Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog

U.S. soldiers may be eligible for a number of benefits related to injuries suffered in the course of their service. They should not overlook the possibility of securing SSDI.

In Hensley v. Colvin, a case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, claimant is a combat veteran who served in the U.S. Army during the war in Iraq and suffered a serious knee injury while deployed. Two years later, he had surgery on his right knee, and he was awarded disability benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  He was deemed to have a service-connected disability, which is the requirement to get awarded VA benefits.

Claimant also applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. His basis for claiming that he was disabled is that he suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pain in his back, pain in his right knee, and a twitching in the nerves in his face.  His application for benefits was denied after a finding that he was not disabled under the guidelines of the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).  The SSA is the agency that is responsible for administering the disability fund and awarding benefits. Continue reading

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are not always easy to come by.

In Cole v. Colvin, as case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, claimant worked as a welder in 2000 when he was injured in an accident.  The accident resulted in him breaking his left arm and his wrist.  As a result of these injuries, claimant was required to have a metal plate and steel screws implanted in his arm.

Claimant had been in pain for eight years following the accident, and despite a lot of medical treatment, the pain would not go away.  He still worked following the accident and was a factory foreman at the time he had a second serious accident. Continue reading

When you apply for Social Security disability benefits, you first have to decide which type of benefit is appropriate. In many case, if you have a work history and have become disabled, you will be applying for what are known as Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) benefits. This program requires that you have worked for a certain number of quarters prior to applying for benefits.  The exact number of benefits will be dependent upon your age.

For example, a 21-year-old worker how has been employed for a few years prior to becoming disabled would not need to have worked as long as a 30-year-old worker in most cases.  The way the system is designed is to function much like private long-term disability insurance in which you pay into the system through your federal tax withholding. With a private disability insurance plan, either you or your employer would pay a premium to obtain coverage like you do with any other private insurance plan.  Continue reading

In Attmore V. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, a claimant applied for and was awarded benefits based upon her being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  Bipolar disorder is a condition for which the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) will consider a claimant to be disabled within the meaning of the agency guidelines.

In this case, claimant worked last in April 2007.  She was no longer able to work and quit after she had several breakdowns that did not allow her to get out of bed and go to work.  The following year she was in the hospital on three occasions because of her bipolar disorder.  In one of these cases, she allegedly tried to commit suicide and was in the hospital for around two weeks.  Continue reading