Law Offices of Lisa Douglas

When it comes to social security benefits, ‘disability’ is more of a legal term than a medical one. It is not defined as how you’d describe it under usual circumstances. The Social Security Administration (SSA) only offers social security benefits if you meet the pre-defined criteria. Here’s what the disability criteria entail. The Legal Definition of Disability According to the law,  disability is defined as someone’s inability to engage in any form of substantial gainful activity (SGA). The inability could result from either a medical, physical, or mental impairment that is expected to last for over 12 months or lead to death. As of 2020, the threshold for substantial gainful income is around $1,260 per month. In the case of self-employed individuals, they need to ensure that they aren’t working over the allowable hours to meet the definition of disability under SSA’s guidelines.    A medically determinable impairment either results from a psychological, physiological, ...

Unfortunately, hit and run accidents are very common in the United States. There ’ s been an increase in the number of hit and run  accidents that have resulted in over 2000 deaths each year. According to the reports, there ’ s more than one hit and run every minute. The majority of individuals affected by hit and run crashes are pedestrians or bicyclists. What is a hit and run accident? A typical hit and run case in Arkansas consists of a motorist colliding with a pedestrian, bicyclist, or another vehicle and then taking off. The driver doesn’t stop to see how the victim is doing nor offers any help. Instead, they speed off hoping to get away. As tragic as this is, this is very common and often leads to fatalities. Passersby often notify emergency services and medics are sent to the scene to tend to the victim. The local police also reach the scene to determine what happened, trace any witnesses, and take a statement from the victim, if possible. The police try to document informa...

Filing a personal injury claim in Arkansas   is a tricky procedure. There are several stages that you have to navigate through to reach an outcome you want. The process of a personal claim begins when you hire an attorney for your case. Here’s what it looks like. Investigation & Data Collection The first thing your attorney will do is interview you and hear your perspective about the accident and the injuries sustained. They’ll ask questions about and related to the incident and will gather relevant information to strengthen your case. For instance, your attorney will review your medical records relating to the injury, evaluate your expenses since the injury, and search for witnesses who could support your stance. Filing the Lawsuit Once your lawyer has obtained sufficient information, they’ll file a personal injury lawsuit in court. This will be done according to the state’s statute of limitations, and your attorney will take care of the complicated paperwork involved. Hearing...

The  Social Security Administration (SSA)  awards Social Security Disability benefits to individuals if they’re dealing with some disabling condition. The compensation depends on the applicant’s financial need and the extent to which your work-life is affected.  Details of the medical conditions The conditions can be broadly categorized into: a.   Cardiovascular conditions b.   Musculoskeletal issues c.   Breathing difficulties d.   Vision impairment or hearing loss Other than these, the SSA also lists 88 additional conditions  that could qualify for the claims. These may include skin disorders, digestive disorders, endocrine disorders, respiratory disorders, neurological disorders, mental disorders, genitourinary disorders, immune system disorders, cancer, hematology disorders, and congenital disorders that affect multiple body systems. What happens if your medical condition is not on the list? The good news is that even if your disabling conditi...