After going more than three years without a sorely needed cost of living adjustment, Social Security beneficiaries are expected to receive an increase in benefits next year. Currently, that increase is predicted to be less than one percent, but if gas prices and other...
In a recent study performed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, researchers uncovered that males who apply, and are ultimately rejected for, Social Security Disability benefits tend to have lower earnings in the decade prior to making their SSD application than do...
As officials and analysts continue to report on the impending financial doom of the federal Social Security programs, it becomes easy to get swept up in the negatives. Yes, if Congress does not act, Social Security Disability and similar programs face financial...
At a meeting of the Social Security Administration's Future Systems Technology Advisory Panel, agency officials announced to the panel that the SSA was considering implementing video conference capabilities on the SSA website. According to the agency, this would allow...
Although Social Security Disability is a lifeline for many, SSD benefit payments are usually not enough to lift recipients above the poverty line. The average monthly SSD benefit payment is approximately $1,000. For a recipient who is struggling to pay rent or a...
Earlier this month, the National Geographic Channel's "Taboo" show featured a 30-year-old man that lived his life in a very interesting way: as an "adult baby." According to the television show, the man wears diapers, is fed from a bottle, sleeps in a crib, and is...
Last week, in recognition that May marks Mental Health Month, we chose to spotlight anxiety disorders. This week, we will continue our discussion of mental impairments by focusing on depression. Relatively few people know that depression, along with anxiety disorders,...
In the coming days, the six trustees that oversee Social Security and Medicare will release their annual reports on the federal benefits programs' finances. The reports will not only discuss the current financial status of Medicare, Social Security, and Social...
More than 50 years ago, May was designated Mental Health Month to raise awareness about mental health, to promote understanding and acceptance, and to encourage those with mental health disorders to seek treatment. Although the stigma surrounding mental health has...
In October of 2008, the United Kingdom's Department for Work and Pensions revised their application and approval system for the country's disability benefit program. Previously, the Incapacity Benefit system had established a low standard of proof for disability and...
