As an attorney that handles veterans disability claims, I frequently get the question, “Why hire an attorney on my veterans disability claim when I can use a VSO for free?” As a veteran’s disability attorney, I appreciate the many VSOs who help disabled veterans navigate the grueling VA claim process to submit solid claims that […]
Big Changes to Social Security Benefits in 2020
The Social Security Administration has recently released its list of 2020 Social Security changes. We’d like to share some of the details with our readers who will be receiving or expect to receive retirement benefits, supplemental income benefits or disability benefits in 2020. Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) To keep up with inflation, there’s a […]
History of Attorney Fees in VA Compensation
To understand the evolution of attorney fees in veterans disability claims, it helps to look at the odd history of the veterans legal system. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has always operated free from judicial oversight. For decades, the veterans compensation process was off limits to lawyers. Historically, the structure of judicial review in […]
ERISA Traps to Watch for in Group Disability Claims
The federal ERISA statute is filled with technicalities, hidden pitfalls and land mines — so much so, the unrepresented claimant has little chance of successfully fighting a wrongful denial of benefits. Group disability insurance claims can be successfully handled when an experienced ERISA lawyer is in your corner fighting for you. Our law firm is […]
After I’ve Made an LTD Benefits Claim, Will The Insurance Company Talk To My Friends and Neighbors?
Insurance companies are run to make a profit. To them, having to pay long term disability benefits to a policyholder who’s become too ill or injured to work is a loss. To avoid a loss, the insurance company will often go to great lengths to show the policyholder is not disabled and can work, even […]
NDEAM 2019 Celebrates the Contributions of American Workers with Disabilities
Marc Whitehead & Associates wants everyone to know that October 2019 is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has once again declared October as NDEAM, a time to celebrate the contributions of American workers with disabilities and the essential role they play in America’s economic […]
If I Have Ovarian Cancer, Do I Qualify for Social Security Disability?
In recognition of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the disability denial attorneys at Marc Whitehead & Associates would like to focus attention on this often misdiagnosed disease that claims the lives of over 14,000 women in the U.S. each year. According to the American Cancer Society, one in 78 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer […]
My Doctor Does Not Support My Mental Disability Claim. What Do I Do?
Those who suffer mental impairments often find themselves facing more than just the insurance company or government program standing in their way of getting crucial benefits. Often it’s your treating psychiatrist, psychologist or mental health doctor who seems to be working against your mental disability claim. It is important your claim has the support of […]
Inability to Communicate in English May No Longer Help Your SSDI Claim
Older disability applicants who cannot speak or understand English may be cut out of disability benefits, according to a rule change proposed by the SSA. The Social Security Administration wants to stop using the “inability to communicate in English” criteria as a vocational factor when evaluating claims for disability benefits. For thousands of disabled Americans […]
What Is the RAMP Appeals Process? How Does It Affect My Claim?
What every veteran must know about the (now discontinued) RAMP appeals decision process, the new Appeals Reform law (AMA) and how they affect your claim. Now concluded, the RAMP appeals process served as the pilot program for the streamlined, 3-laned review framework as set forth by the new VA appeals law. The modernized VA appeals […]