West Virginia Social Security Disability Law Blog

When many people in West Virginia think about disability benefits, the first thing that may come to mind are physical disabilities. While it is true that some people with physical conditions are unable to work and require disability benefits, there are also many people in Charleston and across the country with mental illness that also rely on the Social Security disability insurance benefits or Supplemental Security Income programs.

There is new evidence of a link between a mother's gluten sensitivity and her child's risk for schizophrenia, one of the mental health concerns that often lead to disability benefits. While there is, as of yet, no cause for schizophrenia, this information may help families better prepare for a child with schizophrenia. Some of the other factors that indicate a risk for the condition include having an older father at the time of conception, using certain types of drugs as a young adult, a family history of the disease and being involved in highly stressful situations.

A recent study finds that seven years after finishing high school, one in three young adults with autism have no paid job experience, nor do they attend college or a technical school. Researchers have determined that this rate is higher than those with other disabilities. In West Virginia and across the country, there is a higher percentage of people with other mental disabilities that are in school or working than there are people with autism.

With such high numbers of young autistic adults unemployed and without higher education, it is even more important that they apply for Supplemental Security Income. Those individuals with disabilities who have very little work experience and can meet the federal government's definition of being impoverished are eligible for this benefits program. It provides monthly funds and allows for people with disabilities to survive.

There are many different medical conditions that prevent someone from working. Disabling back pain is just one of those conditions, but it is also something that is very common in West Virginia and across the country. There are numerous people in Charleston who are unable to work because their backs hurt too much to perform even simple tasks. For these people, there are federal disability benefits.

While back pain is a particularly difficult condition, there are some things that everyone can do before getting out of bed that may help lessen pain or prevent back pain from becoming disabling. There are a series of stretches that will help any West Virginian get through the day.

With the recent switch to online deposits for people with federal disability benefits comes a new feature: online access to statements of reported income and probable benefits. This means that anyone in West Virginia who receives Supplemental Security Income will now be able to get on the computer to figure out just how much they can expect to receive from the federal government.

Supplemental Security Income provides income to those people with disabilities who meet the Social Security Administration's definition of "impoverished." Since the definition of "impoverished" can oftentimes be difficult to determine, it demands the assistance of a skilled disability benefits attorney to navigate the eligibility requirements. In addition, a disability benefits lawyer can help someone gather sufficient proof of a disability, which is essential for getting Supplemental Security Income.

Everyone in Charleston knows that the economy has had problems over the past several years. As the economic situation has gotten worse there has been a larger number of people unemployed and looking for work, but what many people in West Virginia may be surprised to learn, however, is that there has also been an increase in applications for disability benefits.

When a West Virginian loses his or her job, he or she may continuously look for work while living off of unemployment benefits. As time goes on, however, some develop health conditions that make them even less attractive to employers, making it even harder to find a job. After a certain point, someone may realize that they won't be able to find work because of his or her health conditions and file an application for disability benefits.

The Veterans Administration routinely denies claims for disability benefits. In the majority of those decisions, applicants from West Virginia and other states are told that their claims were denied because they have not proven that they are currently disabled, that they had a disease, injury or event while serving in the military or that their current disability is service-connected.

As discouraging as it is to receive news like this, it does not mean the VA is correct or that you won't be able to obtain the disability benefits you deserve. The question is: how do you get from here to there?

Anyone in Charleston living on disability benefits knows just how difficult it is to qualify. Social Security Disability Insurance benefits are available for those people that have a work history, but many of the times the government is only interested in how much the person had paid into the disability benefits system during the last 10 years. The problem, of course, is that by the time many people in West Virginia apply for disability benefits, they have been sick or affected by a disability for months or years.

Even when someone in Charleston does qualify for benefits, he or she has a $2,000 resource limit. This means that someone with disabilities must be living in relative poverty in order to be supported by the government. Anything above this limit may disqualify an individual from receiving disability benefits.

It is rough out there for everyone in West Virginia who is working for a living. Job openings are few and far between, but for people with disabilities seeking employment in Charleston, it is even worse. The national unemployment rate for people with disabilities has hit the depression-like level of 14.6 percent in the first three months of the year. This is up from 13.2 percent in the last quarter of 2011.

In addition to the high rate of unemployed people with disabilities, there is a large section of the disabled population who simply cannot work. When someone is unable to hold a job because of a physical or mental condition, he or she may be able to apply for federal disability benefits. The system is tricky, however, and often requires the guidance of an experienced disability benefits attorney.