Uncontrolled seizures may be a major reason that a person cannot work. This summary will give you some important background on the subject.
Trying to get Social Security Disability can be incredibly frustrating at times.
The tide is turning against people who have filed claims in the last few years.
From 1999 to 2003 disability applications ranged from 1.2 million to 1.8 million.
After 2004 disability applications shot up to over 2 million to a high of 2.9 million applications.
Awards on the applications dropped from 51 percent in 1999 to around 33 percent in 2013.
What all this means for people trying to get Social Security Disability is that it is getting harder and harder to win.
The people at Social Security office who are reviewing the applications are taking longer because there are more cases and not enough workers to keep up. So they do not have time to review cases as thoroughly. If you are denied make sure that you appeal because they may have missed something.
If you are denied and appeal, then you may ultimately end up in a hearing before an administrative law judge.
Approval ratings from judges have also dropped over the years.
Congress and the Media have been looking at the Social Security Disability program closely over the last few years and this has resulted in more cases being denied.
This makes it all the more important to be prepared to explain to the Judge why you cannot work.
This means telling the doctor at each visit your problems and how it bothers your activities of daily living such as sitting, standing, lifting and walking, and how it interferes with your concentration, or using your hands and arms.
You also need to be ready for the questions the Judge will ask you and know what to expect from the Vocational Consultant.
Questions about your disability case? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.
Arthritis is crippling disease that can severely limit your functioning.
People with arthritis may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.
Inflammatory arthritis also known as rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that usually attacks the hands and fingers.
Inflammatory arthritis is a systemic disease that may include weakness and fatigue.
Diagnosing inflammatory arthritis is based on blood tests, xrays or MRI’s.
Different types of medications are prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis such as methotrexate or corticosteroids, and sometimes physical therapy.
Social Security looks at the severity of your condition and how it limits your ability to function.
It focuses on the ability to walk, handle, finger, grip and lift items.
Social Security also tries to determine whether your inflammatory arthritis interferes with your ability to complete tasks due to problems with concentration, persistence or pace.
Social Security will examine whether your inflammatory arthritis causes severe fatigue, fever, discomfort, or extreme weight loss.
You should document these problems through several different ways including medical records, your doctor’s opinion, medical tests, prescriptions for use of assistive devices, letters or testimony of people who help you at home and who observe you on a regular basis.
Questions about your conditions and whether you should file for disability? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.
Social Security has a program for certain children who are considered disabled.
You must qualify financially and medically to be paid Children’s SSI benefits.
Some children are severely disabled but are not eligible for SSI benefits because their parents make too much money.
If you qualify financially, then you must also meet the Social Security rules for disability status.
It is not enough to be eligible for special education services. There are many children who have Individualized Education Plans who do not qualify for SSI.
Social Security rules and law divides a child’s functioning into 6 different categories in determining disability:
Acquiring and Using Information;
Attending and completing tasks;
Interacting and relating with others;
Moving about and manipulating objects;
Caring for yourself; and
Health and Physical Well-Being.
You have to show marked limitations in 2 of these domains or severe limitations in 1 domain.
To prove limitations you will need doctors’ records and evaluations, teachers’ assessments and possibly testing from organizations such as Easter Seals or University studies.
A child may have a combination of problems such as cerebral palsy and depression, or ADHD and autism. What Social Security looks at is the severity of the condition and how it affects the child’s daily activities such as running, playing, getting along with others, learning, focusing, and communicating.
If you have any questions about Children’s SSI you should contact an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer.
Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.
Your testimony at the Social Security Disability hearing can make the difference between winning and losing.
If you irritate the Judge it will not help your cause.
If you explain your problems and limitations in a convincing manner, then a Judge who may be leaning your way will usually find you disabled.
How do you avoid making the Judge suspicious or making the Judge mad.
If the medical records contain something that looks bad such as references to alcohol or drug abuse you will need to explain how you have had substance abuse treatment or how often you attend AA meetings.
If the medical records indicate that you are doing well, then you will have to explain how your pain will wax and wane at times or that you do better at times but the pain still makes so that you have take frequent rest breaks.
Answering the questions in a straight forward manner and believable way helps immensely.
This means that you cannot be too extreme and tell that the Judge that you are unable to do nothing. That you cannot do any chores or daily activities.That your pain is beyond a 10 all the time. People have good and bad days with a range of functioning. You should have your spouse or a friend ready to write a letter or testify that about your problems and limitations.
You can also fail to tell the Judge your real problems and pretend like you can do more than you are truly able to perform.
In addition, you should be able to explain how the pain interferes with your concentration, and makes you lose focus. How you need to nap and rest after your activities because of pain and fatigue from your medications.
A successful finding of disability depends on proper and consistent medical treatment, documented limitations, and convincing testimony at your hearing.
Questions about your disability claim? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.