St. Louis Social Security Disability Law Blog

Each year around mid-October, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announces how its benefits programs will be changing during the following year. These updates often have to do with what it takes to qualify for benefits and how much of increase in payments beneficiaries may see. There are at least a half dozen changes that are expected in 2019.

One of the well-publicized changes this year has to do with a cost-of-living (COL) adjustment. Those who receive Social Security benefits will see the amount they receive increase by 2.8 percent, the highest increase since 2012. The increase in housing and energy costs motivated the SSA to offer this larger COL increase in the coming year.

Most medical professionals refer to any pain that lasts in excess of three months as chronic. Data published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2015 showed that 11 percent of all Americans experience daily pain that lasts for at least three months. For most people, this discomfort requires them to go about their lives differently than what they were previously accustomed. But for numerous others, it affects their ability to work.

While it may be debilitating, chronic pain typically does not qualify applicants to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). They, however, may qualify for these benefits if they have another condition that causes them to experience the pain, e.g., peripheral neuropathy, inflammatory arthritis, systemic lupus or spinal disorders.

If you are prone to anxiety attacks, you know how debilitating they can be. In some cases, they turn into full-blown panic attacks, and it's impossible to do simple things until you get through them.

To reduce the odds of such an attack, it is important to understand what triggers your anxiety and makes it worse. Naturally, this is different for everyone. You may have specific triggers that no one else does. Below are a few of the most common ones:

• Spending too much time by yourself. While getting out on your own can help calm you down in some cases, spending all of your time alone just gives you too much time to think. Problems seem to grow in your own mind, and it is hard to break out of that cycle.
• Spending too much time with negative people. Don't assume that all human interaction will help, though. People who put more pressure on you, stress you out or make you feel worse about yourself are just going to increase your anxiety. Know when to leave a social situation.
• Drinking too much coffee. Caffeine can really make your problem worse. It's not just coffee. You also want to avoid soda and energy drinks.
• Trying to turn off your brain. Attempting to stop thinking often only makes you fixate on the problem. It's a vicious cycle when you start getting more stressed out about the very fact that you feel anxious.

Disabled veterans struggling to make ends meet on the monthly Veterans Administration (VA) stipend they receive may find it refreshing to learn that they too may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments.

While any member of the armed forces who was injured while on active duty will generally qualify for VA benefits, the requirements that an individual must meet to receive SSDI benefits is different. A veteran's condition must serious enough that it makes it impossible for them to work in order to qualify for SSDI.