Charlotte North Carolina Legal Blog

Although people may not like to talk about it, many Charlotte residents suffer with alcoholism or some form of drug addiction. Oftentimes, they are still able to go to work and live productive lives despite their struggles. However, such behavior does have a tendency to take its toll on the body. On some occasions, a person may develop a medical or mental health problem that can be directly tied, or partially tied, to his or her addiction. These problems can force a North Carolina resident out of the work force permanently, leaving them to find some means of paying the bills.

The good news is that Social Security disability benefits are still available for those who struggle with drugs or alcohol, even if their addiction may have contributed to the disability in some way. As this blog has mentioned before, Social Security is a no-fault system, meaning that, for the most part, so long as a person qualifies as disabled, there will not be questions asked about who is responsible for the injury or illness.

As any Charlotte worker knows, people often make mistakes while on the job. Errors at work are almost inevitable, even when the culture of the workplace is solid and the workers themselves honest and diligent.

Unfortunately, there are some mistakes, however innocent, that can have disastrous results. For instance, someone who misses a step when handling a piece of machinery or a tool may wind up with a serious or even debilitating injury.

Now that May has arrived, many high school students in the Charlotte area will celebrate the end of their school year by attending their school's prom. Likewise, this is the season for graduation parties and other celebrations that young people love.

Unfortunately, many teens choose to drink alcohol or use drugs on these occasions, even though doing so is illegal under North Carolina law. According to one study, around one in three teenagers will either drink alcohol or use drugs on the night of their prom.

According to those in charge, the trust fund that helps cover Social Security disability payments to injured and ill North Carolina workers has experienced a new lease on its life. Experts now say that the fund will run out of money by 2052. Last year, they predicted the fund would be depleted in 2032, or in less than 15 years from now. While this is not wonderful news, it does mean there is more breathing room for lawmakers and others to resolve the funding issues which have recently affected the Social Security Disability program.

Although there are about 10 million workers across the country receiving SSDI, the number of new applicants for benefits has been trending downward since 2010. Moreover, there has been a push, at least since 2014, to trim the roles of already existing beneficiaries who may no longer want the payments or who may no longer be eligible for them.