As a Florida resident who receives, or plans to apply to receive, disability benefits from the U.S. Social Security Administration, you should know that the government is considering ramping up its efforts to catch those engaging in disability fraud. At Kaylor, Kaylor & Leto, P.A., we are well-versed in this and many other issues relating to disability benefits, and we have helped many people in your shoes figure out what it takes to qualify for these benefits and retain them long-term.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the current presidential administration is proposing that the government increase its efforts to curb disability fraud by reviewing the social media accounts and profiles of Americans who receive disability benefits. It is a controversial proposal, but those supporting it believe that the government would be able to more easily identify those obtaining disability benefits through unethical means by tracking their habits online.
For example, say you are receiving benefits because of a serious, debilitating back injury. If the proposal to track benefits recipients’ social media profiles moves forward, someone might review your profile for possible evidence that your injury was not as severe as you claimed it was. If you regularly post pictures depicting you climbing mountains, waterskiing or what have you, this could call into question whether your disability is, in fact, serious enough to warrant you continuing to receive disability benefits.
Opponents to the proposal claim that it may cause additional problems, because it is difficult to determine when, exactly, the actions depicted in photos posted online actually took place. For example, maybe someone snapped those waterskiing photos of you long before your back injury occurred, but you never got around to posting them until some time later. You can find out more about social security disability benefits on our webpage.
