When most people think about disability claims they generally envisage the most typical forms of disability such as back pain, whiplash or some form of chronic medical condition which simply prevents you from working. The reality of what people actually claim for as a disability might surprise you. Plus there\’s also the fact that our world constantly dips into and out of cycles of global warfare and that\’s currently an aspect of our modern lives despite the fact that the conflicts themselves are being fought in distant corners of the globe.
So let\’s take a look at the most common types of disability claims made in the Garden State:
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Although you\’d probably have imagined it would be consigned to the world of reality TV shows OCD is actually a part of daily life for well over 15 million Americans, although the severity of the condition varies from person to person. OCD is now the most common psychological disorder in the world and is becoming a more and more common reason for people of all ages to make a disability claim.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Although advanced body armor and battlefield surgery techniques means that there are fewer combat fatalities that doesn\’t take away from the fact that hundreds of thousands of American military personnel will be left suffering from PTSD after their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. This means that the American Social Security system is now facing claims for a psychological condition which hasn\’t bee part of American life since the days of the Vietnam War.
Obesity
You\’ve all heard that North America is in the midst of an obesity crisis but, like most people, you might just have assumed that the entire thing was just media hype. Unfortunately it\’s anything but sensationalist news headlines and this is corroborated by the fact that over 60% of all disability claims made in New Jersey are related to obesity in one way or another. For example if you look at the fact that musculoskeletal/connective tissue, cardiovascular/circulatory and diabetes accounts for over 50% of all disability claims in the Garden State you\’ll start to see the bigger picture emerging in relation to the obesity problem.
Cancer
Thankfully recent advancements in cancer treatments and therapies are proving to be so effective that certain types of cancer now seem to be on the verge of being conquered once and for all. Despite these advancements most cancers will involve surgery or other medical procedures which can directly impact your ability to work for months if not years. The other factor here is that while modern medicine is getting better at treating certain types of cancer, there are more people than ever being diagnosed with cancers of all kinds.
Depression
Although the majority of disability claims are related to a physical injury of some kind a growing number of people are making disability claims for severe and chronic depression for example. The issue with claiming disability for depression is that it can be hard to prove without extensive medical evidence to back up your claim. Depression, as a mental health issue, is neck-and-neck with OCD as the most common reason for people living in New Jersey to make a disability claim.
Nervous System Disorders
With an ageing population there are certain neurological disorders which are becoming more common, including Parkinson\’s Disease, and Alzheimer\’s Disease for example. These types of disorders require long-term care and can also be expensive to treat, making them ideal candidates for a disability claim.
Diabetes
The increase in the number of diabetes patients in the United States is directly proportional to the increase in the obesity problems the country is experiencing. Regardless of the actual cause the double-whammy of obesity and diabetes alone is putting a huge strain on the health service in this country, and millions of disability claims as a result of that.
So as you can see the most common types of disability claims in New Jersey weren\’t quite what you expected.