When the first of the year arrives, recipients of benefits overseen by the Social Security Administration (SSA) will get a nice surprise in the form of an 8.7% increase in those very benefits. This group includes the millions of disabled workers who receive Social Security (SSD) benefits because their medical ailment or condition that prevents from working at least a year. Disabled workers may expect $120 increase In mid-October, the SSA made the long-expected announcement to implement the 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), affecting people who receive Social Security, Supplemental Securit ..read more

Getting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits has long been a difficult process. Some adults dealing with debilitating and painful conditions don't even apply for benefits because they have heard that almost no one gets approved. It is true that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has a very strict standard for disability claims. It is also true that there are certain scenarios in which the SSA deviates from those very strict standards. Claims made by blue-collar workers who now need to change their profession may qualify under a special rule. Those who have long worked a p ..read more

After a life of hard work to provide for yourself and your family, a disabling illness or injury can force you to retire sooner than you planned. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD) exists to help people in this situation continue to make ends meet. But as you budget for your post-work years, it would help if you knew how much you should expect to receive in benefits for your disability. The Social Security Administration (SSA) sets each recipient's monthly payments based on their work and salary histories. Without a sufficient history of working for a salary or being married to someone ..read more

You may be surprised to hear that insurance companies sending investigators to watch you aren’t just TV and movie plot devices. When you submit a long-term disability claim, which could possibly cost insurance providers hundreds of thousands of dollars, spending a couple of grand to make sure you’re not faking your injury is in their financial best interest. These days, they don’t need to hire three people to follow you around for a week – though they still might. Instead, they do a far more efficient review of your online life, looking for disqualifying clues. Canvassing Insurance companies n ..read more

Workers who get hurt on the job in California expect to have protection from workers' compensation benefits. However, some people will have an uphill battle when they apply for benefits because their employer challenges their claim. One of the more common reasons that employers challenge a worker's benefits claim is the assumption that the worker did not actually get hurt on the job. If you know that your injury is from your employment but your employer claims otherwise, how can you potentially get the benefits you need? California has a rule for this exact situation It is quite common for emp ..read more

Workers in the construction industry and other related Industries often have to work at heights. They have to climb ladders, work on roofs and use scaffold systems. A fall from heights can lead to severe injuries or even be deadly. One interesting thing about these falls is that the largest percentage of fatal falls happen from 11 to 15 feet. These account for 19.7% of all fatalities in falls. While that is not the majority, it is the highest percentage and you can see an immediate decline after that. For instance, falls from 16 to 20 feet accounted for just 17.4% of fatalities, and the number ..read more

If you have lower back pain that is manageable at the moment but seems to be worsening, it’s important for you to look into finding out why you’re having so much pain and the treatment options available to you. Lower back pain can be a sign of many serious injuries, such as problems with the spinal column, but you could also have something wrong as simple as an issue with your shoes’ arch support. Without a clear diagnosis, it’s hard to know why lower back pain keeps happening. Without taking action, your pain could worsen, and you could potentially end up with a disabling condition. Lower bac ..read more

While they are often underappreciated, grocery workers provide a vital service to individuals across the state of California. These individuals ensure that food and other vital products are ready and waiting for customers to collect and take home.  The job is hard work and often that hard work can cross the line into becoming hazardous. Outlined below are some of the more common injuries associated with grocery workers.  Slips and falls  The grocery store can be a fast-paced environment, especially during busy hours. Grocery workers are constantly restocking the shelves, cleanin ..read more

Hammers are commonplace on virtually every worksite. For the onlooker, it may look like there isn’t much skill to using this item. Nonetheless, it takes a lot of practice to get used to using this tool, especially in a safe manner.  If something goes wrong when using a hammer, the resulting injuries can be severe. Outlined below are a few tips to keep yourself safe while using a hammer.  Protect your eyes  Eye protection is frequently utilized when workers use power tools. Nonetheless, it is important to use this safety equipment when using manual tools, as well. The force of a ..read more

When you think of workplace injuries, you may imagine big, serious accidents that result in TBIs, broken bones and similar injuries. However, repetitive stress injuries are just as common as these bigger accidents and can cause workers short- and long-term issues.  It doesn’t matter if you are a laborer or sit at a desk; you can experience repetitive stress injuries from using the same muscles, the same way, repeatedly.  If you have experienced a repetitive stress injury in the past, you may wonder what you can do to prevent it from happening again. This is especially the case if you ..read more