You may have paid for both short and long-term disability insurance coverage. Typically there is a two-week waiting period before short-term disability starts, during which no benefits are paid.

The length of the short-term disability plan varies and is generally coordinated with a waiting period for a long-term disability.

Long-term disability plans can have waiting periods from 60 to 70 days. Ninety days is common.

However, even if you have private short or long-term disability coverage, it won’t cover the cost of your health insurance premiums.

Some employers do provide a type of health insurance coverage for employees on disability and you should research this before you terminate your employment.

If you have any questions feel free to contact us at www.caveylaw.com or call us at 727-894-3188.

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One of the most important issues for a person who has been diagnosed with a permanent or long-term medical condition that makes it impossible for him or her to work is to make sure that he or she has health coverage after he or she has quit working.

Unfortunately, many employees will quit their jobs without understanding their rights to continue group health coverage and leave themselves and their families vulnerable.

If you leave your job because of disability, you have two options to continue your health insurance. The first is COBRA coverage through your former employer, or private health coverage until you become eligible for Medicare coverage as a result of receiving Social Security Disability benefits.

A person who is entitled to Social Security Disability benefits becomes eligible for Medicare 24 months after his date of entitlement to cash benefits, as determined by the Social Security Administration.

If you have any questions feel free to contact us at www.caveylaw.com or give us a call at 727-894-3188.

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COBRA coverage provides the same coverage you had while you were employed with your employer. Unfortunately, it’s at a higher cost because you are responsible for the entire cost of your health insurance premium plus an administrative fee.

Private health insurance at the same level of coverage you had while employed is even more expensive than COBRA coverage.

You should take control of your healthcare situation before you terminate your employment. Many employees, however, are reluctant to speak with their employers about a disability because they are afraid they’ll be fired. Remember, it’s illegal to fire someone for a disability. Even if your disability prevents you or stops you from working, your employer benefits package is a critical resource in continuing your medical care coverage after you have stopped working.

If you would like to learn more feel free to contact us at www.caveylaw.com or call us at 727-894-3188.

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St. Petersburg, FL – June, 2009

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a disability program that is a needs-based program that takes into account your income and resources in determining your entitlement to Social Security Disability benefits.

While you must meet the disability requirements of any disability applicant, you must meet certain income and resource requirements.

Social Security will consider any wages, unemployment, short and long-term disability, land, checking accounts, vehicles, spouse’s income when determining whether you’re entitled to SSI. If you meet both the medical disability and income requirements, you will receive monthly disability benefits.

Individuals who are not insured for Social Security Disability benefits purposes because they do not have sufficient credits accrued become eligible for SSI. Unfortunately, many are not entitled to SSI because of their resources and income. For more information about the resource and income requirements for SSI, contact Sharon Barrett at Cavey & Barrett, your Tampa based Social Security Disability experts by clicking the link or give us a call 727-894-3188.

If you would like more information about your rights regarding Social Security Disability Benefits, you can order our FREE book,"Your Rights to Social Security Disability Benefits" by submitting the form in the sidebar. We will send it out immediately along with other important information.

For more information about Social Security Disability Benefits, visit our law firm web site at CaveyLaw.com. If you would like to speak with one of our Social Security Disability Benefits attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (727) 897-9117 or simply submit our contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

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The Social Security Administration can require a consultative examination known as a CE for short. This can be scheduled by the disability examiner at the initial claim and reconsideration stages and by an administrative law judge at the hearing stage.

Most often these consultative examinations are scheduled because your records indicate that you haven’t seen a doctor recently or because there might be a condition for which you never received treatment. I have written an article about preparing for you consultative examination.

If the disability examiner or judge notes in your medical records that you are “depressed” or “anxious,” the Social Security Administration may be obligated to send you for a mental consultative examination even if you don’t claim to be depressed or anxious on your application and never sought treatment.

Many disability claimants are surprised when they receive a letter from the Social Security Administration scheduling them for a mental consultative examination when their disability application is filed on the basis of a pure physical problem such as a heart problem, degenerative disc disease, or diabetes.

If you are scheduled for a mental consultative examination, we suggest that you call Tampa St. Petersburg Social Security Disability lawyers, Cavey & Barrett to discuss what will occur during that evaluation, how you should prepare for that evaluation and how you should present yourself.

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