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Showing posts from September, 2012

YOU CAN'T GET DISABILITY BECAUSE.....

YOU CANNOT GET SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BECAUSE..... you cannot perform your past work (if you can perform any other work). you don't have a driver's license or can't drive. you can't find any work that you can do. there are no jobs available in the city you live in and you don't want to move. you don't want to work in a particular field or type of work there are no jobs open at this time. the economy is horrible and nobody is hiring. you are over-weight or obese. you are alcohol or drug dependent (unless you have an additional, unrelated impairment). you are a diabetic. your doctor says you cannot work and should get on disability. you need surgery that will prevent working for 6 to 8 months. your family and friends will testify that you are not able to work. Social Security requires that a claimant have a serious and medically determinable impairment, supported by medical evidence, that will prevent any  gainful employment for a period of a

WHICH IMPAIRMENTS WIN SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS?

The single largest category of awards for Social Security disability are musuloskeletal disorders, which make up 33.8% of all disability awards.  These include common back disorders such as back pain, herniated or bulging discs, nerve impingement, etc. The second largest category is mental disorders at 19.3% of all disability awards in 2011.  The second chart breaks out the specific categories of mental impairments awarded.  The largest category, mood disorders, account for 10.2%. These numbers represent Social Security's experience in particular categories.  They do not represent a claimant's chance of winning a claim based on a particular disorder.  For instance, mental disorders make up 19.3% of all disability awards.  That does not mean that an individual has a 19.3% chance of winning a Social Security claim based on a mental disorder. I constantly advise claimants not to put too much emphasis on "my odds of winning."  Every Social Security disability c