Dade and Broward County Injury News

Skyrocketing Disability Claims by the Unemployed

Posted on Sep 30, 2011

South Florida Social Security offices are being flooded by desperate laid-off workers applying for disability benefits.

Many people are turning to Social Security’s disability program who are unemployed as a last ditch effort to bring money into their households.

The demand is so great nationally that according to a Congressional Budget Office report issued this summer it estimates that the disability may run out of money by 2018 unless federal officials don’t step in.

The number of Florida residents seeking disability coverage has increased by 50 percent since 2007. This year alone, approximately 157,000 people residing in Florida have applied for disability insurance according to the Social Security Administration.

Disability benefits have existed since 1956. It was geared for people who were no longer able to work because of a disability.

The benefits from disability insurance are based on a person’s prior earnings. Nationally the average disability payment was $1,065 per month. The money comes from a payroll tax that American workers pay and is split between the employers and employees.

A person seeking disability insurance must have a medical condition that will last for over a year, or is expected to result in a death. They also must be incapable of working.

The Social Security office in Fort Lauderdale has been jammed with people applying for disability in the hopes the government will give them a monthly check.

In Florida, about two-thirds of the people applying for disability are not eligible for the program. It can take up to two years to appeal a case. When an applicant is denied, they can appeal the decision with Social Security first and then to a judge. It is a lengthy process.

Last year more than 500,000 people in Florida received disability benefits. Their disabilities varied from injuries, diseases and psychiatric conditions. The majority of the recipients were over 50 years old.

The law office of David Benenfeld has helped disabled people get benefits through Social Security in Broward and Dade Counties and has seen an increase of applicants.

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David M. Benenfeld, P.A.
7800 W. Oakland Park Boulevard
Building F
Suite 216
Sunrise, FL 33351
Phone: (954) 677-0155
Fax: (954) 677-0773
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