November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated globally on November 14 to raise awareness about both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. One in 10 Americans have diabetes, and one in 3 people have prediabetes. New figures from the 10th Edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas reveal that 537 million adults around the world are living with diabetes.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. It happens when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to process glucose. When the pancreas fails to produce sufficient amounts of the hormone insulin, which sends signals to other body cells to absorb excess glucose, blood sugar levels rise. Elevated blood sugar levels often can be controlled through medication and diet, but persistently high blood sugar levels may give rise to neuropathy (nerve damage) causing numbness, burning, and tingling in the extremities. Other complications of diabetes include cardiovascular disease, kidney problems, skin infections, and visual changes.

Symptoms of both diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2 include frequent urination, unusual thirst and hunger, and extreme fatigue. People with type 2 diabetes also can suffer from tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, frequent infections, and cuts that are slow to heal.

Complications from diabetes can include:

• nephropathy (kidney disease);
• neuropathy (nerve damage) in feet or hands that disrupts your ability to stand, walk, or use your hands;
• retinopathy (eye and vision problems);
• cellulitis and other skin infections;
• hypertension (high blood pressure);
• heart disease;
• stroke;
• gastroparesis (a type of nerve damage that interferes with digestion);
• peripheral arterial disease (reduced blood flow to your limbs); and
• depression.

If you have uncontrolled diabetes and you have been prevented from working for at least 12 months, or you expect that you won’t be able to work for at least 12 months, then you may be eligible for Social Security disability (SSDI/SSD) benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will look for information that shows how well you can use your arms and hands, or how well you are able to stand and walk. The SSA is also interested in whether you can focus on tasks, get along with others, and come to work on a regular basis. For instance, if you have poor control over your glucose levels during the day, the SSA might find that you are unable to concentrate for long periods of time. Similarly, if you have neuropathy in your legs from your diabetes, you might be unable to stand and walk for long periods of time.

If you or someone you know is unable to work due to a medical condition(s), please contact us for a free evaluation of your case!

By: Joyce Trudeau of Premier Diability Services, LLC®

What is a Cooperative Disability Investigation?

You may have heard that the Social Security Administration will investigate you if you are applying for or receiving Social Security disability benefits. While it is unlikely that Social Security will hire a private investigator or search through your online and social media presence, this could very well happen if a red flag has been raised as to the validity of your claim. Maybe someone filed a complaint or your treating medical professionals have raised some suspicions about your disability. If so, you could be referred for what is called a “cooperative disability investigation,” or CDI.

CDI is a joint initiative involving the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), state Disability Determination Services (DDS), and various State and local law enforcement agencies. The primary goal of a CDI is to uncover potential cases of Social Security Disability claim fraud.

The process typically begins with a referral from the DDS or SSA to the CDI Unit. Fraud referrals also come from SSA’s Office of Hearings Operations, private citizens, anonymous sources, and other law enforcement agencies. Cases of Social Security Disability fraud can involve malingering (exaggeration or faking illness to avoid work), filing multiple applications, concealing work or other activities, and otherwise exaggerating or lying about disabilities.

The CDI Unit Team Leader screens the referral. If it accepts the case, the Team Leader will work with the state or local law enforcement members of the team to investigate the allegation by interviewing the applicant and third parties and/or conducting surveillance of the applicant. Sometimes the investigators will speak to the applicant undercover, maybe under the guise of a person asking for directions, to see how the applicant interacts with strangers when they do not suspect they are being evaluated. Other times, the investigator may simply follow the applicant and watch them from a distance to observe their movements and activities.

Social media can also be a valuable resource for these kinds of investigations. While Social Security may approach social media data with trepidation, as posts can often be a poor reflection of the reality of a person’s situation, it can still be used to see if you are acting in ways that are counterintuitive to a person with the disabling condition you are claiming for benefits purposes.

Upon completion of the investigation, a report is sent to DDS, where DDS staff serves as the ultimate decision-making entity in determining whether a person is eligible to receive a monthly disability benefit payment. Or, if the claim is brought in front of an administrative law judge for a disability hearing, the judge will review the CDI report as part of the evidence in the case. If the individual being investigated is already receiving benefits, DDS and/or SSA will determine whether their benefits should be continued or terminated. In some cases, there is a possibility of criminal prosecution or the imposition of civil monetary penalties or administrative sanctions.

A CDI is not necessarily hurtful to your claim as long as you were honest in filling out your Social Security paperwork and testifying at your hearing. However, it is important to be mindful of the information you share on the internet and social media, as well as when you are talking to others, such as your doctor. Remember that any statements you make, or activities you engage in, may become evidence in your disability claim.

Contact our office today if you or anyone you know would like to learn more about qualifying for Social Security Disability benefits.

By: Devon Brady of Premier Disability Services, LLC®

It’s Open Enrollment for Medicare!

Each year, you have a chance to make changes to your Medicare Advantage or Medicare prescription drug coverage for the following year. The open enrollment period for Medicare for 2022 coverage began on October 15, 2021 and will continue through December 7, 2021.

During this annual enrollment period you can make changes to various aspects of your coverage.

• You can switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, or vice versa.
• You can also switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or from one Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan to another.
• And if you didn’t enroll in a Medicare Part D plan when you were first eligible, you can do so during the general open enrollment, although a late enrollment penalty may apply.

If you want to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you must meet some basic criteria.

• You must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and B.
• You must live in the plan’s service area.
• You cannot have End-Stage Renal Disease (some exceptions apply).

There are specific times when you can sign up for these plans, or make changes to coverage you already have. You don’t need to sign up for Medicare each year. However, each year you’ll have a chance to review your coverage and change plans.

If you didn’t sign up for Medicare A and B when you were first eligible, you have a chance to do so each year from January 1 to March 31, with coverage effective July 1.  You may be subject to a late enrollment penalty however.  For Medicare Part B, the penalty is an additional 10 percent of the premium for each 12-month period that you were eligible but not enrolled.

If you have questions about Medicare, please feel free to give us a call! Our team of Medicare specialists may be able to assist you.

Read more here: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Reach-Out/Find-tools-to-help-you-help-others/Medicare-Open-Enrollment.html

Plan finder: https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx 

Contact our office today if you or anyone you know would like to learn more about qualifying for Social Security Disability benefits.

By: Tom Klint of Premier Disability Services, LLC®