As Advocacy for Patients finds new resources, we will share them with you by posting links here.
For Social Security disability, try the following:
An organization of attorneys who specialize in Social Security Disability Income can be found at http://www.nosscr.org/.
Social Security Disability Secrets - guidance on how to shepherd your claim through the Social Security process.
The Social Security and Disability Resource Center - up to the minute news on Social Security disability.
There are two organizations that are experts in Medicare: the Medicare Rights Center and the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
Advocacy for Patients has not had direct experience with all of these, but we urge you to explore them -- and please share your feedback so we can evaluate the various organizations.
Advocacy for Patients comments on proposed Social Security Changes
Social Security proposed sweeping changes that would have made the process more like a legal proceeding. Advocacy for Patients thought this would be harder for patients to navigate, so we filed comments opposing these changes. On February 1, 2008, in response to our comments and others like them, the Social Security Administration scrapped this plan. But watch for other proposals as SSA looks for ways to deal with its backlog.
Social Security asked whether it should create a "functional impairment" listing for digestive diseases. The existing listings are hyper-technical and there is no listing for dysmotility disorder. The IBD listing doesn't even mention diarrhea!!! Advocacy for Patients filed comments with 13 national organizations signed on, including the Digestive Disease National Coalition, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, to name a few; and 98 individual health care providers.
Report to Congressional Committees