Philadelphia Social Security Disability Law Blog

The concept of post-traumatic stress disorder originally came to light as mental health professionals treated combat veterans returning from war. Indeed, the horror of battle is one thing that can trigger PTSD. However, as time has gone on, psychologists and other experts have come to understand that any number of people, veterans and non-veterans alike, can experience PTSD for any number of reasons. There are, after all, a lot of ways in which people can experience traumatic events.

Someone who is bullied at school or someone who has been mugged, for instance, can have PTSD, as can someone who had a difficult childhood. Even a paramedic responding to a car accident or a rescuer involved in a natural disaster can experience PTSD. PTSD can develop over the long-term as well, such as when a person experiences ongoing exposure to trauma.

A new regulatory proposal, currently being floated between the President's team and the Social Security Administration, may lead to a regulation that will authorize or even require the Administration to examine social media posts when reviewing disability benefits and claims. Currently, the Administration only does so when there is already some suspicion of fraud or abuse.

For those in favor of the measure, the concern is that many people in Philadelphia, and throughout the rest of the country, are gaming the disability system. In other words, they may claim they have a debilitating injury but are in fact perfectly able to carry on with their normal life, and work, activities.

Losing one's job can be a difficult experience all by itself. However, it can be even more difficult if the job loss was due to a disability that was a result of a work-related injury. As readers may know, a disabled worker may be entitled to workers' compensation per Pennsylvania law, but the money received from such benefits is often not enough to meet the various expenses that arise after a disabling injury.

Thankfully, most workers pay Social Security taxes, making them eligible for Social Security benefits when facing financial challenges resulting from a disabling injury that eventually leads to job loss. The Social Security Administration runs the Social Security Disability Insurance program and will grant benefits to those people whose inability to work is because of a disabling condition.

According to a recent study, a number of children who are diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum are not getting the medical or mental health care they need. Whereas fewer than 10 percent of children with other types of disability are not getting the care they need, according to the study. This number is closer to 20 percent, or 1 in 5, with respect to those children who have a spectrum disorder. Among children who are not suffering under any apparent disability, under 3 percent missed out on essential services.

The study found a number of reasons for this apparent gap in medical care. In some cases, the issue is the lack of health insurance that will pay for such services. Other issues include financial problems, marital issues and things like unemployment. At times, it is just hard for families with an autistic child to find the type of care suitable for their family.