Although there are many politically motivated misconceptions with regard to those with dsiability qualifying conditions, a recent study from Columbia Business School showed that it is not as easy to get disability benefits as many think. The report, titled “Unemployment Insurance and Disability Insurance in the Great Recession,” found that those who are unemployed and uninsured are not able to easily procure Social Security Administration benefits.
Prison and jail are never good, but being incarcerated does not completely eliminate the ability to get veterans benefits for those who have served the country. The Journal Times said of the 23 million veterans in the U.S., 140,000 are in prison or jail currently. However, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will still grant benefits after imprisonment. In fact, a veteran is considered to be free as soon as their sentence is completed. This can be key for procuring benefits that could help save a veteran’s life and treat them for illnesses.
As anyone with disability qualifying conditions who have applied for benefits with the Social Security Administration can likely tell you, there are some glaring flaws in the system. D. Randall Frye, an administrative law judge for the SSA, wrote in an editorial for The New York Times that there are many inefficiencies in the system that he believes can be improved upon.
Applying for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration is a long process. Claimants have to be sure they get plenty of medical records, send in their application, appeal if need be and, after all that, if they are not approved, go to a hearing. At the hearing, there will be expert witnesses, something applicants should be prepared for with legal help.
