Citizens with disabilities have a much higher rate of unemployment than most other people group in the United States. Physical, mental, and situational disabilities significantly narrow or eliminate any chance for employment for these individuals, especially without outside assistance. This is a statistic which has had the U.S. Labor Department concerned in the last several years, and actively seeking solutions.
Travis Wright, a 52 year old Alabama resident, was formally sentenced this week after admitting to Social Security Disability fraud early this year. For the last ten years, Wright has been collecting disability benefits from the SSA totaling around $70,000. In those ten years, it was discovered that he made an additional $146,000 from working for a trucking company, all of which was unreported.
A front-page article in the New York Times created quite a stir last week, resulting in a flurry of state and federal investigations which have led to the suspension of Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), David B. Daughtery, who formerly served in the Social Security Administration (SSA)’s office in Huntington, West Virginia. The article revealed that Daugherty approved 100% of the 729 cases he has heard so far this fiscal year. Furthermore, Daugherty approved 1280 of the 1284 cases he reviewed last year.
Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits can be rather tedious and long. Up to seventy percent of the applications that are submitted for Social Security disability are denied on the first attempt. The ensuing appeal process has become bloated due to an ever-increasing backlog of cases. As a result, it is not at all uncommon for cases to drag out for years. While the government’s efforts to reduce fraud and make sure the funds are getting to those who truly need them are admirable, the other side of the coin is that those who do actually need them face an almost insurmountable struggle to obtain them.
Thankfully, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recognized the need to streamline the approval process for some conditions that invariably necessitate disability benefits. The result is the Compassionate Allowance program, which forged a list of illnesses (88 of them, to date) that automatically qualify for expedited approval for disability status, provided that adequate supporting documentation is provided. With an illness that qualifies as a Compassionate Allowance, a case can be approved in a matter of a few weeks, rather than months or years, bringing you and your family some much-needed relief.
Thanatophoric Dysplasia is one of the conditions that qualify for a Compassionate Allowance exception. If your child has been diagnosed with Thanatophoric Dysplasia, it is important that you initiate the application process for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in a timely manner so that your benefits will be headed your way as soon as possible.
Thanatophoric Dysplasia is a severe skeletal disorder that results in extremely short arms and legs, with extra folds of skin on the limbs. Other telltale signs of this disorder include a narrow chest, undersized ribs, poorly developed lungs, and an enlarged head. Type 1 also results in bowed long bones, although it lacks the characteristic cloverleaf skull of type 2.
Infants with Thanatophoric Dysplasia Type 1 are usually stillborn or do not survive long after birth. In fact, the term thanatophoric is Greek for “death bearing”. There are very rare reports of children who have survived into early childhood; most of those have required extensive medical support, including anti-seizure medication, shunts to drain excess fluid from the brain, and hearing aids.
The few children who have survived this disease have been treated with antiepileptic drugs to control seizures, shunt placement for hydrocephaly, suboccipital decompression for relief of craniocervical junction constriction, and hearing aids.
A child who has been diagnosed with Thanatophoric Dysplasia, type 1 will automatically meet the criteria for Social Security disability benefits, because TD1 is one of the conditions that has been determined to meet the qualifications for a compassionate allowance. The result is that your case will be accelerated through the approval process so that you and your family can get some much-needed relief. As long as you can provide the necessary documentation, you will be fast-tracked through the process in as little as three weeks so that benefits can be on their way to you as soon as the next benefit cycle begins.
Molecular genetic testing of the gene FGFR3 may need to be done to prove the disability.
If your child is born with Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Type 1, you can be confident that he or she will most assuredly qualify to receive benefits from the SSA. However, it would still be extremely wise to have your case reviewed by a Social Security disability lawyer. You will want to minimize the possibility of any errors or omissions that could result in agonizing delays to your case and an experienced disability lawyer can do exactly that. Trust your case to a caring professional that can make sure everything is right the first time.
Myasthenia Gravis is among the many autoimmune diseases that are highly unpredictable, undetectable, and incurable. Because there is so little known about the cause and cure for this disease, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America has made June Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month in an effort to raise awareness and funds to continue research.
The birth of a child is usually a very joyous occasion. Unfortunately, that joy can be tempered if the child is diagnosed with a devastating medical condition. The stress of knowing that your new little bundle of joy is suffering from an illness that he or she won’t outgrow can become overwhelming. On top of it all, parents still have to contend with the usual daily responsibilities involved with maintaining the household like meals, arranging for childcare for the other children in the home, paying the bills, and so on. In the midst of such difficult circumstances, many parents find it necessary to seek Social Security disability benefits in order to ease some of the financial strain.
It is common for up to seventy percent of initial Social Security disability applications to be denied on the first attempt. While there is an appeal process in place, the process is painfully slow due to the substantial backlog of cases waiting to be addressed. Recognizing the fact that some conditions are so serious that they automatically result in the need for disability income, the Social Security Administration (SSA) enacted the Compassionate Allowance program. This program developed a list of illnesses that automatically qualify for an expedited application process for Social Security disability benefits. As a result, the process of acquiring approval for benefits can be shortened to a matter of weeks instead of months or even years.
One of the conditions that qualify for a compassionate allowance is Zellweger Syndrome. If you are the parent of a child that has been diagnosed with Zellweger Syndrome, it is of the utmost importance that you initiate the application process for Social Security disability benefits as soon as you possibly can.
Zellweger Syndrome is one of a group of four diseases known as peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBD). This group is part of a larger category of diseases known as leukodystrophies; these are all inherited conditions that impact the development of myelin, a white fatty substance that serves as an insulator for nerve cells, as well as the body’s ability to metabolize certain substances in the organs and in the blood. Of the PBDs, Zellweger Syndrome is the most serious. Zellweger Syndrome is caused by a genetic mutation which causes the body to be unable to form the cell structures that help to rid the body of certain toxins.
Symptoms of Zellweger Syndrome include elevated iron and/or copper levels, jaundice, inability to move, an enlarged liver, vision disturbances, difficulty swallowing, prenatal growth failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, lack of muscle tone, and seizures.
There is no known treatment for Zellweger Syndrome, other than to treat some of the symptoms. Unfortunately, the prognosis is not at all positive, with most affected infants failing to survive until their first birthday, usually the result of respiratory failure, liver failure or gastrointestinal bleeding.
A child born with Zellweger Syndrome definitely qualifies for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), since this is one of the diseases recognized as a compassionate allowance. What this means is that your application will be processed much more quickly than had previously been possible. As a result, you could receive approval in as little as three weeks so that your benefits can be issued as soon as the next benefit cycle begins.
Even though Zellweger Syndrome has been classified as a compassionate allowance, you would still be very wise to enlist the assistance of a Social Security disability lawyer. An experienced professional, a disability lawyer will be able to guide you through the application process and make sure that you have obtained and provided all of the necessary documents so that you can concentrate on providing care and comfort for your precious little one.
When you file for disability for a child with Zellweger Syndrome, it may be necessary to provide samples for genetic testing to definitively identify the gene mutation that is responsible for causing the disease.
If you are the parent of a child that has been diagnosed with Zellweger Syndrome, you can be confident that your child will undoubtedly qualify to receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Still, it would be a very good idea to have your case evaluated by a Social Security disability lawyer. That way, you can be assured that you will receive your compassionate allowance and will begin receiving your benefits as quickly as possible. Remember that even the slightest omission in your paperwork may result in a delay in processing your claim, costing you valuable time and resources. Worse yet, your case could be denied, forcing you to enter the appeal process and needlessly prolonging your wait for benefits.
For those involved in the process of applying for disability, it is a well-known fact that the appeal process after receiving a denial of social security benefits can take a long time. In the last several years, the wait has become even longer, often over a year. There are many reasons for the increase in cases, some of which are the aging of the baby boomer generation, and the federal budget cuts imposed in an effort to reduce the national debt.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has become aware that there are certain diseases and disorders that are so severe that they necessitate immediate help in order to provide the most assistance. Because of this, the SSA has come up with a list known as Compassionate Allowances. The Compassionate Allowances are a list of disorders that, if you are diagnosed with one, you may complete an expedited process when applying for disability benefits.
With each passing pay period, most Americans automatically contribute funds to the Social Security Administration (SSA). In fact, most of us never even give it much thought. The money is withdrawn from our paychecks before we even see it, so we almost don’t even notice that it’s gone. You pay these taxes, in case you are unable to work due to a severe disability.
Claimants filing for a review of their Social Security Disability case face many obstacles. Although it is true that a larger percent of cases are accepted once they are put through the appeal process, it can take years to finally get a hearing because of the backlog of cases in the system. To add to this, it is well-documented that judges at some SSA hearing offices are more likely to reject disability cases than others, an apparent injustice that continues to result in law suits all across the country.
