All in all, this article only rehashes what has been reported several dozen times by local papers around the country.
]]>
A few brief facts about Social Securitytag:www.disabilitysecrets.com,2007:/blog//1.102007-12-10T21:00:38Z2007-12-10T21:08:38Z The following tidbits of information were derived from an article written by Madonna Meyer and Pamela Herd of the Russell Sage Foundation. 1. Social Security Retirement actually makes up...Tim Moore
1. Social Security Retirement actually makes up about forty percent of the income for older persons in the U.S.
2. The poverty rate among the elderly currently stands at 10 percent. However, in 1959, it was as high as thirty-five percent.
3. Social Security retirement funds are derived entirely from FICA tax.
4. The cost of administering the social security retirement program is less than one percent of FICA tax collected.
5. Women, on average, will collect social security retirement benefits five years longer than men.
6. The social security retirement program may be viable until the year 2041; however, this is something that is highly debated and the system may be prone to shortfalls as soon as 2017.
]]>
What to do when Social Security Retirement isn't enoughtag:www.disabilitysecrets.com,2007:/blog//1.92007-12-10T18:23:55Z2007-12-10T21:10:37Z One of those odd trends: An increasing number of Americans are deciding to leave the U.S. at the onset of their golden years, a.k.a. social security retirement years, for...Tim Moore
: An increasing number of Americans are deciding to leave the U.S. at the onset of their golden years, a.k.a. social security retirement years, for the purpose of relocating to more afforable environments. One of those environments is Mexico, a country in which the American dollar still stretches reasonably far, albeit not as far as it used to.
Why is this phenomenon occurring? There are probably a number of reasons. However, here are a few contributing factors.
1. Americans are living longer. This means that a nest egg, assuming that has been "hatched" has to last longer than it once did.
2. Though Americans are living longer, they're not necessarily healthier. Why? Recent evidence indicates that obesity is occurring at younger ages, resulting in more mobility limiations by the time an individual reaches retirement age. This often translates as a higher incidence of arthritis and degenerative disc disease, but also as a lower level of general health. This means, for some individuals, having to deal with greater health-related costs as they get older.
3. The savings rate among Americans of all ages is abysmal, and this applies to retirees. The unfortunate truth is that most retirees may only have their homes as a significant asset.
4. The American lifestyle is highly focused on consumption, which contributes to excess spending (typically on entertainment and recreational items) and a low savings rate).
Going abroad is, essentially, a plan of escape for those individuals and couples whose golden years look bleak due to limited assets and income. Is mexico the only point of retreat? No, other ports of retreat include Panama and Belize.
Additional Entries The Question of Who Qualifies for Disability Benefits Lyrica for Fibromyalgia and Diabetes as well]]>
The Question of Who Qualifies for Disability Benefitstag:www.disabilitysecrets.com,2007:/blog//1.72007-11-30T01:22:29Z2007-11-30T01:32:48ZFrom my own perspective (a former disability-medicaid caseworker and a former disability claims examiner for the social security administration), I don't find it surprising in the least that individuals who...Tim Moore
who qualifies for disability. After all, its become something of a mantra that 1) no one is approved for disability on the first application, 2) good disability cases are denied and 3) people who probably shouldn't be awarded disability benefits are routinely approved.
Are these "myths" correct? Well, in actuality, about three out of ten applicants for social security disability or SSI disability benefits actually are approved, so the first part of that mantra is not correct (Of course, the flip-side to that equation is that seventy percent of all cases are initially denied, which is a horrendous statistic). Regarding the second part, there is no doubt that good cases are denied. As a disability examiner, I routinely saw solid disability claims get denied by agency supervisors who were obviously intent on controlling the number of approvals made by their subordinates (sad, but true, this really happens in the state agencies that render medical determinations for the social security administration). In fact, as I've said for quite some time, the mere fact that so many claimant who are denied at the disability claim and reconsideration levels are are later approved at disability hearings substantiates the notion that the social security disability system is a little rotten at the core. Regarding the third part, I can't really say that, as an examiner, I saw "bad cases" getting approved. In fact, it was usually quite the opposite.
At the hearing level, however, that may be a bit different, and many disability representatives will be quite frank in admitting that when it comes to the differences in decisions made by one group of administrative law judges (within a single hearing office), there sometimes seems to be little rhyme nor reason. To some extent, however, that may also be a factor of subjectivity. Because the truth is, ten different individuals reading the same set of medical records may potentially come to ten different conclusions. Decision-making within the SSD and SSI programs is simply not as objective as the social security administration would have us believe; rather, instead, the process is quite subjective.
Now, back to the point with which I began before I wandered so far off-topic: who qualifies for disability benefits? Basically, anyone whose medical records shows that their condition is severe enough to A) make it impossible for them to perform their past work and B) make it impossible for them to engage in other work (as determined by their work skills, education, age, and physical and mental limitations), in effect, qualifies for disability. This is, of course, a simplified way of explaining how disability determinations are made. But to a large extent, the system actually is simple. From a claimant's perspective, it seems incomprehensible due to the fact that relatively little effort is expended by the social security administration to A) keep claimants informed as to the status of a disability case and B) advise them more thoroughly regarding the proper completion of paperwork and the timely filing of paperwork (such as for the submission of appeals).
Additional pages at Disability Secrets: Am I disabled enough to qualify for disability? Medical conditions that qualify for disability Requirements to qualify for disability Social Security Disability Criteria Does my condition qualify for disability? What conditions qualify you for SSI disability ]]>
Lyrica for Fibromyalgia and Diabetes as welltag:www.disabilitysecrets.com,2007:/blog//1.62007-11-29T16:12:51Z2007-11-29T17:28:59ZIt's difficult these days to watch anything on televison without being subjected to a barrage of pharmaceutical ads. In fact, its gotten so bad that the words lipitor and boniva...Tim Moore
"Doc, I saw this commercial last night and I really think I need to take..." they experience an immediate pinprick sensation of irritation. Just the same, it can't be all bad. After all, the drug commercials are only informing the public of what the doctors are already being informed of via the friendly pharmaceutical reps that visit their offices to inform them of their "wares". Ultimately, its up to a physician to determine what to prescribe and, in working with patients, to determine what works and what doesn't. Last night, however, I saw a commercial that piqued my interest. The pharmaceutical in question was something called Lyrica. As a disability examiner, I read medical records all day long so I'm familiar with many drugs. Lyrica, though, is new. And its the first prescription drug approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Which to my mind is great news since A) this will be beneficial to FMS patients and B) this will be another step toward validating this condition and improving the attitudes of physicians (many of whom, unfortunately, don't give a lot of credence toward fibromyalgia. Interesting thing, though. I went to the manufacturer's website to learn more about Lyrica and found out that the drug was originally developed for peripheral neuropathy (a condition that causes itching, burning, and numbness in the feet and hands of patients with diabetes. Which makes sense, as far as the application for FMS is concerned since pain is a hallmark symptom of fibromyalgia.
