Atlanta Social Security Disability Law Blog

The economic recession of the past few years has been difficult on many Georgia residents, especially those with disabilities. Hampered by a struggling job market and a variety of health conditions, the number of people on Social Security disability insurance has risen by 1.6 million since late 2007.

Some suggest that the economic climate can be driving a portion of this increase. Both the number of applications for SSDI and the number of people who successfully obtained benefits rose during the last five years as economic conditions worsened. One employee of the National Academy of Social Insurance noted that a recession presents difficulties for those with disabilities: With more people vying for fewer jobs, they may have trouble finding employment.

Every year, a variety of illnesses affect Georgia residents, leaving them disabled and unable to work. But one stands above all others. According to national figures, more Americans are disabled by a stroke each year than any other cause. There are roughly 800,000 stroke incidents annually in the United States, leading some victims to need the assistance of Social Security disability benefits.

But there is new hope for stroke patients. Researchers are experimenting with a drug that could help stroke victims rebuild brain connections and promote recovery. At the moment, the ability of drugs to improve a stroke patient's condition is confined to limiting the initial harm caused by the stroke. In order to do that, patients must get to a medical facility within hours of the stroke and take a drug designed to eliminate blood clots. But many unfortunately fail to do so, rendering those drugs ineffective.

One of the basic facts of the human condition is that we are all susceptible to illness, infirmity and disease. But there are variations. Doctors have noticed that certain people are more prone to heart disease than others, while certain illnesses appear to run in families. Over time, scientists have sought out the reasons behind these differences. While it is known that a person's genetic makeup--their DNA--can influence their likelihood of developing a particular illness, a new study shows that it cannot predict whether a person will in fact come to have the disease.

The study compared people who have the same genetic material--identical twins--and studied them to determine whether in the event one developed a disease the other would follow suit. But even if one twin acquired a given illness, the other's probability of also getting it was roughly the same as that seen in an average, non-related person.

Some Georgia residents might be able to relate to one North Carolina woman's plight regarding Social Security benefits and Medicaid income requirements. The woman receives Social Security Disability Insurance because she suffers from multiple sclerosis, COPD, a heart murmur as well as high blood pressure. Her healthcare is provided by the state's Medicaid program, which pays for all her required medications.

The medicine for her MS requires 15 shots per month at a cost of $1,800. As many Georgians know it is not easy living on a fixed income. Living on $923 per month in Social Security, she was delighted to find out she would receive a raise in her benefits of $33 per month. That put her at $956 each month to support herself and her 15-year-old granddaughter.