Personal fitness technology is evolving at a phenomenal rate. New devices and apps for smartphones have made it possible to show precisely when, and in some cases, how, an injury has taken place. Devices such as Apple’s iPhone and Fitbit Activity Trackers collect and store everything from GPS data to heart rate. This information can
A 22-year-old worker in Joliet lost his life on February 13 after getting pinned between two tractors. The man was working at CenterPoint Intermodal Center when the accident occurred. Howard Ankin, a workers’ compensation attorney in Chicago, cautioned that these types of accidents are more prevalent during winter months because tractors and other work vehicles
Republican lawmakers have proposed a short-term solution to try and avoid a 19 percent cut in Social Security disability benefits next year. If approved, the proposal would allow lawmakers to transfer up to $330 million from Social Security’s retirement fund to its disability fund over the next five years. Howard Ankin, a Social Security disability lawyer
Chicago accident attorney Howard Ankin says that a new study from financial website Wallethub shows that while Illinois may be one of the safer states to drive in, it’s not as safe as it should be for workers. Financial site Wallethub recently ranked Illinois as the eighth safest state in which to live in the
On April 9, Social Security Administration representatives gave a House subcommittee sobering news about the disability program’s financial status. The Social Security disability program is scheduled to begin having shortfalls in 2016. The agency has been reviewing cases to find opportunities to save money. However, an agency representative said that they could clear all of
On April 1, the Department of Veteran Affairs released a statement saying that it had reduced its backlog of pending disability claims by more than 267,000 in one year. That’s a 40 percent decrease from the March 2013 peak backlog of 611,000 claims. A backlogged claim is defined as any claim that has been pending
A little-known wrinkle in President Obama’s most recent budget proposal could have a significant impact on millions of disabled workers. The proposed change would prohibit individuals who receive disability benefits from also receiving unemployment benefits. Supporters of the proposal say it would save nearly $3.2 billion over 10 years. Opponents of the change say it
According to new research, lower back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The study was conducted by researchers in Australia and the United States. The research team reviewed disability statistics from more than 187 countries from 1990 to 2010. They found that more than one-third of disability cases are caused by lower back
On Jan. 15, the Social Security Administration added 25 new diseases to its list of qualified conditions for its Compassionate Allowances program. The Compassionate Allowances program gives individuals with certain conditions fast-track status so their disability claims can be approved in days rather than weeks or months. Chicago attorney Howard Ankin says the fast-track claims program
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