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Since yesterday February 14 was National Donor Day, now would be a good time to talk about different transplants that qualify for disability. Millions of people worldwide are waiting for a very important gift – the gift of life. Serious diseases and illnesses can cause so much damage to vital organs in the body that the only hope is for a transplant from an organ donor.

Since February is Heart Disease awareness month, now would be a good time to discuss applying for Social Security Disability (SSD) with various heart diseases. More than 40% of deaths in the United States are caused from heart disease, a statistic which far outnumbers that of other dreaded diseases, including all of the forms of cancer combined. February is heart disease awareness month – a time to take a closer look at this this serious group of diseases to gain new understanding about their causes, symptoms, treatments, and prevention.

If you have filed for disability and are waiting for your hearing date to be set, it is a good idea to become familiar with the hearing process so you know what to expect and are not caught off guard by the questions you will be asked and the information you will be required to provide, since this is the most crucial stage in the disability determination process. At this stage, the majority of claims which have been denied at previous levels of the disability application process will be approved.

Qualifying and being approved for Social Security Disability is not as simple as reporting symptoms you claim are disabling to the SSA in your disability application. The SSA has a very specific definition of what qualifies as a disability. In layman’s terms, the SSA’s definition of a disability is the inability to work and earn sufficient income because of a medically verifiable condition expected to last at least twelve months.

Proving the existence of a disabling condition is one of the key objectives of your Social Security Disability claim. Undeniably, this relies heavily upon the results of medical tests and physical ability evaluations (known as Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) forms in disability terminology) provided from your treating physician(s). Although mental impairments can be just as disabling as physical ones, they are often more difficult to prove because of the absence of conclusive testing methods, concrete evidence, and the lack of consistency in observable symptoms.

In the heat of debates among Republican presidential nominees, the topic of Social Security reform has stood out from the rest as highly controversial and potentially crucial, especially in states such as Florida which have a high population of retirees dependent on the SSA’s retirement or disability benefits program.

GOP candidate Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, has received criticism from both political parties for his seemingly changing stance on the presidential debates’ hot topic.

Veterans of the U.S. military could be entitled to receive compensation for any disability resulting (or worsened) by injuries or diseases related to their military service. Currently, those applying for Veterans’ disability benefits who experience multiple symptoms are required to undergo a doctor’s examination to determine what portion of each symptoms is related to their service-related disability. Last November, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) contacted the Secretary of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) asking that this requirement be eliminated.

At a time when the headlines are full of criticism of the Social Security Administration (SSA)’s SSDI and SSI programs, one headline stands out as an example of the outstanding efforts of some individuals in helping deserving applicants receive the benefits they deserve in a timely manner.

The second step in the Social Security disability appeals process entails the Social Security applicant appearing at a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). If a disability claimant is denied benefits upon their initial application, and again upon reconsideration, they will submit a request for this hearing and then wait – likely a year or more – for their hearing to be scheduled. At the time they file their hearing request, they’ve likely already waited 6 months or more for their application to progress through the first two stages of the process.

If a disabled worker is denied Social Security disability benefits at the first two stages in the disability application process, the next step of appeal requires submitting a “Request for Hearing by Administrative Law Judge” form. Although virtually all of these requests are granted, due to a large backlog of claims, the wait for a hearing can be a year or more. Many Social Security applicants use this time to work with their disability attorney to prepare for their hearing.