CERVICAL DYSTONIA AND YOUR RIGHTS TO LONG-TERM DISABILITY BENEFITS

Cervical dystonia, known as spasmodic torticollis, is characterized by neck muscles that contract involuntarily, causing abnormal movements in posture of the head and neck.  Spasms in the neck muscles or pinched nerves in your neck can result in pain and discomfort.  It can even spread into the shoulders.

One of the most effective treatments for cervical dystonia is Botox injections into the muscles, and oral medication.

Treatment can also involve selective denervation surgery and even deep brain stimulation surgery.

If your physician has told you that you are unable to work as a result of cervical dystonia, and you purchased a long-term disability policy from a private insurer or have coverage through an employer, you may be entitled to long-term disability benefits.  Unfortunately, long-term disability carriers don’t make it easy for a policyholder who has cervical dystonia to get the disability benefits they deserve.  If spasmodic torticollis has made it impossible for you to work and you have been denied your long-term disability benefits, ERISA attorney Nancy Cavey can help you cut through the red tape and fight for your benefits no matter where you live in the United States.

Contact her today at 727-894-3188.

Is The Clock Ticking On Your ERISA Long Term Disability Benefits?

The clock is ticking on your ERISA long-term disability case.  Getting your long-term disability benefits can be challenging.  If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition and have applied for and been denied your disability benefits, you need to understand that the clock is ticking.

Retirement Income Security Act – Most long-term disability policies offered by employers are governed under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).  If you have been denied long-term disability benefits, or your benefits were terminated, you will have 180 days to appeal the insurance company’s denial.  The appeal process is a crucial part of winning your disability claim.  Why?  If you have to file a lawsuit, a Federal judge will review the information in the long-term disability carrier’s file and what you submitted.

However, if you have never gotten the carrier’s file, including the adjusting notes, you have no clue what the real basis of the carrier’s denial was and how you can go about crafting a winning appeal.  Simply having your doctor say you are unable to work won’t cut it.

That’s why it is so crucial that you hire an experienced ERISA lawyer.  Not every lawyer has handled an ERISA disability case, so a family lawyer, criminal lawyer, or even a personal injury lawyer doesn’t have the experience necessary to understand the ERISA disability claims denial process.

Need A ERISA disability attorney?

If your medical condition makes it impossible for you to work and you have been denied your ERISA long-term disability benefits, Nancy Cavey, an ERISA disability attorney, can help you cut through the red tape and fight for your benefits no matter where you live in the United States.  You can learn more about the games long-term disability carriers play by ordering “Robbed of Your Peace of Mind?  Important Information on Long Term Disability Insurance Policies, the Claims Process, and How to Win Your Long Term Disability Benefits.”  You owe it to yourself and your family to understand the long-term disability claims process, ERISA disability denials, ERISA lawyer disability benefits denial.

Gene Therapies Trained to Kill Cancer

In a bold new experiment at the University of Pennsylvania, doctors removed a billion of William Ludwig’s T-Cells. T-Cells are white blood cells that fight viruses and tumors. The T-Cells were given new genes that were programmed to attack his cancer. The altered cells were then dripped back into Mr. Ludwig’s veins and, after a few weeks, his leukemia was gone.

According to an article in the New York Times: Science Times there was “no trace of it anywhere, no leukemic cells in his blood or bone marrow, no more bulging lymph nodes on his CT scans.” This treatment was described recently in the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine. It may be a significant turn in a long struggle to develop effective gene therapies against cancers and the HIV-1 virus that causes AIDS.

If your leukemia has prevented you from working for a long period of time or you are in treatment, you may be entitled to receive long term disability benefits if you have purchased a disability plan through a private insurer or have coverage through an employer.

Unfortunately, long term disability carriers don’t make it easy for those with leukemia or HIV to get the disability benefits that they deserve. We, at Cavey and Barrett, applaud the bold experiment at the University of Pennsylvania run by Dr. Carl June.

If you are fighting your long term disability carrier while you are fighting your leukemia, Nancy Cavey, can help you cut through the red tape and help you fight for your benefits no matter where you live in the United States. Nancy’s father, who died of leukemia, had a USFGI disability policy, she knows first hand what it is like for a leukemia sufferer to tackle the long term disability claims process.

Call today at 727.894.3188.

**Cite: The Science Times: New York Times, Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Article by Denise Grady**

Cavey and Barrett Congratulates Hartford on Launching: Achieve Without Limits

Hartford Financial Services, who provides long term disability benefits, has launched the Achieve Without Limits contest.

Hartford has invited Americans to submit a short video and essay describing a goal that they hope to achieve in small business growth, health, fitness or community services. The top contestants in each category is to be  awarded a cash award and a US Paralympics athlete mentor to put their plan into action. A grad prize winner will receive a trip to the London 2012 Paralympics games to cheer on team USA.

At Cavey and Barrett, we support our US Paralympics athlete team and Hartford.

Programming Your Immune System to Kill Cancer

If cancer has prevented you from working for a long period of time, you may be able to recover long term disability benefits.

A report from the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine has reported on a novel treatment developed at the University of Pennsylvania that could signify a turning point in physicians’ struggle to develop effective gene therapies.

Denise Grady, reporter for the New York Times, has written an article “An Immune System Trained to Kill Cancer” that explains how Dr. Carl June, who led the research at the University of Pennsylvania, was stunned with the results of the gene therapy that has programmed the T-Cells to attack cancer. T-Cells are a type of white blood cells that fight viruses and tumors.

To make these T-Cells search out and destroy cancers, Dr. June explained that researchers must equip them to recognize cancer, attack, multiply and live on inside a patient.

The University of Pennsylvania research team was able to do all of those tasks at once, unlike earlier efforts. Dr. June and his colleagues tried a daring approach by using a disabled form of HIV.-1 as the vector in gene therapy.

Dr. June has explained that the AIDS is a natural for this kind of a treatment because “it evolved to invade T-Cells”. Why the idea of putting the form of the AIDS virus into people sounds frightening, he acknowledged that the “virus” was “gutted”, it is no longer harmful and his team has helped develop this therapy.

For patients like William Ludwig who “almost dead” from leukemia, this treatment was a “Hail Mary”. We at Cavey and Barrett congratulate the University of Pennsylvania team for this phenomenal medical advancement.

If you have leukemia and have been out of work for a long period of time, hiring a long term disability attorney may be the best move that you can make. If you have purchased a disability policy from a private insurer or have coverage through your employer, you may be entitled to long term disability benefits. Unfortunately, just as cancer is hard to fight, long term disability insurers’ will fight disability claims for policy holders with leukemia and cancer. If you are unable to work and you have been denied your long term disability benefits, Nancy Cavey can help you cut through the red tape and fight for your benefits no matter where you live in the United States. Call her today at 727.894.3188.

**Cite: The Science Times: New York Times, Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Article by Denise Grady**

How to Respond to UNUM’s Demand for Your Social Security Disability File

If you are a long term disability policy holder with UNUM and have filed for disability benefits, you might be asked to sign a release of your Social Security file.

UNUM routinely rejects claimants who get Social Security Disability benefits and it’s not uncommon to see in their denial letters language that says “after thoroughly giving you due consideration to the findings of the Social Security Administration, I, Dr. Paid to Say No, disagree with the Social Security findings. Social Security didn’t have the benefit of our UNUM peer review providers and they didn’t have the ability to review her activity of daily living forms or the surveillance.”

Long term disability carriers, like UNUM, give little credence to Social Security Administration decisions.

If they have asked for a Social Security release, sign the release with the provisions  that: 1. They provide you with a copy of the Social Security file; and 2. That they make a decision on your claim within the appeal period. Don’t let UNUM delay the decision on your claim while they wait for Social Security to produce a copy of your file.

Better yet, contact an experienced long term disability attorney such as UNUM long term disability claim denied attorney Nancy Cavey.

Have a Long Term Disability Claim From UNUM?

Long term disability carriers, like UNUM, don’t always make it easier for their long term disability policy holders to get the benefits they deserve, asking for release of your Social Security file is just one way that they will delay the decision on your UNUM disability claim. Nancy Cavey can help you cut through the red tape and fight for your UNUM disability benefits no matter where you live in the United States. Contact her today at 727.894.3188.  The consultation is free.

Can I get Social Security Disability Benefits for my lifetime or will they be cut off?

Can I get Social Security Disability Benefits for my lifetime or will they be cut off?

What a great question. Once you are awarded Social Security Disability benefits, there is a review that will be done on a regular basis by the Social Security Disability office to determine whether or not you continue to be disabled. However, once your reach retirement age your Social Security Disability benefits will be transitioned to Social Security Retirement Benefits. Once you are on Social Security retirement benefits, your benefits can never be taken away from you.

Remember though, if you work while you are getting Social Security Disability benefits, you can lose your rights to those benefits. The Social Security Administration does allow you a trial work period.

You can learn more about your rights to Social Security Disability benefits by ordering your no obligation copy of Your Rights to Social Security Disability Benefits.

If your Social Security Disability claim has been denied, remember the Social Security Administration doesn’t make it easy for you to get the Social Security Disability benefits that you deserve. Call Sharon Barrett, Tampa Bay Social Security Disability attorney at 727-894-3188 to schedule a complimentary appointment.

Johnny Boykins Has Helped Social Security Disability Applicants in the Tampa Bay Area

Johnny Boykins smile and laugh are infectious. He has mastered the Social Security Disability claim’s process while working with Tampa Bay Social Security Disability Attorney Sharon Barrett.

Johnny’s thoroughly familiar with the compassionate allowance program which helps individuals with certain medical conditions be fast tracked in the Social Security Disability claim’s process.

Did you know that accelerated benefits were approved for 45,000 people in 2010 for compassionate allowances.

Johnny Boykins, who served in the Coast Guard Reserve, says that it’s about “commitment to public service”.

If you or a family member suffers from a disabling condition or disease contact Johnny Boykins at Cavey and Barrett for assistance in your Social Security Disability claim. You can call him at 727.892.3188.

Do Social Security Disability Benefits Discourage Disabled Americans from Working?

The Social Security Disability Insurance program is intended to provide those disabled Americans who meet the Social Security’s five step sequential evaluation who have both lost income and medical care.

Some have a concern that SSDI may be a disincentive for those that are willing to work.

Nicole Mates and Cathleen J. Mullen of Rand Corporation offered to study “do disability benefits discourage work”.

The authors looked at Social Security Disability applications between 2005 and 2006 and found that:

1. “Those who are receiving the margin of allowance for SSDI benefits are strongly discouraged from returning to work if they are awarded benefits.
2. Those who are relatively less impaired are substantially more likely to return to work if denied benefits whereas benefits raised with the most severe impairments would not be any more likely to work if they had not received SSDI.”

The one major problem with this study is that it does not address those Social Security Disability applicants who may have been on the margin for allowance of Social Security Disability benefits, but, because of economic conditions have been laid off from work who would have otherwise accommodated for physical and psychological impairments.

If your employer has terminated you because downsizing, don’t be discouraged from applying for Social Security Disability benefits.

Times are tough, times are hard, and you are entitled to Social Security Disability benefits if you can no longer work. Go to www.SSA.gov to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. If your Social Security Disability claim has been denied, remember the Social Security Administration doesn’t always make it easy to get the Social Security Disability benefits that you deserve. Contact Cavey and Barrett for a free no obligation consultation at 727-894-3188.

What Every Woman Should Know About the Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

The symptoms of ovarian cancer in the early stages are not often acute or intense. In most cases, ovarian cancer isn’t detected during a routine pelvic exam unless the doctor knows that the ovaries are enlarged. Potential symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:

1. Bloating
2. Pelvic abdominal pain
3. Trouble eating or feeling full quickly
4. Feeling the need to urinate urgently
5. Fatigue
6. Upset stomach or heartburn
7. Back pain
8. Pain during sex

Unfortunately, the PAP Test won’t detect ovarian cancer as it is only used to detect cancer of the cervix.

Screening tests can include:

1. Pelvic exam
2. Transvaginal Sonography
3. C1025 Test

If you have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it is important that you be treated by a gynecological oncologist. You can find one in your area by going to The Society of Gynecological Oncologist website or call 1.800.444.4441.

If you have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer you should also apply for Social Security Disability benefits if your doctor has told you that you are unable to work. At Cavey and Barrett, we have written the go to guide on the Social Security Disability claim’s process Your Rights to Social Security Disability Benefits.

While you are concentrating on your medical care and healing, we, at Cavey and Barrett, can assist you in your Social Security Disability claim. We can help cut through the red tape and get you the Social Security Disability benefits that you deserve, no matter where you live in the Tampa Bay area contact us today at 727-894-3188.