Social Security Info

Sometimes an injured worker or even someone with health problems may believe he or she can no longer work. It is often the case that a person may have a workers comp claim and also a claim for Social Security disability. In fact insurers usually insist that some claimants file for Social Security benefits. Of course the insurer does this because Colorado law usually gives them a reduction in comp benefits if you qualify for Social Security. Nonetheless, if you are injured and will likely not be able to return to any work or even if there was no work injury but your overall health is so bad you cannot work anymore do look into filing at your local Social Security office. If you have an attorney first review this with him before doing so as his advice should be followed. In any event the federal government has a website for looking into all types of Social Security matters. It is at www.ssa.gov but while it is thorough it is also confusing since it includes information on all sorts of benefits such as retirement, widows claims and much more. So if you go there be patient as it does have a great deal of information. By the way it can take a lot of time to be awarded Social Security disability benefits once you apply as most claims are initially denied. You can appeal but many months go by before a hearing date is scheduled. The agency seems to go at a snails pace for many claimants. If you are looking for some basic information on disability I suggest checking at this site and do consult an attorney:
http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/

Is Your Doctor Accredited?

In Colorado an accredited provider is important. For medical doctors if they are accredited in Level 2 they can issue impairment ratings. Such ratings are used to assess the damage sustained by an injured worker. A full accreditation allows the doctor to address physical and psychological damage. A limited accreditation limits the providers assessment. For example many orthopedic doctors are limited not fully accredited. This has nothing to do with their capabilities. Colorado simply requires that you take more courses if you want full accreditation and some doctors just prefer to limit their opinion to what their specialty is so they don't seek full accreditation. In any event if you want to check out a specific doctor you can do so at the website noted below. If the doctor's name is not on the list he may not be accredited though you may ask further through the Division.
http://www.coworkforce.com/dwc/physicians/default.asp