Source: Does Disability Have a Face? | Social Security Matters
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Good reminder that Social Security Disability is not welfare. It is something you have earned through paying taxes over your lifetime.
Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney
Names Do Not Matter in Disability
Sometimes I will have people ask me if you can get Social Security Disability if you have cancer, or diabetes, or migraines.
The answer is maybe.
Social Security does not just look at your diagnoses.
It certainly helps to have a diagnosis; even Social Security Judges like to fit illnesses and conditions into categories.
However, what really matters in a Social Security Disability case is your limitations and restrictions as a result of your illness, injuries and conditions.
You must go beyond the name of your illness and prove that it limits your daily activities.
This means that it causes you problems with sitting, standing, walking, lifting, reaching, handling and fingering.
Or it causes you problems with concentration, focus, and staying on task, and makes you miss work.
You must show this through medical tests, doctors records, reports, and your testimony and other people’s testimony.
Just explaining your disease is not enough. The Judge must understand how it affects your activities of daily living.
Make sure that you have someone helping you present your best case possible to Social Security.
It does not cost you anything to get the help of an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer unless you win and all fees are capped by the government.
Contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May for a free consultation at 309-827-4371.
Electroshock no longer taboo in treating mental illness – TODAY.com
Whether it’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Girl Interrupted,” or “Homeland,” Hollywood’s portrayals of electroconvulsive therapy have never been pretty.And the images from those movies and TV shows have only added to a stigma that keeps many desperate patients from opting for a therapy that might turn their lives around, experts say.
Source: Electroshock no longer taboo in treating mental illness – TODAY.com
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If you have had this type of treatment as part of your mental health regimen make sure that you let Social Security know. This is very important.
Social Security Disability and the Future
Just my personal observations, but the next few years will most likely continue to be very difficult for those who are seeking Social Security Disability benefits.
The political climate is such that Social Security Disability will remain a hot topic and Congress will want to tamp down the number of people who receive benefits.
Administrative Law Judges will be very sensitive to this pressure because the outliers will be hammered down.
Even judicial independence goes only so far when your bosses are screaming that the number of people approved should decrease.
Rules changes to make it more difficult for people to win are not off the table.
The percentages of people who win disability cases has dropped drastically over the last couple of years.
What this means for people who are trying to get Social Security Disability benefits is that you need to do your best to present a strong case.
This includes going to the doctor and having the doctor document your major problems and limitations, making sure that you complete all Social Security documents correctly, and knowing what questions will be asked at the hearing and why.
Make sure that you have an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer who can help you throughout the complicated disability process.
It does not cost you anything unless you win and fees are limited by Federal law.
Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.
A Social Security Disability Primer | Brad Reid
The Social Security Act provides financial benefits to qualified individuals who have suffered a physical or mental disability. “Disability” is defined as the “inability to engage in an
Source: A Social Security Disability Primer | Brad Reid
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Some background information explaining Social Security Disability. If you need a specific explanation about your situation please call for a free consultation. Illinois Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.