Articles Tagged with Boston disability lawyer

The Social Security Administration announced that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2023 is 8.7%. This is the highest increase since 1981. The COLA will go into effect on January 1, 2023, for approximately 65 million Americans receiving Social Security benefits. Those receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will see an increase in payments starting on Dec. 30, 2022. 

What Will The Average Increase Be? 

  • Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits will increase on average by $119 per month.

When it comes to your Massachusetts disability claim, what you post on social media could be used against you.

The New York Times is reporting Uncle Sam is taking an increasing interest in what those who are receiving federal assistance are posting to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media accounts. Social media evidence is increasingly making it into the courtroom. We tell all of our clients never to post anything to social media they would not be comfortable discussing in court. Avoiding social media is the best policy, although we recognize it as a lifeline for the injured and disabled. keyboard-300x225

As the American Bar Association reported last fall, the ubiquitous nature of social media has made it an unrivaled source of evidence in the courtroom. In many ways, the law is still catching up to today’s technology, with landmark decision being handed down on an almost monthly basis. Discovery and preservation of social media evidence also continues to evolve, but in the majority of cases where validity of the evidence can be proven it is being allowed into courtrooms, where it is having an outsized impact on judges and jurors.

Our Massachusetts disability lawyers know this will stoke the flames for those who continue to cite Social Security Disability fraud in their quest to reduce payments and cut benefits to our most vulnerable citizens. Sadly, by targeting social media use they are attacking what has become a vital lifeline for disabled adults. Dealing with the financial and physical consequences of a disability is difficult even for the most optimistic. But it’s the attendant isolation — away from the workplace, working through physical rehabilitation or often homebound for days or weeks at a time, social media is often the only thing social about the lives of those dealing with disability.

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When people play into a long-term disability insurance plan through their work, they expect that this will help them remain financially stable in the event of a serious injury or illness that renders them unable to work for extended periods. They may also understand that they are entitled to collect benefits through other avenues, such as workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). What may be less obvious is the way in which these benefits can counteract one another.wheelchair5

Recently, a news station in Nebraska outlined what can happen when people try to stack coverage from other sources.

According to WOWT NBC-6, the couple in question were both happy and seemingly healthy for years. Married for 27 years, they both worked full-time. But then, the 53-year-old husband suffered a stroke. Suddenly, he was unable to walk or talk or complete basic tasks. He’s learning now to feed and bathe himself and how to communicate. His wife had no choice but to quit her job to care for him 24-7.

“I can’t go to work because he needs me the whole time,” she told the reporter. Continue reading

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