Jan 8, 2013

Increased Fatality Rate in Road Accidents Relative to Social Security Claims

The ever-increasing rate of accidents in California always results in many casualties. According to the findings of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there had been 3,090 traffic fatalities in this state solely in 2009. 

Image Source: www.indiatalkies.com
 

Surely, many families have lost a loved one in one of these road mishaps. Some may even be left to fend for themselves, while others are burdened with various financial problems especially if the victim is regarded as the person who provides for the basic needs of the family.

Fortunately, the government is able to provide assistance to the survivors of the deceased who died in these accidents. In particularly, the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides qualified individuals Social Security benefits.

Basically, the SSA is responsible for managing the social insurance programs that provide disability, retirement and survivors’ benefits. In order to be qualified for these, employees must first pay the necessary Social Security taxes based on their salary. The benefit, which the workers will receive in the future, depends on amount of taxes paid during their times at work.

In particular, those who are considered as “survivors” are commonly the spouse or the child of the employee who was killed in the accident. Based on the SSA’s requirements, the employee must have worked long enough to qualify for social security benefits.

Since the SSA is also known for denying applications, it would be best for the family to hire the services of any of the Los Angeles Social Security Claim Lawyers.  

As stated in the SSA website, an employee shall earn up to four work credits annually. Here is an example: in 2012, a spouse may earn one credit for each $1,130 of wages or self-employment income. Therefore, when a spouse earns $4,520, then he or she had received the four work credits in a year.

In addition, the number of credits that are needed for the survivors to be entitled benefits will depend on the age of the employee at the time of his or her death. Normally, the younger the deceased is, the fewer the credits that would be provided for the family. However, not a single person is required to have more than 40 credits (10 years of work) to be eligible for any benefits from the Social Security.

Nov 28, 2012

Parkinson’s Disease and Its Celebrity Victims



Commonly, the symptoms of Parkinson’s are manifested by people in their 60s or 70s. But then, more than one in twenty people with the ailment started experiencing Parkinson’s before they reached the age of 40. In fact, a lot of personalities have been known for having the neurological disorder at a younger age. Here are some of them:

·        Freddie Roach. His boxing career was cut short at age 26 after he showed early signs of Parkinson’s. However, he gained recognition as a topnotch boxing trainer of the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. Despite his disorder, he still manages to do training routines with his trainees by controlling the slow progress of the disease through medication and injections.

Freddie Roach (Image Source: poptower.com)
·        Michael J. Fox. He is widely known for his character Marty McFly in “Back to the Future.” After the success of the movie, he displayed symptoms of Parkinson’s in 1990. Eight years later, he opened up to the public about his condition. Since then, he has become an advocate of medical research for possible cures of Parkinson’s disease.

Michal J. Fox (Image Source: zimbio.com)
·     Muhammad Ali. One of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. The man who was dubbed “The Greatest” and was formerly known as Cassius Clay, he was known for his ever-controversial boxing career. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1984 shortly after retirement due to the effects of being a boxer.

Muhammad Ali (Image Source: richardcorman.com)

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that affects the brain caused by the deterioration and destruction of important cells that secrete dopamine. Dopamine is a simple organic chemical of the body that plays an important role in the body system, particularly that of the brain. Symptoms of Parkinson’s include the following:

·         Impairment of balance
·         Muscle rigidity
·         Shaking of the feet and/or hands
·         Slow movement

(Image Source: shop.choosetoawaken.com)

A person with Parkinson’s disease can be entitled to Social Security disability benefits. The medical condition is classified under “neurological conditions” by the Social Security Administration (SSA). To pursue a claim for disability benefits, he or she must retain the services of any Los Angeles Social Security disability lawyers.

Oct 19, 2012

The Promise of Long-term Disability Insurance



Everybody works hard for the money and saves it for the so-called rainy days. More than making both ends meet, people also save money that they can use in times of sickness and other problems. In the workplace, especially for high-risk jobs, employees can get hurt, injured, or disabled for a period of time.

Usually, benefits are extended to workers who can’t report for work because of their disability. However, there are times when the injuries that they have incurred are really serious that they experience long-term disability. This is a very difficult time for the injured worker given that he or she got it while at work.

The good thing is that insurance companies offer long-term disability insurance. As mandated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), companies are asked to give their employees the choice of having a long-term disability insurance coverage. This is such a great help for workers in cases where they get disabled for a long period of time and are unable to work.

Life is what you make it.
The difference between short-term and long-term disability coverage is just as what the package’s name implies. Short-term disability coverage gives the insured a percentage of its pay rate for up to two years in cases when the individual suffers from temporary disability.

On the other hand, the long-term disability coverage kicks in following the expiration of the short-term disability coverage. For the long-term disability coverage, the insurance company gives a reduced rate of the insured’s pay rate for an extended period. This is perfect for people with high-risk jobs since they are assured of assistance to tide them over while they are incapacitated. By availing of the insurance and completing a service wait, an individual becomes eligible for the benefits of a long-term disability insurance coverage.

While claims for long-term disability are generally problem-free, there might be instances where you could have problems with your claims. You should never worry, though, for all that you have to do is hire the services of a Los Angeles long term disability lawyer to represent you. A lawyer specializing in long-term disability can help you make successful claims for your insurance policy coverage minus the stress.

Just prepare all necessary requirements for your claim and soon enough, you will start accepting long-term disability benefits to take your worries away.