| Supplemental Security Income Continuing Disability Reviews |
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| Supplemental security income benefits are payable to persons who are age sixty-five or over, disabled, or blind. If the individual's benefits are instituted based on a disability or blindness, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will conduct Continuing Disability Reviews (CDR). The purpose of these reviews is to verify that the individual remains disabled or blind. If he is not, the payment of benefits will cease.More... |
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| Compensation for Black Lung Claims |
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| The Black Lung Benefits Act covers total disability claims of United States' miners suffering from pneumoconiosis (aka black lung disease), which was contracted due to their employment. Such miners are awarded monthly cash benefits as well as medical benefits. Payments to dependent survivors are also provided for in the Act and include the surviving spouse, children, and dependent parents and siblings.More... |
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| Payment for Representation of a Social Security Claimant |
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| A social security claimant may choose to be represented by a third party in his dealings with the Social Security Administration (SSA). If the third party accepts the role of "representative" on behalf of the claimant, he is prohibited from charging the claimant a fee without prior authorization from the SSA. This holds true even if the claim is denied. To obtain approval from the SSA, the representative must use either of two fee authorization processes.More... |
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| Corporate Executives and Partners |
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| Depending upon an individual's position within a company, he may or may not be covered by workers' compensation. Generally, it is "employees" who may claim workers' compensation benefits. Officers, such as a chief operating officer, president, corporate secretary, or chief financial officer, are usually covered just like regular employees. However, if such an officer gains a controlling ownership interest in the corporation, workers' compensation coverage may be lost. This is because the corporation has essentially become the alter ego of the officer and vice-versa. If workers' compensation coverage was still to be extended to the officer in such a situation, it would be like calling the officer both the employer and the employee. For coverage to be affected, some states require that the officer serve on the corporation's board of directors in addition to owning shares in the corporation.More... |
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| Proper Party to a Third Party Action |
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| When an employer or its carrier (collectively "employer") pays workers' compensation for an employee's injury arising out of his employment but through the fault of a third party, the employer may step into the shoes of the employee as his "subrogee." When the action against the third party is completely subrogated to the employer, the only essential plaintiff to the action is the employer. This means, only the party who has been substituted for the employee is required to maintain the action against the third party and recover damages. The employee does not have to be a part of the action for it to remain viable.More... |
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