Social Security Disability and the Importance of Your Prior Work

I had a recent Social Security Disability hearing for a 59 year old man (John Doe) who had been a plant manager for a cement company. He had been denied his claim by the district office on the grounds he retained the ability to do light duty work (lifting up to 20 pounds). The district office concluded his job as he did it was medium work (lifting up to 50 pounds). The office then concluded he could not do the job as he did it but could do the job as described in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). The DOT described the plant manager position as "light duty work" as it is usually done in the national economy.Since the district office...

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Disabled Veterans Unable to Work Can Get A 100 Percent VA Rating and Full Benefits

If you are a disabled veteran who can't work, you could be entitled to full disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) even if your current VA rating is below 100 percent. You could get Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).What Does It Mean To Be Unemployable?Veterans are unemployable if the disabilities they have that are tied to their military service are preventing them from working. The most extreme situation is that a veteran is unable to work at all. Additionally, unemployability can also be claimed if the veteran is unable to keep a job, or to earn enough money to live above the annual poverty...

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