Report: Illinois hospitals' charity care up since 2005.
Click above to read. This is a good reminder that many hospitals provide charity care. You should ask your local hospital how to apply for this. If you cannot afford health insurance, or get a medical card. This may be a way to get medical care.
Mill Creek couple sentenced to prison for Social Security fraud | Seattle Times Newspaper.
Click above to read. More examples of what not to do with your Social Security Disability.
Scott Hochberg: The Politics of Social Security in 2011: From Supermajority to Supercommittee.
Click above to read. Social Security will still be a hot issue this year. This is an election year, and the economy continues to bump along.
There have been a lot of newspaper stories recently about Social Security Disability.
The stories focus on Judges who approve too many cases, and lawyers who take advantage of the system, and how Social Security may run out of money in the next 5 to 10 years.
The media focus, Congressional inquiries, and background noise may result in policy changes and changes in the law, and ultimately may influence Administrative Law Judges in individual cases.
Some recent changes are restrictions in how much access a claimant has to the Appeals Council for appeals from Social Security Disability denials, and not giving the name of the Judge until the day of the hearing.
Future changes may tighten the definition of disability.
A practical affect may be that Judges are looking over their shoulder when they make favorable decisions.
The subtle pressure is to deny the case when in doubt.
Questions about your Social Security Disability claim? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.
There is no filing fee to apply for Social Security Disability.
Social Security will order and pay for your medical records at the first two levels of review.
However, when you request a hearing you must pay to update your medical records. Depending on the number of doctors and records this can add up in cost.
You must also pay for any Doctor’s reports or letters. This can be expensive. They may range from $100 to $1,000.
The advantage of using a lawyer is that the lawyer will often pay for the medical records and doctor reports up front.
There is also the cost of seeking medical treatment.
These costs must be kept in perspective.
A life time of benefits is worth some upfront costs.
Questions about Social Security Disability? Feel free to contact Illinois Security Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.