My Civil Advocate

Suffering from a severe disability or condition is bad enough, but when that disability or condition keeps you from working, a difficult situation can quickly become far worse. That's why Social Security disability benefits are so important; they can help provide financial relief when holding a job is just not possible. In order to make the process of obtaining benefits smoother, the Social Security Admininistration (SSA) developed what's known as the Blue Book, which contains a listing of the most common impairments that are severe enough to keep people from working. The listing of impairments covers a wide range of major body systems such as respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, digestive, skin, and several others. Additionally, there is information under each body system about what types of disabliling conditions can occur within each and detailed requirements about the severity, symptoms, clinical findings, lab tests, etc., that are required for an applicant to qua...

Depending on who you talk to, Social Security Disability (SSD) fraud is either running rampant or it's a fairly infrequent occurrence - more likely, it's somewhere in between. The bottom line is that it happens. Fraudulent claims anywhere across the country can be detrimental to your legitimate claim in a number of ways: Getting your claim approved becomes more difficult. The social security administration doesn't like it when it finds out that numerous people are poaching the system and making off with undeserved benefits. The SSA clamps down on approvals throughout the country, which doesn't bode well even for legitimate claims. Benefits are denied to those who need them most. When people bilk the system, the federal government is less likely to provide the necessary funding to cover SSD benefits in all states. It drags out case processing times. Processing times are already extraordinarily drawn out. When great chunks of time are spent on fraudulent claims, it m...

Staggering medical bills, rising prescription medication costs, and declining pension amounts, among other factors can lead to a mountain of debt for seniors. Instead drawing down available retirement assets, declaring bankruptcy might be a better option for some. In basic terms, Chapter 7 bankruptcy enables you to discharge many of your debts. However, nonexempt assets may need to be sold to pay creditors. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows you to maintain all of your assets as you work out a new payment plan to pay creditors over a 3-5 year period. IF you have a large amount of equity in your home, you'll need to know how much is protected during bankruptcy proceedings. Amounts vary from state to state. Some states protect the full value of a home; other protect only a small amount, which could lead to the Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee selling the home in order to pay creditors. Medical-bill debt can be wiped out under Chapter 7 proceedings. Keep in mind that bankruptcy only elimi...

The bite of a tiny deer tick is the source of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can make life miserable. The effects of Lyme disease vary greatly from individual to individual and may progressively worsen the longer the condition goes untreated. Diagnosing Lyme disease is tricky since the disease's symptoms and the emergence of a "bull's-eye" rash; to memory loss, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and panic attacks; to severe symptoms affecting the neurological system, heart, eyes, joints, and bladder... among many others. Lyme disease has the potential to be a major disruption in a person's life if left untreated, or if treatment is delayed. If Lyme disease interferes with your ability to work, you may be able to qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD). Lyme disease dos not have a specific disability listing in SSD's "blue book" of impairments; someone with advanced Lyme disease is far less likely to obtain automatic approval. However, ad...

If you are suffering from a debilitating skin condition that is preventing you from working, you may be eligible to receive disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA evaluates skin disorders that may result from hereditary, congenital, or acquired pathological processes. The kinds of impairments covered by these listings include: Ichthyosis: genetic skin disorders that produce extremely dry, scaly, flaky, or thickened skin that may painfully crack, bleed, and deteriorate. Bullous diseases: autoimmune diseases that cause painfully large blisters or lesions to form on the skin. Chronic infections of the skin or mucous membranes. Severe dermatitis: any type of disorder that causes severe flaking, itching, swelling, or redness of the skin, including psoriasis, dyshidrosis, atopic dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis,  and allergic contact dermatitis. Hidradenitis suppurativa: a chronic skin condition that features painful pea sized to marb...