Social Security Disability Tag

A Special Needs Trust is a type of first-party trust that is often used to preserve a lump sum benefit for a low income disabled person under age 65, who needs the support of Medicaid and Supplemental Security income (SSI). Often one thinks of the these trusts in connection with someone who is on SSI because they are disabled and have not worked, such as a person with developmental...

If you are no longer able to work due to severe, medically-documented physical or mental conditions, you may be thinking about filing a claim for Title II Social Security Disability benefits. You need to be prepared for a long, slow process. It can easily take three years from start to finish. First of all, you generally do not file your claim until after you have stopped working full time and...

I recently had the occasion to make a house call to meet with a client who had stopped working about 4 years ago in his early 50’s. He became gravely, permanently  ill and eventually needed to apply for Social Security Disability benefits, which were approved. He had to endure the two-year wait until he could receive Medicare. As he got caught up in the throes of his illness, with...

More than 5.4 million people enrolled in health insurance plans through the federally subsidized health insurance exchanges that were established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and 86% of them were eligible for subsidies, according to the NY Times on June 27th. The Department of Health and Human Services has issued regulations that enable most ACA enrollees to have their policies...

Veterans Compensation pays a monthly stipend based on the severity of a service-connected disability. The recipient may not be totally disabled or unemployable. Social Security Disability insurance, on the other hand, is available to a person who is not engaged in Substantial Gainful Activity (“SGA”) and cannot perform SGA due to a severe, medically-determinable impairment that has...