Friday, May 23, 2014

Knowing the Disability Benefits for Children

Having a disabled child can be a heartbreaking experience for any parent. The emotional toll that this exacts on any caregiver is staggering and the attendant financial cost can be steep. The difficulties can seem insurmountable, but there are ways to get help; one of these is to apply for social security benefits for your child.

The benefits available for your disabled child come in two types: Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income. The two are often confused, each is distinct from the other. First, SSDI is dependent on whether the parent has paid for social security benefits in the past, while the SSI looks at the limited resources of the family and the disability of the child. The child’s disability should be severely limiting, and that he or she must have had it for more than a year.

SSI is also more limiting since it has no dependent benefits. This means that families under SSI receive only what the plan offers. SSDI is more flexible—for the disabled sole wage-earner, for instance. SSDI allows to provide fifty percent each (of the main claimant’s benefits) to the disabled’s spouse and dependents for as long as the awarded disability payments fall within the 150%-180% total maximum range, and not more.

To claim benefits from SSDI or SSI, the parent of a disabled child must apply for them. Though it can be relatively uncomplicated to accomplish this, most people need help from federal benefits eligibility services like DECO Recovery Management to ensure that they stand a higher chance for approval.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Tips on Filing a Social Security Disability Claim

Filing a social security disability claim can be an inconvenient affair. It can be confusing and taxing; unless you have enough resources to follow through, the assistance of other people in the know, and tons of patience, you might probably give up and wait another year. Here are some pointers to help you through the rougher spots with your application. 

Unless you know a lot about law, better hire an attorney! Most people might forego this option, mainly because they think it costs a lot of money. Yes, you’ll need to pay for professional help, but you don’t need to pay everything upfront. Social security disability lawyers are mandated by the law to work on a contingency basis; that is, they cannot charge for attorney’s fees until they have won your case.

Always remember to keep in touch with your attorney, and update him whenever needed. However, keep in mind that hounding your lawyer will do nothing. No matter how eager you are to know the progress of your application, your lawyer can’t do anything much while he’s waiting. What he can do is to make sure that you have provided all the information required for your claim to stand a chance for approval.

Do not be discouraged if you’re denied the first time. Don’t lose hope if you get blocked on your initial application! Remember that every denial gets you closer to a court hearing, which may be an advantage to you.


Continue visiting your doctor. Your claim will need updated evidence of your disability every now and then. Doing so regularly (at least every 3 months) will keep your information about your disability current, a crucial factor in the approval of your claim once you get into a court hearing.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Facts about Medicaid Patient Eligibility

Basically, in all states, Medicaid caters to low-income families or parents and their children, pregnant women, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Varying types of coverage are available for people with different needs, and each also have their own income brackets and resource limits. Hence it is important for anyFor health care providers, it is imperative to first determine whether a particular patient is eligible for Medicaid, and by how much is he covered.

Basic Requirements
To be eligible for thisMedicaid, the a patient should: be a U.S. citizen or, if an immigrant, must show proof of eligible immigration status. ; supply proof of residency, and; The patient should also have a social security number or have applied for one.

Aged, Blind or DisabledAutomatic eligibility
These three qualifications belong to one bracket, and it’s main requirement is of course being able to prove that you are either of the three. ‘Aged’ refers to people over 65 years of age. Blind and disabled people will have to undergo medical examination before being deemed eligible.A patient is automatically eligible if he is already receiving any of the following benefits:

  • Work First Family Assistance
  • Special Assistance to the Blind
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Adult Care Home Assistance

Infants and Children
Medicaid for Infants and Children, or MIC, provides coverage for those under 19 years of age. In this case, there is no limit for resources, but the income limits are to be determined by the size of the family and the age of the child seeking coverage.

Long-Term Care
Another great thing about Medicaid is that it could also pay for long-term care such as the cost of nursing homes, and intermediate care facilities. In both these cases, the income should not exceed the cost of the long-term care being given.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Revenue Cycle Management Explained

Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is a process that allows a healthcare provider to manage payment, claims processing, and revenue generation. In simplified terms, RCM helps a healthcare provider ensure that he or the facility gets paid timely for services rendered. It entails using technology to manage claims processes at every phase so that the provider doing the billing can monitor the process and address any issues, allowing for the continuous generation of revenue.

The term revenue cycle is highly associated with healthcare. Although many non-health companies follow the same processes of a revenue cycle, they usually call this process by some other names, such as sales or production cycle. In healthcare, the revenue cycle encompasses the entire patient engagement and payment process—from the time a patient calls your office for appointment to the time the balance on his or her account becomes zero.

Effective RCM requires solid data gathering, storage, and dissemination. This means patient data needs to be collected accurately, the bill sent to the insurance company ASAP, and everything else in between is accomplished. Efficiency and time management play huge roles in RCM, and a healthcare provider’s choice of hospital assistance provider will be the main factor that would help him (or the facility) reach targeted revenue goals.