Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Social Security Disability Allowable Claim

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one million Americans suffer from Choric Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

In order to be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy two criteria:
1. He or she must have severe chronic fatigue for a period of six months or longer with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis; and

2. He or she must also have four or more of the following symptoms: (1) substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration; (2) sore throat; (3) tender lymph nodes; (4) muscle pain; (5) multi-joint pain without swelling or redness; (6) headaches of a new type, pattern or severity; (7) unrefreshing sleep; and (8) post-exertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours.
If you are diagnosed with CFS and this symptom prevents you from performing work, you may be liable for Social Security Disability benefits.

You may acquire long-term disability benefits from the Social Security Administration as a result of your disability. Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs may help support you in your time of need. However, you must have physical or mental health problems (or a combination of problems), severe enough to prevent you from performing your work in any regular, paying job for at least 12 months in order to qualify for Social Security benefits.

On the other hand, you may also be eligible to receive benefits from your employer through Worker’s Compensation or other government benefits provided for Federal employees if you happen to be one.

Social Security Benefits for Disabled Youth

Social Security Laws also provide benefits for children below 18 years of age, who have acquired disability. A child, under the age of 18 can be eligible for such benefits if he or she meets the Social Security’s definition of disability. In addition, the child’s income as well as his or her family must fall within the eligibility limit.

Social Security considers the income and resources of the child and of the family members living in the child’s household. This rule applies when:

1. The child lives in the household; or

2. The child is always at school but returns home from time to time and is subject to the control of the parents or guardian.

For your child to be eligible and receive Supplemental Security Income or SSI benefits from Social Security, your child must be considered disabled based on the SSI program rules.

Here are the basic rules that will determine your child’s eligibility to receive SSI benefits:

1. If your child is working and earning more than $900 a month in 2007, he or she cannot be considered disabled and eligible to receive SSI benefits. Please take note that the amount of earnings changes every year.

2. Your child must have a physical or mental condition, or a combination of conditions, that result in “marked and severe functional limitations.” This means that the condition must have serious effects that limit your child’s activities.

3. Your child’s condition(s) must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 months, or must be expected to result in death. If your child's limitations do not last for at least 12 months, SSI will not consider your child disabled for the purposes of being granted with SSI disability benefits.

Increase Your Retirement Benefits after Retirement

Retirement benefits from Social Security is one of the things most working people look forward to help them plan for their retirement life. Without retirement benefits it would be next to impossible to have a secure life unless you begin working again after the age of 65 or are lucky enough to have family members who will provide you with everything you need in your twilight years.

If you are already receiving your Social Security retirement benefits and you think that you need a higher benefit to get that comfortable life you really wanted as a retired individual, you still have a way to do it.

Social Security Administration opined that you can work and pay social security taxes and Medicare even if you are already receiving Social Security retirement benefits. In the long run, it could mean a higher benefit for you as well as your family and survivors in the future. The good thing about it is that, while you are working, your earnings will reduce the amount of benefit you are receiving but only until you reach your full retirement age.

In case you reach full retirement age, you can get your benefits without any limits on your earnings. Isn’t that a great incentive to work even if you are of full retirement age? In the end, if you are tired of work or are not anymore able to perform gainful employment after your age of full retirement, you can be assured of a more prosperous retired life for you and your family to enjoy.

In order to maximize your benefits and plans for a worry-free retirement, contact highly exprienced social security attorneys. They are your partners in planning your retirement benefits and pensions for you to spend your retirement years more comfortably.

Your Retirement Portfolio

Retirement savings are important to every working American. After years of hard work, you need to have something saved up for your twilight years and also something to help you enjoy your life’s work.

The three major elements of your retirement portfolio are your benefits from your pensions, savings and investments and your Social Security benefits. The trick to a better retired life is to plan carefully for your retirement. Social Security sends you your personal Social Security statements each year so you can review your savings and plan a variety of retirement options available to you.

Ideally, you should apply for retirement benefits three months in advance. Also, it would be wise to do the same for Medicare before you reach the age of 65.

You must also be minded of pensions that could reduce the amount of your Social Security benefits. You might be computing more than what you actually have when you decide to retire. This may destroy your whole plan for a restful retired future.

In cases of retirement pensions from your employment where you also pay Social Security taxes, Social Security Administration opines that receipt of this kind of pension will not decrease your Social Security benefits unlike pensions received from federal civil service or some state, local or foreign government systems.

The elements of your portfolio are vital to the overall retirement life that you want to package. If you have any questions or needs assistance in determining what factors may affect your retirement benefits you can discuss this with social security advocates. They can give you intelligent options for your retirement plans decision-making.

SSDI Denial is Not Permanent

Social Security Disability benefits are granted to anyone who is temporarily or permanently disabled by a physical injury or psychological condition.

However, although eligible individuals may claim disability benefits as a matter of right, it does not follow that all applications are granted by the Social Security Administration.

In reality more than half of those applying for SSDI benefits are turned down or denied at the onset. There are a lot of factors that may affect the outcome of the application. Among these are defect in the form applications, lack of grounds to support the application, failure to provide medical evidence to show proof of disability, or lack of papers to show financial capacity.

Usually, those applications that were denied were made by the applicants alone and without the aid of social security attorneys. If in case you were denied the first time on your own, seek the assistance of expert Social Security lawyers now like the lawyers of the Mesriani Law Group in California. They will help you file an appeal so that you can recover your full benefits.

A family whose SSDI application is denied necessarily has to shoulder his or her own medical bills and replace lost wages. There are expert lawyers who can help you from your struggles. Expert social security lawyers know how to file reconsideration or appeal your case and show your true physical and psychological circumstance that warrants an immediate granting of your SSDI benefits.

Nothing will be lost if you get denied SSDI benefits the first time. Make sure not to get denied twice, hire diligent lawyers who are knowledgeable in medical matters to help you champion your application.

How Medical Insurance Fraud Hurts YOU

Insurance fraud or false insurance claims are claims filed with medical insurance providers or programs with intent to defraud. These are generally false claims where nothing actually was wrong with the patient, or the medical costs have been increased and medical treatments were billed but not actually performed.

Report showed that in the United States, insurance fraud is estimated to cost US$875 per person per year. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimated the loss to be $80 billion per year and Medicare estimated fraud in its system that costs the government $179 billion per year.

As you can see, medical insurance fraud accounts for millions and billions of government money.

Actually, medical insurance fraud distresses you, or the average person, in at least two ways. First, due to the costs of loss funds because of fraud, as well as investigations on the matter are paid through our taxes. The government needs to re-align or increase taxes in order to pay benefits and continue to support those who are eligible for medical insurance benefits. Another thing is, due to medical insurance fraud, you are being deprived of vital health support through proper medical treatments.

Fraud artists might bill you for treatments you should have received but were not given to you to save or earn them extra insurance money.

If you have been defrauded, you can hire medical malpractice lawyers like the lawyers of the Mesriani Law Group in California who are adept in pursuing medical malpractice and negligence cases.

On the other hand, if you know of any insurance frauds that are being committed against the government do your part and report them now.

Two Programs, One Goal

Social Security Administration pays for disability under two programs: Disability Benefits and Supplemental Security Income.

Under Social Security Disability is an insurance program that pays to you, the members who have paid for Social Security taxes and have worked long enough under the Social Security rules, benefits for your disabilities. Under the same program your adult child may also qualify for benefits on your earnings record with the Social Security if your adult child sustained disability that started before the age of 22.

On the other hand, the Supplemental Security Income or SSI program pays benefits also to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources. Other than those disabled, SSI also grants benefits to people who are at least 65 years of age even without disabilities so long as they meet the limited financial conditions set forth by the program.

If you or any of your family members is disabled, you can file application under either of the two programs established to support your condition. It is not that difficult to file under one of the programs because for most people, the medical requirements for disability payments under both programs are the same as also with the determination of disability.

If you are disabled and with limited income, apply now for the benefits under any of the two programs to which you may be eligible. These programs are made to help you get back on track to a healthier and brighter future.

Medicaid and SSI Together

Not everybody is lucky enough to have a source of income and an able body to engage in gainful employment. For those who are unlucky enough, our government has programs to aid our citizens in their time of need and misfortune.

Medicaid and SSI benefits are among the benefits granted by the government to help old and disabled citizens be able to continue a humane existence.

Medicaid is a jointly funded, Federal-State health insurance program for low-income and needy people. It grants coverage to children, aged, blind and/or otherwise disabled to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments.

Medicaid and SSI benefits are not mutually exclusive. A person who is eligible for SSI benefits can also be granted Medicaid.

However, since SSI benefits are granted to persons who have low income and with disabilities, there is a possibility that persons with SSI benefits and who are also receiving Medicaid support may lose the latter assistance when the recipient engages in work and increased his or her income.

To continue receiving Medicaid while engaging in gainful employment, a person must have been eligible for SSI cash payments for at least one month. In addition, he or she should still meets the disability requirements mandated by SSA. Also, the person must meet the non-disability requirements of SSI as well. Aside from the above, it must be shown that the person still needs Medicaid assistance to be able to continue working and his or her gross earnings should still be insufficient to replace SSI assistance.

In the end, the test really is in the actual need of the person to be granted aid and assisted with benefits to be able to survive and live a humane life.