North County veterans may have to travel to central San Diego for future exams related to disability claims. Starting Oct. 1, the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department will discontinue exams for compensation and pension claims at its Oceanside medical clinic. The bulk of the services at the Rancho Del Oro Road clinic will continue, including regular medical care. However, for the disability exams, San Diego VA officials “reviewed utilization of the Oceanside clinic over the last year and felt it was not cost-effective to maintain the clinic for the limited services that were provided,” according to a statement by the agency. A veteran gets this kind of exam when he or she files for compensation for a service-related disability. A spokesman for the Veterans Association of North County said he thinks vets in that region will feel the loss. “North County veterans hate going to downtown San Diego. It can be an all-day affair,” said Chuck Atkinson, the nonprofit … [Read more...] about VA to consolidate disability exams in San Diego, no longer offered at Oceanside clinic
Disability
Eric Conn helped him win disability benefits. Now he has to prove he’s hurt again.
Teddy Newsome says he hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in years after hurting his neck and back while working for more than 30 years as an equipment operator at surface coal mines. Now the Pike County man has another worry. Newsome, 58, received notice this week from the Social Security Administration (SSA) that it has tossed out some of the medical evidence supporting a 2010 ruling that he was disabled. As a result, the agency plans to have an administrative law judge decide whether Newsome is entitled to continue receiving a monthly disability check of $1,926. Newsome said he’ll try to find work if he loses, but mining jobs have plummeted in the area. He has considerable pain and thinks going back to work could hurt his health. “I’d probably die doing it, or be paralyzed,” he said. Newsome is among almost 2,000 people, many of them in Eastern Kentucky, that SSA plans to put through a process of re-determining their eligibility for disability … [Read more...] about Eric Conn helped him win disability benefits. Now he has to prove he’s hurt again.
Utah man convicted of defrauding the disabled loses appeal
Updated 11:49 am, Wednesday, February 7, 2018 OGDEN, Utah (AP) — The Utah Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of an ex-worker at a money management firm in Orem who was found guilty in 2015 of bilking more than a dozen disabled clients out of $11,000. Prosecutors say 32-year-old Jordan Jack used the money he diverted from the victims from 2012-14 to take a Las Vegas vacation, buy concert tickets, televisions, jewelry and expensive shoes. His past former employer, Chrysalis, provided a money management system for clients of the Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities. Jack argued he was the victim of double jeopardy because one of the communication fraud charges should have been merged with multiple charges of exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Most Popular 1 2 charged in death of Richmond man found in dumpster after... 2 Houston store clerk opens fire on two robbers 3 Gang member claims to be male stripper, has $55K, … [Read more...] about Utah man convicted of defrauding the disabled loses appeal
Cobb mom gets max sentence for fatally poisoning her disabled son
A Cobb County judge ordered Wednesday that Erica White spend the rest of her life in prison. White, 45, was found guilty days earlier of poisoning to death her 2-year-old son, who was left blind and disabled after a beating by his father when he was younger. White was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 83 more years in prison, according to Kim Isaza, the Cobb district attorney’s office spokeswoman. White was convicted of malice murder. Tyrael McFall died at 2 years old. (Cobb County District Attorney's Office) The state built a case which included the theory that White killed her son Tyrael McFall to fuel her “greed.” Many of the charges against her involve White trying to build credit and make purchases in Tyrael’s name after he died. “The crimes committed by this defendant are the most reprehensible and unforgivable that exist in our community,” prosecutor Susan Treadaway said. White’s defense team argued … [Read more...] about Cobb mom gets max sentence for fatally poisoning her disabled son
Firefighters find disabled alarm system in Southwest Side apartment building
Madison firefighters responding to a broken water pipe on the Southwest Side Tuesday night found a disabled fire alarm system in the apartment building, prompting the crew to go door to door and tell every apartment dweller to call 911 if they smell smoke or see fire. The broken water pipe call came at about 10:10 p.m. from a resident at the apartment complex at 3064 Cimarron Trail, the Madison Fire Department said. "The resident led firefighters down to the basement-level water leak, which had caused an icy buildup near the garage door," said spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. The leak was found and water service was restored, when a firefighters noticed a blinking yellow light on the building's fire alarm panel. "The crew attempted to reset the alarm, but that didn't fix the problem," Schuster said. "The button labeled 'disable' had been activated, and when it was pressed to enable the system, fire alarms went off." The fire crew turned the alarm off and tried to contact the … [Read more...] about Firefighters find disabled alarm system in Southwest Side apartment building