Recent Supreme Court Rulings
HALL, LYNWOOD D., ET UX. v. UNITED STATES. Decided 05/14/2012
UNITED STATES v. HOME CONCRETE & SUPPLY. Decided 04/25/2012
WOOD, PATRICK v. MILYARD, WARDEN, ET AL.. Decided 04/24/2012
Periodic Reviews of Disabilities
Whether you receive benefits from the Social Security Administration, an insurance carrier, or the Department of Veterans Affairs, each agency pays close attention to the amount of money they pay for claims. They are businesses like any other, and want to ensure that they are only paying for true claims. For this reason, they conduct periodic reviews.
The fight to get disability benefits may ease from time to time, but reviews keep the struggle fresh in an applicant's mind. If your disability keeps your from working, your benefits are essential to your survival. Once the Coye Law Firm wins your appeal, we make sure that your benefits are consistent and that your disability is reviewed according to established rules.
Review Frequency
Benefits from Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income are reviewed according to the SSA's scale. How often your condition is reviewed depends on how severe it is and how likely it is to improve. For example, a person's Post-traumatic Stress Disorder may be improved by treatment over time, so their case can be reviewed frequently. When you are awarded benefits, your notice of award will tell you which of the following review categories your disability falls into:
- Medical improvement expected: if your condition is expected to improve, a review will happen in 6-18 months.
- Improvement possible: if your condition could possibly improve, a review will happen every 3 years.
- Improvement not expected: if your condition is not likely to improve, a review will happen every 5-7 years.
Insurance companies may include a clause for periodic reviews by a doctor of their choosing. Pay attention to the term of a disability insurance policy. If the company wants to review your condition, then they will most likely contact you with specific instructions about the review.
Military services often require authorized medical examinations. When you apply for Veterans' benefits, you may be required to have a medical exam. Your disability is then ranked on a percentage scale to determine how much compensation you are entitled to. Depending on the severity of your condition, you may be asked to participate in a review from time to time.
Review Procedure
The Social Security Administration will send a beneficiary a letter notifying them that their case is up for review. A representative will contact the person soon after to discuss the process. If you have had any medical treatment or done any work, you will be asked to provide documentation about it. A trained disability examiner and a doctor review your file, including medical records, to assess your condition. In some cases, you may be asked to take an additional examination, which the SSA will pay for.
Disability insurance companies and the Department of Veteran's Affairs conduct reviews in similar ways. If your disability is going to be reviewed, then the agency will contact you with specific rules and guidelines. They should also inform you of your rights.
The Coye Law Firm is dedicated to helping people get the disability benefits they deserve. The review process helps to make sure that truly disabled people are getting all the help they can, but sometimes things can go wrong. If you are struggling to keep your disability benefits, call an attorney at the Coye Law Firm. We can protect your rights and help to make sure that you continue getting much-needed disability benefits.
