How Does Social Security Disability Income Directly Affect Long Term Disability?

Although Social Security Disability Income and Long Term Disability are two different sources of income for beneficiaries who sustained disabling condition, both are greatly affected by each other.

Along with long term disability policies, a deductible source of income provision is also included as a whole package. A social security offset that comes with an individual long term disability is very rare. A source of income which is deductible is also referred to as an offset.

People must be aware of the fact that Social Security Disability Income Benefits are a source of income which is considered as deductible. Actually, SSDI is just a kind of deductible source of income generally found in group long term disability policies.

Social security disability income directly affects long term disability provided by other disability carrier. Once the other disability carrier has been paying the recipient, say for 20 months, and the beneficiary received SSDI benefits which has been active for like 15 months, the other disability carrier will claim that the recipient was overpaid for 15 months.

Therefore, the recipient must pay the retroactive SSDI award to the disability carrier or the one that provides the long term disability. The overpayment will be automatically deducted by the disability carrier from the succeeding monthly benefits of the recipients in the same amount of the monthly SSDI checks.

For instance, if your monthly SSDI is $1,600 and your long term disability from the disability carrier is $3,000 per month, for the next 15 months, you will only receive $1,600.

Nobody can have the best of both worlds. Therefore, people must be wise enough to realize that the Social security disability income they are receiving must not be spent carelessly since the other disability carrier will definitely be asking the recipient to pay back the overpayment in the same amount.

Don’t ever think of taking advantage over the false Social security disability income overpayment since the government would never tolerate such mistakes even if it was their fault.

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Common Misconceptions of Wage Earners about Social Security Disability Insurance

A lot of Americans nowadays make possibly devastating mistakes financially–they often overlook social security disability insurance.

Most people, when being asked why they don’t take social security disability insurance into their consideration, will simply answer that they are healthy enough to throw money in such kind of insurance or that they don’t expect to miss work as a result of illness or personal injury.

However, the fact that workers don’t know is that illnesses and injuries do happen more often than they ever thought. Another workers’ misconception is that disability always means being on a wheel chair or bed ridden. Well, this is completely wrong.

One more wrong belief of wage earners is that disabilities only happen to people with back surgery, broken bone, cancer and heart ailment but in truth and in fact, even a short term illness such as pneumonia or fever can cause someone to be unable to work.

People don’t realize that once a wage earner missed work due to illness or injury for either a short or long period of time, it is still considered disability since the worker cannot perform a job until he or she can get over from his or her injury or illness.

In fact, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), three out of the ten wage earners today will become disabled at some point in the future as they pursue on their chose career. Meanwhile, out of seven workers, three of them will become disabled after five years or more. The point here is that, disability can happen to anyone at any given time.

Unfortunately, due to people’s misconception, they often miss the chance to apply for a social security disability since they don’t think that they have the strong urge to apply for the same.

Americans should understand the great significance of applying for social security disability right at an early stage of life. They should have actually realized before that bills will not stop when a wage earner ceased from making income. In case of accidents or illness, Americans should be well prepared to be able to meet their financial needs.

Above all the said misconceptions of wage earners, the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) is still encouraging people to consider social security disability particularly now that that country is currently facing an economic recession.

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Man with Multiple Sclerosis Appeals His Long Term Disability Claim

A man whose long term disability claim has long been deferred by an insurance company finally made an appeal to determine the reason for the delay.

Claimant James Tucker, 48, is a former accountant who was forced to leave his job when he suffered multiple sclerosis – a condition wherein a person’s immune system destroys the protective sheath that covers the nerves.

Like any other affected patients of multiple sclerosis, Tucker experiences trembling, shaking and numbness of hands and feet, severe headache and difficulty in writing, which is very necessary for his job as an accountant.

Tucker’s condition even got worse. Therefore, due to his chronic illness, Tucker had to put an end to his career.

Tucker felt emotionally depressed when he lost his job since his career means everything to his family. He could no longer support the needs of his family.

However, Tucker still feels great for being insured at a private insurance company, but he started to get disappointed after it continuously delayed his claim for long term disability.

Though Standard Insurance Company never send a denial for Tucker’s claim, Tucker attested that he never got any response from them. He only got notices asking him to give the company a little more time to review his case.

The company’s request for a little more time eventually took too long for comfort, until Tucker got worried and decided to hire a long term disability lawyer.

Tucker, together with his lawyer, was able to obtain copies of his files from Standard and they felt surprised upon reading Tucker’s medical report. A doctor from Standard, whom Tucker never even met before, conducted his own medical review and said that there was no sufficient evidence for Tucker’s illness and that the diagnosis for his multiple sclerosis is not even supported. Said doctor further noted that Tucker could return to his usual career.

Tucker’s discoveries bring him more suffering and emotional distress.

That was really a devastating medical report. How could a doctor assess a patient whom he never saw even once? In fact, it took 11 doctors to convince Tucker that he has multiple sclerosis and suddenly a doctor whom he had never met before will make such medical assessment.

Fortunately, Tucker is pretty much aware of what to do over his delayed claims. At the end of his battle, he finally won the approval for his claims. He is now receiving 40% of his old salary for his long term disability claim.

Most commonly, employers secure long term disability for their employees at private insurance companies. However, most private insurance companies often delay the employees’ insurance claims, if not totally denying them.

Having a long term disability lawyer is quite necessary to have a successful claims processing. Such specialized lawyer definitely knows how to support a claim.

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Jury Awards $6M to Police Officer Involved in Domestic Shooting Incident

A jury awarded a police officer with almost $6 million after the latter became permanently disabled from a domestic shooting that happened way back in 2010.

The said incident, which caused permanent disability to Joshua Hahn, happened in July, 2007 when he tried to break up a domestic fight between Billy Heisler and his sister at a Hamilton Township pizzeria.

During the dispute, the 34-year old off-duty officer from Mercer County Sheriff was shot and seriously wounded. He suffered two punctured lungs and a broken vertebra.

Hahn had to retire early on permanent disability due to the said incident.

In the attempted murder case and weapon charges set against Billy Heisler, Hahn has been awarded with $963,871 for lost wages, $1.5 million for pain and suffering, $2.5 million for punitive damages and $1 million for his wife. The couple collected a total of $5.9 million after Heisler failed to respond to the lawsuit.

The guidelines concerning disability under the Social Security is strictly defined in the overall situation of total disability. Based on its strict definition, a claimant must be considered entirely and undeniably disabled to obtain Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

In Hahn’s case, the jury definitely found reasonable cause to award him and his wife with permanent disability claim. Probably, the couple succeeded in getting a lawyer as excellent and efficient as a California disability attorney. It’s a job well done.

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