Posts tagged "disabilities"

People in Charleston recognize that there are a considerable number of very physically-demanding jobs in West Virginia, but they may not realize that it has resulted in West Virginia having the highest percentage of people on disability benefits. Approximately 9 percent of the West Virginia population between 18- and 64-years-old was receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits in 2010. This is compared to 2.8 percent of the populations in the states with the lowest rates.

So what is causing such a high number of people relying on disability benefits? Not only do West Virginians have a higher chance of being disabled, but there has been an overall increase in people applying for and receiving benefits. In fact, there has been a 23 percent increase in the number of recipients since 2007.

There is no denying that people in West Virginia with certain mental illnesses produce extremely detailed and thorough work. Despite the fact that someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder might produce excellent work, he or she may be unable to find or keep a job because of poor time management. In some of the most extreme cases, someone with this condition may become so focused on minute details and turning in a flawless report, that he or she cannot finish work on time and may be fired because of it.

These kinds of social and work interferences leave many people with obsessive-compulsive disorder depending on disability benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. Benefits can help pay for medication and other living costs.

It was recently the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a set of laws that revolutionized how people with disabilities are treated in the work place. There are some important statistics, however, that belie the great improvements the United States has seen with respect to employees with disabilities.

Of the roughly 308 million people living in the United States, 12 percent or 36 million people have disabilities. Seventy-two percent of people with disabilities are not employed and most likely rely on some sort of disability benefit program. West Virginia's population is the most disabled, with 18.8 percent of its population reporting some sort of disability.

A traumatic brain injury can be a severe physical disability. Traumatic brain injuries often lead to comas, in which a patient is unconscious and can't be revived. While many comatose patients eventually wake up, many who suffered traumatic brain injuries will not be able to function as they did before.

Traumatic brain injuries are very common in the United States and approximately 1.7 million people suffer these injuries after traffic accidents or intentional violence. A new procedure called transcranial magnetic stimulation, however, may help increase brain function in injured patients.

Strokes are among the most feared, yet least understood, medical conditions suffered by people in West Virginia today. Strokes happen when the blood supply to functional areas of the brain is reduced or cut off, which can lead to long-term impairment of motor function and permanent disability.

The majority of strokes are caused by fatty plaques that build up in arteries, limiting blood flow to the brain or stopping it completely. These strokes, known as ischemic strokes, occur in about 85 percent of all stroke victims.

People who suffer from disabilities in West Virginia understand that a disability can affect just about every aspect of their lives. The Social Security Administration defines a disability as any medical condition that prevents a person from engaging in employment due to an impairment caused by the condition. If the condition is expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death, a person can qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

According to a recent report in the health journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, more than 1 million women of childbearing age have a physical disability. It is uncertain how many disabled women give birth each year, but researchers are learning more about how pregnancy can interact with a disability and about the special needs of disabled women.

Spinal cord injuries are devastating injuries that often leave a person disabled for life. More than 200,000 people in the U.S. are currently living with a spinal cord injury and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 12,000 to 20,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury each year.

Depending on the severity of the injury, a spinal cord injury can require $15,000 to $30,000 for an individual patient's medical costs each year and more than $3 million over the course of a lifetime. Because of the extreme effects this type of injury can have on a person, many people who have suffered a spinal cord injury are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.

The spine is a very complex bundle of nerves connecting the brain to the rest of the body. Because of the complexity of the spine, physicians and medical researchers have struggled to find effective treatment options for spinal cord injuries. However, researchers at Rutgers University recently announced a potential breakthrough for treating the disabling consequences of spinal cord injuries.

As the Baby Boom generation ages, many people are developing osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a common disease that afflicts certain joints in the body. Typically, osteoarthritis occurs after the protective cartilage in a joint wears down. This can cause bone to rub against bone, which can lead to severe pain and a loss of mobility.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis are often severe, and many osteoarthritis patients lose the ability to work because of their condition. Patients who lose the ability to work because of osteoarthritis and other health conditions may be entitled to Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.

Presently, many doctors turn to joint replacement surgery to help osteoarthritis patients. This type of surgery, however, is very expensive and this painful procedure often requires a significant amount of recovery time.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disease that causes severe fatigue that does not go away with rest. The causes of this disease are poorly understood, but the consequences are very real for the millions of Americans who suffer from it.

Recent research into this previously ignored disease has revealed some new data about the symptoms of the condition and will likely lead to increased recognition that this is a disease that causes a serious disability for many people. As many as four million people in America suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, a disease that affects memory and concentration. In addition to severe fatigue, patients normally feel ongoing pain. Previously, many doctors were unable to locate a source of the symptoms and dismissed them as being "in the patient's head."

The problems brain injury victims experience have gained increased recognition over the past few years. Much of the increased attention is due to the fact that brain injuries and concussions are among the most common types of injuries suffered by troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The recent shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords has brought increased attention to brain injuries, and the need for intensive rehabilitation to prevent a brain injury from becoming a lifelong disability. The near miraculous progress Representative Giffords has made is a tribute to the success of cognitive rehabilitation therapy.

Three months after being shot in the head, Representative Giffords is again able to speak and she is now able to walk with assistance. Timely and early rehabilitation is being credited for Giffords' remarkable recovery. Unfortunately, many brain injury victims do not have access to the same type of rehabilitation and the effects of their brain injuries result in permanent impairment of brain function. People with permanent brain impairment are often rendered unable to work and need to seek help from the Social Security Disability system.

With more people retiring and more people getting older in West Virginia and across the nation, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has found itself working on more claims over the past few years. In 2009, the agency received about 10 million claims, up from about 8.2 million claims made in 2004.

The speed with which disability claims are handled has been negatively impacted by the increase in the total number of claims. Approximately two-thirds of disability claims are denied at first, and applicants who have claims that are denied need to appeal their cases. However, the disability appeals system began to develop a prolonged backlog.

If you or a member of your family is fighting an autoimmune disease, you may be entitled to Social Security Disability benefits. Presently, the Social Security Administration is considering changes to the way people with autoimmune disease can apply for those benefits.

The Social Security Administration is holding its seventh public hearing on its Compassionate Allowance system. This week's hearing will focus on adding several autoimmune diseases to its list of Compassionate Allowances.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is one of the most mysterious and debilitating diseases confronting patients and the medical community today. Patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome often become disabled by its symptoms that include severe exhaustion and immobility. Sufferers have continued to urge scientists to take action against this debilitating disease.

Many individuals suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome believe that members of the scientific community have not done enough to help cure the disease.

Neurological diseases and conditions take a heavy toll on people who suffer from them. In serious cases, a neurological condition impedes an individual's ability to do daily activities, including bathing, eating and grooming, the rest of us take for granted. Even in less serious cases, neurological disabilities can prevent an individual from working and earning a living.

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week is observed from March 14 to March 20 this year. Multiple sclerosis is a serious autoimmune disease that affects the brain and the central nervous system. It is estimated that over 400,000 Americans suffer from multiple sclerosis. Other neurological conditions are even more common. Nearly one million Americans live with Parkinson's disease. Approximately 1.4 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury each year.

As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs labors under large backlogs that result in significant delays for veterans who apply for VA disability benefits, an important lawmaker has proposed an unusual solution to the backlog problem.

Presently, the VA has a backlog of 785,000 claims, including about 260,000 disability compensation claims. Many lawmakers are doubtful about the VA's ability to reduce that backlog. Representative Bob Filner, the ranking minority party member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has a history of offering many creative solutions designed to cut the backlog and waiting time for disability claims. Recently, he has suggested that veterans who apply for disability benefits could receive an immediate payment if they are willing to accept a reduced amount of benefits. Alternatively, veterans could wait for a full review of their claims in hopes of receiving a larger award.

A former Supercross rider who was paralyzed 11 years ago is now planning a cross-country bicycle tour to promote awareness and raise money for spinal cord injury research. Jimmy Button was 26 years old when he suffered a freak accident while warming up for a Supercross Series race. He landed at an awkward angle and his spinal cord was pinched in the C-2 to C-6 region of his neck. This left him paralyzed from the neck down.

For years, he struggled with the disability. Doctors did not believe Button would ever walk again.

People who are afflicted with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also called Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), may be entitled to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI or SSD) benefits. To obtain SSDI benefits, the applicant must show that the symptoms of CFS are so severe that he or she is unable to work and that the syndrome is expected to last more than 12 months.

The symptoms of CFS are often so pervasive that a person who has been diagnosed with the syndrome must drastically alter his or her life just to cope with the disease. There is no cure for the illness nor are there prescription drugs available to treat CFS. Instead, doctors often recommend that a CFS patient change his or her lifestyle to adapt to CFS, which may mean that a person diagnosed with CFS must quit his or her job to live with the illness.

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can have painful and life-changing symptoms. In addition to being very painful, it can have life-threatening complications. In many cases, Crohn's disease is so debilitating that it prevents a person from working. Therefore, many sufferers are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.

The most common symptoms of Crohn's disease are diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, loss of appetite, weight loss, ulcers and internal bleeding. Severe cases of Crohn's disease can involve inflammation of the liver, arthritis, fever, fatigue, skin problems and eye disorders. Crohn's disease can also lead to severe intestinal problems including blockages and abnormal connections between different parts of the intestine. This can lead to malnutrition in people who suffer from Crohn's disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a crippling disability that can seriously affect a person's ability to work. It is considered to be an autoimmune disease, which means it is caused by the body's own immune system attacking joint tissue and connective tissues in the body. This causes inflammation, pain, and a loss of joint flexibility and mobility.

While the effects rheumatoid arthritis has on the body's joints is well known, recently released research is showing that RA is linked to higher risks of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. Swedish researchers followed 7,469 people who had rheumatoid arthritis for a period of 12 years and monitored how many of the patients developed heart disease and heart attacks. They then compared the people with RA to a group of 37,024 people who did not have RA.

Devastating brain injuries are referred to by a variety of names including traumatic brain injury, TBI and concussions. People can experience a TBI while doing a variety of activities including sports, driving, and winter activities like sledding or skating. Any activity that can result in a fall or an object striking the head can cause a serious brain injury.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a traumatic brain injury as an injury to the head caused by a bump, blow, or jolt that disrupts the normal functions of the brain. TBIs range from mild cases, involving a temporary change in a person's level of consciousness, to severe cases, involving amnesia or a prolonged loss of consciousness.