Posts tagged "disability benefits"

Just like any other medical condition or accident, cancer can have a devastating effect on the body and on an Oak Hill resident's ability to earn a living. What may first start as difficulty with bowel movements may then turn into nausea and vomiting, anemia, and debilitating fatigue. All are signs of colorectal cancer and all could potentially make it so difficult to work that an individual may need to apply for disability benefits.

Those were the symptoms of one now-51-year-old, then-44-year-old woman. She had seen a bevy of doctors but none of them could give a satisfactory answer as to why she was so sick that she eventually had to stop working. It was only when she saw a specialist that she discovered she had colorectal cancer.

As more is learned about lupus, there are an increasing number of people in West Virginia who are being successfully diagnosed with the rheumatic disease. According to sources, lupus is a medical condition in which an individual's own body is attacked by its immune system, causing inflammation. Though some of the inflammation is relatively minor, for others, their lupus is so severe that they are unable to work and are in such pain that they must use federal disability payments as their income.

Disability benefits, such as the Social Security disability insurance benefits and Supplemental Security Income, require that an individual have a medical condition, like lupus, that makes it impossible to work. The medical condition must last for a minimum of 12 months, but, for many people in Charleston, their disabling conditions will last for the rest of their lives.

It has likely made the news in West Virginia that Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. is being treated in a residential facility for a mood disorder and this may have opened up discussions about the types of mood disorders and their effective treatment methods. As more information comes out about the specific congressman's condition, there will continue to be inquiry into just how much of an effect mood disorders will have on a person.

When someone is diagnosed as having a mental illness, the diagnosis often raises more questions than it answers. A diagnosed physical disorder may have specific causes and symptoms, a prescribed treatment regimen and a clear prognosis. A mental health condition, however, may have an unknown cause, more generalized symptoms, and an unclear prognosis.

Regardless of what side of the line West Virginia parents fall in the debate on whether physical punishment is an acceptable way to discipline children, people in Teays Valley may be interested to know that a new study has linked corporal punishment with mental health issues. The study shows that between 2 and 7 percent of mental illnesses are related to physical punishments that individuals received as children.

For some of the individuals who have developed a mental health condition because of non-abusive physical punishments, they are still able to lead relatively normal lives. For others, however, there is the potential that these mental illnesses will make it impossible to work. For these West Virginians, there are federal disability benefits that can help cover many of the bills and costs of daily life. These benefits can be difficult to obtain, however, and disability benefits attorneys can be invaluable resources for putting together a comprehensive disability benefits application.

Ketamine, a medicine most often used for illegal purposes, may provide significant relief for individuals with serious mental health issues. While the hallucinogenic drug known as Special K was first used as an anesthesia to horses, it may also prove beneficial in treating some people in West Virginia suffering from severe depression. In many instances this depression can be so debilitating that an individual is unable to work.

Tests are being conducted to determine whether ketamine can improve the mood and outlook of patients whose depression has not been helped by existing antidepressants or medications.

For anyone in Dunbar who is living with a disability and can no longer work, it is extremely apparent that the Social Security disability insurance program is extremely important. For those individuals who have no or an extremely limited income, these disability benefits can be a vital way to cover costs that they would have otherwise been able to pay for if they could work. Through there have been several increases in the number of people using these governmental benefits, it has recently been discovered that the number of people in the program is greater than the population of West Virginia.

In June of this year, there were 8,733,461 people who needed some kind of benefits, up by over 33,000 since May. There are currently only 11 states that have larger populations than the community of people with disabilities in the country. This figure doesn't accurately capture the number of people who are dependent on these federal benefits, however. There are nearly 1,899,756 children and 165,459 spouses who receive benefits through those individuals with disabilities.

Many people are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits in West Virginia because of their inability to work. This includes those people in the Charleston area living with bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, new information has been published that shows that many people with bipolar disorder must wait more than a decade before they are ultimately diagnosed. In fact, on average, people with bipolar disorder will wait 13 years before they are properly diagnosed. While they wait, however, they are often misdiagnosed with depression.

Although some of the patients were diagnosed promptly, about 85 percent had some sort of delay before they were ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Many of those that experienced a delayed diagnosis were told that they were depressed. As a result, some patients' symptoms were exacerbated by the use of antidepressants or sleeping medication.

There are numerous women in West Virginia who are concerned that they could become disabled and worried about what that would do to their finances. Though many of the women who do become disabled and can no longer work are eligible for Social Security disability insurance benefits, many still report that a disabling injury would be "somewhat devastating" to their households.

Though there appears to be a greater concern among women about the effects disability could have on them, disabling injuries or medical conditions can happen to anyone in West Virginia. For those individuals who have worked long enough and paid enough in taxes to the federal disability benefit funds are entitled to Social Security disability insurance benefits. After two years of receiving benefits, West Virginians would also be eligible for Medicare.

Imagine being tired all the time and constantly being in pain. Imagine having to give up the things you love because doing them leaves you needing days to recover from the fatigue that follows. Imagine being forced to give up any chance of working because you don't have the energy to do so. This is exactly what happens to many people living with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is also known as myalgic encephalitis and leaves individuals weak, tired and with flu-like symptoms. As time goes on, someone in West Virginia with chronic fatigue syndrome will develop muscle pain and there is a one in four chance that the person's symptoms will not respond with treatment. Oftentimes, people with the most severe symptoms have had other health problems throughout their lives.

The numerous people in St. Albans who receive federal disability benefits remember the long, drawn-out process for obtaining their benefits. They worked closely with an attorney to collect the necessary documentation -- including an official diagnosis -- to apply for the Social Security disability benefits that help replace the money that they can no longer earn. But what would happen if there was no way to confirm a diagnosis?

One man has learned that if his doctors can't officially diagnose him he is not eligible for disability benefits. The man previously worked as an executive for the Toyota Corporation, but he had to leave his job and give up his work when a degenerative nerve disorder made it impossible to sit or stand for an expanded period of time. Though he and his doctors both know what it is that is destroying his nervous system, he has been unable to receive an official diagnosis.

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.

As May comes to an end, so does National ALS Awareness Month. ALS is the more common term for the medical condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, a physical disability that affects many people in West Virginia.

Each year more than 5,600 people are diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disease. The disease is progressive, so someone who is diagnosed with the condition may initially appear fine, but he or she will slowly have the pathways in his or her brain and spinal cord attacked and destroyed. Because this is an extremely serious condition with no known cure, the Social Security Administration has put it on its list of "Compassionate Allowances."

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.

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.

With the rough economic condition that we're in, it is even more important that there are government programs in place to support the people of Charleston and the rest of the country. Whether that means Social Security disability benefits or some sort of support for small-business owners, government programs are often necessary for many people in West Virginia. Because people with disabilities are much more likely to be unemployed, their government benefits frequently play an extremely important role in their lives.

There are some people with disabilities, however, who are able to work. Many even own their own businesses and are twice as likely as everyone else to be self-employed. With the economic recession, it has been very difficult for many small-business owners to get the funds they need to survive. Luckily, there have been an increasing number of government programs that are helping people with disabilities start their own businesses.

Although many people in West Virginia may assume that anyone who has a developmental disability wouldn't be able to live without constant care and supervision, there are varying degrees of disabilities and each individual who lives with a disability has his or her own restrictions. Some people are unable to work due to a long-term disability and some are employed. It is when an individual can't work that he or she needs to contact a disability benefits attorney to apply for government benefits.

For the past five years, a program has been helping those with developmental and intellectual disabilities attend classes and receive a true university experience. The program allows those who might not otherwise go to college to audit up to two classes each semester and have a small graduation ceremony separate from the rest of the university, but other than that they are just like other students.

For the people of West Virginia who live with a physical or mental disability, life is often difficult. Even though they may receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, finances are most likely tight. Many of them wish they could drive to Charleston and go to work every day, but they are unable to because of their conditions, making it all the more shocking that someone would fake a disability in order to receive government benefits.

A man has recently been charged with making a false statement in order to be eligible for disability benefits and theft of government funds. Prosecutors are saying that the man lied about his physical and medical conditions to doctors and psychologists and then used a misdiagnosis to obtain Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits.

Disabled persons who seek benefits from the Social Security Administration are often unable to cope on their own, what with the labyrinth of paperwork and technicalities that must be complied to qualify for benefits. Obtaining such benefits is often a matter of survival for those unable to work because of a physical or mental disability or illness. In addition to the assistance that a disability benefits attorney can provide, Congress has also appropriated funds for advocates to help people living with disabilities. Now Congress is considering whether it should reauthorize the program.

Disabled children or adults with little or no work history can qualify for disability benefits through the Supplemental Security Income program. Persons who have worked for a substantial period of time before developing a disabling condition receive benefits through Social Security Disability Insurance. In either instance, the help that both disability benefits attorneys and these Social Security advocates provide is essential to the well-being of many living with disabilities.