West Virginia Social Security Blog

The Social Security Administration has a process for evaluating applicants for disability benefits who lack current medical records or any medical records at all. The agency hires physicians to conduct consultative exams on applicants who do not have sufficient documentation of their physical or mental disabilities. Although this might solve problems for disability applicants in West Virginia who have been unable to see a physician, the exams typically result in disapproval.

The exam is often very short, and the physician seeing a person might not have the right qualifications to assess the person's disabling condition. An allergist might see a person suffering from a bad back. Any consultative exams that depend on subjective evaluations based on the physician's expertise could result in a denial of benefits. Examiners who make decisions on disability requests simply want some form of medical documentation that can enable them to close a case.

Veterans and military families in West Virginia have many important and serious issues they may be faced with on a regular basis. Homelessness, trauma, risk of suicide and problems with behavior-related health matters that sometimes involve the criminal justice system are among the critical veterans concerns that have been identified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, which is an agency that provides access to essential resources for military members and immediate family members.

Veterans account for approximately 10 percent of the homeless population in the United States. Many former military personnel within this group also have mental health problems or substance use disorders. SAMHSA addresses these veterans' issues with its Homelessness Programs and Resources and Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness programs. Post-traumatic stress disorder, physical combat injuries and sexual violence are among the several types of trauma that may affect military service members. SAMHSA has published a report offering advice on recovery-focused treatment planning strategies and patient assessments.

If a federal student loan is cancelled, forgiven or discharged, it means that there is no further requirement to make payments. It is important for West Virginia residents and others to know that not finishing school is generally not a valid reason for not paying a loan. Typically, loans are discharged because a school shuts down or because of a permanent injury that makes it impossible to work.

Federal student loans may be forgiven in the event that a person went to school to obtain a job that he or she wasn't eligible to do. This could have been because an individual didn't meet age requirements for employment or had a mental condition. In most cases, individuals are not required to make loan payments while they are pursuing loan forgiveness, cancellation or discharge. To begin the process, a person would contact the company servicing the loan.

For Social Security Disability claim appeals, claimants have 60 days from the date their denial was issued, in addition to five extra days for mailing time, to submit the appeal. Because of the generous amount of time allowed, the Social Security Administration generally require that applicants submit a brand new application if they submitted their appeal after the deadline. However, West Virginia residents who did not submit an appeal of their Social Security Disability claim by the deadline may have recourse in certain situations.

The SSA will consider each case individually, but typical acceptable reasons may include the claimant not receiving the notification of the denial or being unable to submit the appeal in a timely manner due to a mental or physical condition. Generally, if the reason provided for the late appeal is logical and rational, the appeal is likely to be accepted. The claims representative in the Social Security office who was responsible for the original claim is the person who will determine if the late appeal has a good cause.