When you sustain a disabling injury or develop a debilitating disease that prevents you from being able to work, you may have the option of turning to Social Security benefits for financial help. However, the process is complicated and often leads to a rejection the first time you file a claim.
Certain factors increase the odds of a denial. Knowing what they are can help you better prepare to reduce the chances of a denial or can give you the motivation to appeal if it does happen.
As a Tennessee resident who has trouble supporting yourself because of a serious, debilitating disability, you may decide you want to pursue Social Security disability benefits as a method of making ends meet. Available through the U.S. Social Security Administration and intended for those with severe disabilities unlikely to improve with time, disability benefits are monthly payments available to approved Americans to help them get by in the absence of working.
Unfortunately, the process of obtaining disability benefits can prove difficult, and many Americans who apply for them receive denials in response to their initial applications. If you receive a denial after submitting your application, and you also receive a denial after requesting the administration reconsider your application, you may need to take part in a Social Security disability video hearing.
You and your daughter are out on a walk on a beautiful day in Knoxville and see your neighbors walking their dog. You stop and make small talk and ask if your little one can pet the dog. She loves dogs.
"Of course," your neighbor replies.
At this point, the federal government shutdown has lasted nearly two weeks. While many legislators are calling for it to end without President Trump being allocated money for his border wall, it's unclear if this will occur. If you rely on the Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits that you receive to cover your basic necessities, then you'll be happy to know that your payments won't be affected no matter what decision lawmakers reach.
The reason why none of these social programs will be affected is that the government shutdown is only a partial one. Essential services are never done away with even if legislators can't agree on how to balance the budget. Since the SSD program is considered an essential service, your check will continue to be mailed to you on the date that it usually is.
A 15-year-old girl was killed days before Christmas in a crash on Millertown Pike in East Knox County, Tennessee.
In the incident, two pickup trucks ran into each other, according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office. Four other people were injured in the crash, and their conditions were not available.
Data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this past summer captured how even though fatal automobile accidents in the United States were on the decline for a number of years, their rates have recently increased. The data also shows that while Tuesday may be the safest day for a motorist to get out and drive around, Saturdays are the most dangerous.
The data compiled by the NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System during 2016 reveals that 37,461 motorists lost their lives on U.S. roadways that year. Of those, 6,802 of them happened on a Saturday. This marks a 53 percent increase over the 4,444 that occurred on Tuesdays that same year. Friday and Sundays were the two other deadliest days of the year with 5,826 and 5,809 respective deaths.
Any time you travel across Tennessee by car, you run the risk of encountering road construction. For some drivers, navigating through these work zones can prove difficult and even dangerous. Construction zone crashes are steadily increasing across the nation, highlighting a need for increased awareness about their dangers.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Administration, the number of work zone crashes that took place in the United States rose sharply between 2013 and 2015, climbing 42 percent during this short period. Furthermore, 2 percent of all roadway fatalities in the United States took place in work zones in 2014, further spotlighting just how dangerous these areas often are for motorists. So, what types of hazards do you face when working your way through road construction zones, and is there anything you can do to avoid them?
Accidents can happen to even the most careful drivers. Even if you have comprehensive auto insurance, you obey all of the rules of the road and you never drink and drive, text and drive or get behind the wheel while you're drowsy, you can still have the misfortune of being hit by an insured driver.
Being hit by an uninsured driver in Tennessee can cause a lot of stress. The minimum requirements for insurance are $50,000 coverage per accident and $25,000 per death or injury. However, it has been estimated that almost one quarter of Tennessee drivers have no insurance coverage.
Officers with both the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) stepped up their patrol of area roadways during a 104-hour period beginning at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25. By the time the enhanced enforcement period was over, 1,013 traffic citations had been issued by KPD. THP had issued 795, 54 less than the previous year.
A spokesperson for the KPD notes that at least 11 motorists were stopped on suspicion of drunk driving during the enhanced enforcement period this year. Six of those individuals were arrested on Thanksgiving Day itself. As for its part, THP arrested nine individuals on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).
Over 10 million Americans qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in the United States. At least 7 million of those also receive for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). An individual's ability to qualify for benefits has historically rested in the hands of a vocational witness to decide. This may change come Dec. 4 when the Supreme Court rules whether this is fair.
That day, they will hear the case of Biestek v. Berryhill. They'll be asked to rule whether it was appropriate for an administrative law judge presiding over that matter to rely on a vocational witness' testimony to make a decision to deny benefits. In this case, they did so without providing backing up their testimony with tangible data.
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