When someone files for Social Security Disability Benefits, they state that they are unable to perform gainful work for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week or otherwise full-time work. This includes the work you have performed in the past as well as other work that exists in the national economy. Social Security can deny your claim if you are able to perform work that you have done in the past and this is especially true for individuals over the age of 50 even with significant impairments. The Social Security Administration has generally looked at all the work you have performed full-time in the la ..read more

There are a number of different types of benefits VA provides to Veterans, as well as to eligible dependents of Veterans that meet specific criteria. The most common VA benefits are disability benefits, which are what most Veterans are seeking and include all service-connected disabilities that a Veteran may have. Further, a Veteran that receives over a 30% overall rating with VA can have eligible dependents added to their monthly benefits. One type of benefit that is not as well known, but is extremely important for surviving dependents is Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). DIC bene ..read more

Social Security beneficiaries who owe money to the Social Security Administration in the form of an overpayment will now have less money withheld from their monthly checks. On March 25, 2024, Social Security announced that it will decrease the default overpayment withholding rate for Social Security beneficiaries to ten percent or $10 whichever is greater. Previously, SSA would withhold 100% of a person’s total monthly Social Security benefit payment in order to recoup an overpayment. The new policy will now only allow SSA to withhold 10% of a beneficiary’s total monthly benefit or $10, whiche ..read more

Social Security beneficiaries who owe money to the Social Security Administration in the form of an overpayment will now have less money withheld from their monthly checks. On March 25, 2024, Social Security announced that it will decrease the default overpayment withholding rate for Social Security beneficiaries to ten percent or $10 whichever is greater. Previously, SSA would withhold 100% of a person’s total monthly Social Security benefit payment in order to recoup an overpayment. The new policy will now only allow SSA to withhold 10% of a beneficiary’s total monthly benefit or $10, whiche ..read more

Veterans Affairs medical facilities experienced a notable increase in patient visits and a decrease in wait times during the first half of the new fiscal year which was attributed to the implementation of additional night and weekend appointments as part of the Access Sprints initiative. This initiative, driven by VA leaders’ efforts to expand healthcare access following the passage of comprehensive military toxic exposure legislation in 2022, has resulted in an 11% rise in new patient appointments and an 12% reduction in new patients waiting beyond department guidelines. Despite some changes ..read more

Continuing in our series on resources for affordable or low-cost medical care in the area, I would like to highlight several resources for Vision care and treatments. One resource is CSVR-Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation. They have an office in Mobile, Daphne and Foley. CSVR is a non-profit helping those whose vision cannot be corrected with usual eye care, surgery or glasses. They see people with low vision or blindness regardless of economic status. After an initial assessment, you are referred for therapy or recommended for aids or devices which may be available. They also work ..read more

Manufacturing employees, industrial professionals and other blue-collar workers perform some of the most demanding jobs in the country. They work with massive pieces of machinery, impressive robotic devices and various other equipment. They may end up exposed to extreme temperatures, caustic chemicals and a variety of other workplace hazards. Many industrial employees who develop medical conditions related to employment have traumatic injuries related to specific incidents. Many others could have medical conditions caused by work that may slowly worsen over time. The expectation that blue-coll ..read more

Diabetes Mellitus is a disease in which a person’s blood glucose levels are too high. For people with type 2 diabetes, their bodies do not make enough insulin or do not use insulin properly. Insulin is the hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in the blood and can cause serious problems including damage to the eyes, kidneys, and nerves. In order to receive disability for diabetes, a person must either be unable to work for 12 months or be expected to be unable to work for at least 12 months. The damage caused by diabetes m ..read more

Two House lawmakers, Billy Posey, R-Fla. and Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash, have proposed legislation to compensate military service members who were possibly exposed to cancer or other illnesses from chemicals used in fire retardants.  The bill would create a fund to aid fire crew members who were exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals used in firefighting foams. The Environmental Protection Agency reported last year that PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s because of their useful properties. Perfluorooctanoic acid and pe ..read more

The long and short answer to this question is a resounding yes, and every time the Administration updated their regulations on Sickle Cell requirements it gets worse. A recent article by Bo Erickson for CBS news is quoted as saying “Thousands of Black children with sickle cell disease struggle to access disability payments[1].” This comes as a result of the regulatory updates to the Sickle Cell listings that occurred in 2015. The requirements for children to meet the Listing 107.05 under Hemolytic anemias, including sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and their variants are as fol ..read more