Author Archives: Jay Butchko

Delays On New Federal Regulations Meant To Help Disability Claimants
Filing a claim for long-term disability insurance coverage is often a lengthy and frustrating process. Not only is a person dealing with debilitating mental and/or physical issues, but he/she must also worry about the financial implications of having the claim denied. Long-term disability coverage is offered through private individual insurance policies and through employer-sponsored… Read More »

How Failing To Follow Or Discontinuing Treatment Can Affect Your Disability Claim
The bar to get approved for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits was specifically designed to be quite high, reflecting the program’s intent to limit benefits to those wholly unable to work due to disability. Temporary disability benefits are not offered, despite calls for this type of reform, which puts added pressure on the… Read More »

The Delicate Balance Of Working And Keeping SSDI Benefits
Disability is not a circumstance that many people plan for in advance, or even think about as a possibility. If asked, most people would envision working until at least retirement age, but this imagined future may be completely derailed once the onset of a disability occurs. Most individuals unable to work due to disability… Read More »

Citizenship, Residency And Qualifying For SSDI
Where a person chooses to live is much more fluid in today’s world compared with the past, when most people lived their entire life in one place. This fluidity has translated into people living in multiple States, and some to move outside the country entirely. This mobility may be beneficial for employment purposes, but… Read More »

Convincing The SSA To Approve Disability Benefits For Fibromyalgia
Obtaining medical confirmation of a disabling condition or illness is a before-and-after moment that marks the time and place a person learns how their life will be drastically altered in the long-term or permanently. Unfortunately, bills and other necessary expenses must still be paid, and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is the option many… Read More »

SSDI And Cancer: Options For Obtaining Benefits
Few moments in life are more striking or devastating than hearing a diagnosis of cancer. Not only do sufferers have to worry about the effects of the disease on their bodies, but there are also considerable debilitating effects from the drugs, chemotherapy and radiation that are routinely ordered to fight the cancer’s growth. Cancer… Read More »

Obtaining SSDI Benefits When Your Disability Is Invisible
While society is not always accommodating toward individuals with disabilities, if the impairment is visible from the outside, people are more sympathetic and willing to help. This same level of understanding is not typically extended to those with disabilities that are not apparent. Nevertheless, many disabled persons experience an inability to work and turn… Read More »

Disability Benefits For First Responders
Everyone faces the potential of suffering an on-the-job injury that causes temporary or permanent disability. Even in relatively safe environments, such as office buildings, accidents still happen, and hazards do exist. However, some occupations are more dangerous than others, and put workers in dangerous conditions everyday that threaten their physical and mental health. First… Read More »

Key Terms In Long-Term Disability Policies
It is easy to assume one does not need disability insurance. Often people think this type of coverage is meant for the older worker or someone with preexisting physical or mental conditions that place them at risk of becoming impaired. However, a disability can arise from a number of sources – accident, illness or… Read More »

The Effect Of Other Income On Disability Benefits
Disability insurance benefits, through both private and federal programs, offer a lifeline to individuals suffering from a disabling impairment. However, this assistance almost always comes with a number of caveats that can obligate and/or restrict a recipient’s ability to seek other sources of income, including disability benefits available through other providers/programs. Disability insurance providers… Read More »