In a surprising bit of news, the Washington Times is reporting that 72 New York City police officers, five corrections officers, eight firefighters and a police officer from Nassau County have been arrested for faking mental impairments in order to obtain Social Security disability benefits. The former workers were allegedly trained in how to report symptoms of mental impairments so as to be approved for disability benefits, earning four ringleaders thousands of dollars in under-the-table paymentwww.gmaijl.com
Over 100 individuals were reportedly charged for their involvement in filing fraudulent disability claims. Many of the claims went back over twenty years. In addition, many of the officers involved had legitimate physical disabilities that were not quite serious enough to have qualified them for Social Security disability.
The standard used by the Social Security Administration to determine disability is not an easy one to meet. In order to qualify, one must have an impairment that is expected to last at least one year long or to result in death. In addition, one must be unable to perform any work. The Social Security Administration also evaluates each claim based on the impairments it is based on, and these impairments must be backed up by reliable records from a medical doctor or another health care provider.
Because qualifying for Social Security disability benefits is not easy, it is helpful to work with an experienced SSDI attorney who understands the requirements for a favorable disability determination as well as how to proceed when an appeal becomes necessary.
Source: Washington Times, “NYC cops charged with faking mental illness to collect up to $500K,” January 7, 2014.