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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Your medical records are reviewed at the initial application and the reconsideration stage by a medical consultants. What do they do?

They don’t render a diagnosis, but what they do is read your records and determine your restrictions and limitations and your ability to engage in work activity.

The medical consultant is trying to determine whether you have the physical or mental capacity to return to one of your former jobs or to any other type of employment.

Many times, the consulting physician is doing this because in your medical records it is not evident that your doctor has not rendered an opinion about your restrictions and limitations.

At Cavey and Barrett, we submit to your treating physicians forms called residual functional capacity forms for them to complete. We’d rather have your treating physician render an opinion about your physical abilities than a physician who has been hired by the Office of Disability Determinations to review records.

More often than not, these physician consultants will opine that you are capable of doing light or sedentary work and capable of going back to work. That only means one thing- a Social Security claims denial.

If you are applying for Social Security Disability benefits or your claim for benefits have been denied, contact Social Security Disability attorney, Sharon Barrett, who practices in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

You can call her at 727-894-3188. If you can’t get through to our Social Security Disability operators, please be sure to call back.

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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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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When your Social Security Disability Claims is sent to the Social Security Disability office it is sent to the Disability Determination Office. It is then assigned to a Social  Security Disability Claims Examiner who does 7 things in evaluating your disability claim.

Those 7 things are:

1. The Disability Claims Examiner assigned to your case will send medical records request letters to your various medical providers that you listed at the time of your initial application.

2. After your medical records have been received, the Disability Claims Examiner will read and evaluate them.

3. The Disability Claims Examiner will determine whether or not you have a physical or mental condition that meets the requirements of a listing. If your medical condition does not meet a listing, the Disability Claims Examiner will determine your functional capabilities based on reading your medical records.

4. The Disability Claims Examiner will submit his assessment of your Residual Functional Capacity to a staff physician who will review the form to determine what you can still do and what you are incapable of doing from a mental and/or physical standpoint.

5. The Disability Claims Examiner will review the physician-approved Residual Functional Capacity and determine whether or not your restrictions prevent you from doing the lightest job you held in the last 15 years.

6. The Disability Claims Examiner will also determine if those restrictions and limitations make it impossible for you to do other suitable work.

7. If the Disability Claims Examiner determines that you cannot return to your lightest job and that you can’t perform other suitable work, you will be approved for Social Security Disability benefits.

When the Disability Claims Examiner determines your functional limitations and compares them to the work that you did in the past and other work that might be available based on your age, education and job skills, he performs a medical/vocational determination.

The Residual Functional Capacity determination by the Disability Claims Examiner and staff physician is rarely accurate. Sharon Barrett, a St. Petersburg/Tampa Social Secuirty Disability lawyer, has your treating physician complete the right Residual Functional Capacity form  for your medical condition so that the Social Security Administration has your treating physician’s opinion about your functional capabilities.

It is crucial to the success of your Social Security disability claim that your physican be given the right residual functional capacity forms!

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