We Have The Answers To Common Questions Regarding Social Security And Veterans’ Disability Benefits

Yes, you may be able to apply again. As you know all too well, the symptoms and the severity of multiple sclerosis can change over time. When you first applied for Social Security disability, you may have had a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, but you may not have qualified for Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) may have found that you could still work.

But Now You Can’t and It Might be Time to Reapply for Benefits

If you recently applied for benefits then you may be able to appeal the SSA’s denial of your application. However, it sounds like several months, or more, have passed since your initial Social Security disability application and that your medical condition has changed significantly. Accordingly, you may need to reapply for benefits with the new medical information.

How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Approved

You know that you can’t work, but the SSA is not going to simply take your word for it. Instead, you are going to have to provide specific documentation about your condition and about your work history so that the SSA has the necessary facts to approve your application. This can be confusing and time consuming; however, it is important. If you make a mistake or forget a piece of documentation then your otherwise valid application may be denied by the SSA. Thus, it is important to take the time to fill out a complete and accurate application now so that you can get the benefits that you deserve.

You ask an important question, because it is important for you to provide the right medical documentation with your Social Security disability application. Otherwise, the Social Security Administration (SSA) could deny your application and you could be left without benefits that you deserve and need now that your physical condition is keeping you from working.

What Information Do You Need?

That depends on your disability. The Social Security Blue Book Listing of Impairmentsdescribes the specific medical documentation that you need to qualify for various conditions.

For example, if you are applying for disability under Section 4.00 Cardiovascular Impairments then you should be prepared to include the detailed reports of the following information with your application:

• Your medical history
• Physical examinations
• Lab work
• Prescribed treatments and your responses to those treatments

Typically, you will need a medical record of at least three months—though more or less may be necessary based on your specific situation. Additionally, you should provide any specific information listed in the section that applies to your cardiovascular disability. Specific test results and treatments may be required based on the cardiovascular condition that you are claiming as a disabling condition.

Other documentation will be necessary if you have a different kind of disability. If you have any questions about what documentation is necessary to help support your disability application then it is important to find out the answer before you submit an application. Failure to provide all the required medical data could result in your application being denied.

While it’s true that the more evidence you provide to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the better, it is important that you provide the right information in the right way.

More specifically, as you complete your application for Social Security disability benefits, you want to make sure that you provide all relevant information in an organized way and on the right forms.

You do not want to provide irrelevant information that dilutes the relevant information on your application or that could confuse the people who are making determinations about your eligibility or your appeal.

Wondering What’s Relevant?

The specific answer will depend on your medical condition and whether this is your initial application for eligibility or a review. Generally, you will want to make sure that you include detailed and organized information about:

• Your medical condition including the results of medical tests, relevant doctors’ notes and other information
• Your work and educational history
• Other evidence as requested by the SSA

Do not make the mistake of throwing a lot of unorganized or irrelevant data at the SSA. It will not help you. Instead, make sure you are filling out all of the forms completely and accurately and that you are clear in the reasons why you qualify for Social Security disability benefits. While you do not want to include irrelevant information, it is still important to include all relevant information so that a fair determination can be made.

For more information about the application and appeals processes, please read our FREE guide: Social Security Disability What You Need to Know.

You may be eligible for Social Security disability if you have vision problems but you are not legally blind. The Social Security Administration (SSA) should approve your application for benefits if:

• Your vision problems keep you from working and are expected to last for more than one year.
• You have worked long enough to qualify for benefits.

The SSA considers an applicant to be legally blind if his vision cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in the stronger eye or if his visual field is 20 degrees or less in the stronger eye. Benefits are important for people who meet this definition of blindness. However, benefits are also important for those who have significant vision problems that interfere with their ability to earn an income even if they do not meet the technical definition of blindness.

What You Should Know If You Have Low Vision But Are Not Blind

The burden is on you to convince the SSA that you qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Since there is no specific listing for your impairment, you will need to establish that your condition keeps you from working. To that end, it is important to consider why you are having vision problems. For example, if your vision is blurry or you have double vision it could be associated with another medical condition that is listed in the SSA’s List of Impairments.

It is up to you to protect your rights and advocate for the benefits you deserve, but you don’t have to do it alone. Instead, we encourage you to gather more information by reading our related links and starting a live chat with us today to discuss your rights.

You were relieved when you got the news that the Social Security Administration had approved your Social Security disability application. The monthly Social Security disability benefits are important to you and to your family.

Accordingly, you may be concerned when you receive notice from the SSA that your case is going to be reviewed.

Three Reasons You Shouldn’t Panic

Before you let your mind jump to the worst-case scenario or you spend your weekend deciding what assets to sell to maintain your standard of living, it is important to know three things about continuing disability reviews. Specifically, it is important to know that:

• Continuing disability reviews are routine. Most adults have their claims reviewed every three to seven years. However, the SSA can decide to review a case sooner or later.
• Generally, it is easier to be determined disabled during a continuing disability review than during the initial application process. If the SSA determines that you have had no medical improvement then your status will not be changed and you will continue to receive benefits. If the SSA determines that you have had medical improvement then the SSA will consider whether you have improved enough to work.
• You may be able to get benefits if the SSA finds you no longer disabled and you appeal. You may have to fill out specific SSA forms depending on how you decide to pursue an appeal, but you may be able to continue receiving benefits during the appeals process.

You will be notified of a continuing disability review by mail. While it is not something to be feared, it should be something that you take seriously.

Right now you may be watching every penny. Your income has disappeared or has been substantially reduced because of your medical condition or injury. You are careful about what you spend and you are trying to cut costs. You may even consider trying to apply for Social Security disability benefits on your own instead of hiring an attorney to help you with the process.

However, applying for Social Security disability on your own can be risky. You may be denied benefits that you deserve because you make a mistake on your application or fail to provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) with complete information. If your application is denied you will have to decide whether you are going to live without the benefits, appeal the decision, or ask that the decision be reconsidered.

You Don’t Need This Stress

Instead, you can hire a Texas Social Security disability lawyer to help you even if you have limited funds with which to hire an attorney. Before you meet with a potential lawyer you should know that we:

• Provide free, no obligation consultations. We invite you to meet with us, free of charge, to determine whether we may be of assistance to you. We will answer your questions and help you decide what next steps to take.
• We only get paid if you recover benefits. If you do not get Social Security disability benefits then we do not get paid.
• Social Security disability lawyers have their fees regulated by the Social Security Administration. Thus, most lawyers charge about the same amount of money for their services.

We also offer useful information free of charge. You can start accessing this information now by reading our FREE Social Security Disability Fact Sheet and watching our free videos.

Yes, you may qualify for Social Security disability if you have anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. You probably already know more about this condition than you ever wanted to know. You know that anaplastic thyroid carcinoma affects only about 2% of people with thyroid cancer. You know that the typical survival time is measured in months rather than years. You know that you are very sick, that you are unable to work, and that you want to spend as much time with your family and friends as possible.

You Know That You Never Want to Be a Burden

Social Security disability may be an option for you if you can’t work during this very difficult time. Patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma currently meet the requirements for section 13.09A of the Social Security Disability Listing of Impairments. This means that you may qualify for Social Security disability if you:

• Supply a pathology report from a thyroid biopsy specimen that confirms your diagnosis of anaplastic carcinoma
• Fill out a complete and accurate Social Security disability application

You will not automatically qualify for benefits. Thus, the application process is an important one. If you fill the application out accurately and completely, you may be able to recover the benefits that you deserve, the benefits that can make your life more comfortable and help your family during this very difficult time.

To learn more about how to apply for Social Security disability, please review our related links or start a live chat with us today.

Si fue diagnosticado(a) con diabetes tipo II y considera que su condición fue ocasionada o empeorada por su servicio militar, es posible que llene los requisitos para recibir beneficios por discapacidad de la Administración para Veteranos. En la actualidad, alrededor de 270,000 veteranos reciben beneficios por discapacidad en razón de su diabetes, la mayoría de los cuales son veteranos de la guerra de Vietnam que estuvieron expuestos al Agente Naranja.

Para presentar exitosamente una reclamación por discapacidad ante la Administración para Veteranos sobre la base de diabetes tipo II , usted debe probar la relación entre su enfermedad y su servicio militar activo. Si tiene un historial médico que muestra que usted desarrolló esta enfermedad durante su servicio o dentro del año de su regreso a casa – o que sufrió síntomas no diagnosticados asociados con la diabetes durante este tiempo – es posible que tenga un caso. Asimismo, si tiene alguna otra lesión o enfermedad relacionada con su servicio que puede demostrar condujo a su diagnóstico de diabetes, también podría tener un caso.

Si prestó servicio militar en la guerra de Vietnam y, en algún momento, pisó pié en Vietnam durante ese servicio, el Departamento de Asuntos para Veteranos supone que usted estuvo expuesto al Agente Naranja, un herbicida tóxico que los profesionales médicos han asociado a una variedad de enfermedades, incluyendo la diabetes tipo II. Los veteranos que han estado expuestos al Agente Naranja y que padecen de diabetes llenan los requisitos para recibir una compensación por discapacidad.

Your condition is having a real and profound effect on your life. It is impacting your daily routine, what you do with your family, and your activities. It has changed everything, and you consider it severe.

The Social Security Administration May or May Not Agree With You

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a very specific definition of severe when it is determining whether a condition is severe for purposes of qualifying for Social Security disability benefits. In order to be considered severe, a condition must interfere with basic work-related activities.

A condition can be found to be severe if it equals one of the specific listings maintained by the SSA. While the listings cover many common conditions that qualify people for Social Security disability it is not all inclusive. Accordingly, the SSA can also find that a person’s condition is severe by finding that his mental or physical impairment is of, “such severity that he is not only unable to do his previous work but cannot, considering his age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of substantial gainful work which exists in the national economy…”

How to Make Your Case

The burden is on you to make the SSA understand your condition and how it impacts your ability to work. It is important to make your case in terms that are relevant to the SSA’s determination process. You can learn more about how to make your case by browsing our free videos and related links.

Some kinds of government benefits, including some types of Social Security benefits, may depend, in part, on your other assets. However, the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not consider your other assets, such as inheritances, when determining eligibility for Social Security disability benefits.

Why?

Social Security disability is not based on financial need. Instead, your Social Security disability application was approved by the SSA because you have a qualifying disability that prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity (or earning an income) and you had paid into the Social Security system for the required amount of time. The SSA did not consider your assets when processing your Social Security disability application, and it will not go back and reconsider your eligibility based on your inheritance.

Your loved one left you an inheritance in order to make your life easier and to help you with your financial needs. You have the right to accept that gift without fear that you will lose your Social Security disability benefits.

Have Other Questions About Your Continued Eligibility?

Do not wait until the SSA notifies you of a potential problem to get help. Instead, stay informed about your rights and be confident in your claims. To find out more, take some time to watch our free videos, download a free copy of our important report, Social Security Disability: What You Need to Know, or contact us directly via this website to get your individual questions answered.