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Inside this Issue | |
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| Social Security News | |
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| Listen To Charles | |
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| We get Letters | |
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| Binder & Binder® Quiz | |
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| Commercial Break By Dick Summer, Communications Director |
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| A letter in today’s Disability Digest is about one of our tv commercials that shows a young woman by the name of "Martha" and her baby daughter "Kathy." Due to privacy concerns, the woman and the baby shown in the commercial aren’t the real people involved, but the commercial is based on a real case. | ||
| It’s a story we hear over and over again at Binder and Binder®. A single mom’s doctor says "she can’t work any more." But some government Paper Pusher says..."according to the paper I’ve just pushed...yes, she can."
It kind of makes you scratch your head and ask, "Who’s better qualified to say this mom’s disability makes it impossible for her to work... a doctor, or a Paper Pusher?" Our job is to see to it that the doctor wins. Lots of Paper Pushers resent that. You have no idea how terrible we feel about that. (Or maybe you do.) Paper Pushers have always done their best to ignore common sense. In Pennsylvania, for example, the (seldom... if ever enforced) Paper Pusher designed law says: "Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass." Even in Amish Country, that makes as much sense as the thought that the Paper Pusher knows more than the doctor. How about an Alabama law that says: "It is illegal for a man to attempt to influence, for purposes of a romantic relationship, a chaste woman by means of temptation, deception, arts, flattery, or a promise of marriage." Paper Pusher Party Poopers ! In Alaska, state law says, "Emergencies are to be held to a minimum, and rarely are to be found to exist." That’s the work of a true Paper Pushing Professional. Oakland, California law makes it "illegal to grow a tree in front of your neighbor’s window and block his view." That makes a modicum of sense...but the next sentence is pure Paper Pushing: "This law is not to be enforced if the tree is a redwood or box elder." But Paper Pushing possibly peaks in my home state...New York...where "Husband and wife cannot dissolve a marriage for irreconcilable differences...unless they both agree to it." I thought some of you who are frustrated with trying to win your Social Security Disability case against the Paper Pushers, might be relieved to know that they aren’t picking specifically on you...although I’m sure sometimes it must feel that way. And truth be told...sometimes they make perfect sense...in Cleveland, for example, where it is "illegal to operate a motor vehicle while sitting in someone else’s lap"...or in Oklahoma, where "Whaling is illegal"...or in Utah, where, "Birds have the right of way on all highways."I also thought some of you might also like to know that the mom and baby in that commercial really are my next door neighbors. And "Kathy" is now a very grown up young lady, who...with her mom’s help... baked me some brownies for my birthday this year. I’m quite sure...as the commercial says..."she’s going to do just fine." |
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| Chad Simpson - Disability Advocate |
| Power People - Chad Simpson - Disability Advocate |
Disability Advocate Chad Simpson calls himself a "Mid-West to East Coaster." But he has now roller coaster-ed to our Orange office...and he "loves it." He especially enjoys what he calls, "The wiley practice of getting the Appeals Council to sit up, pay attention, and really listen to our clients." He also enjoys California. "It took a while, but it’s beautiful...the sunshine, the ocean, the mountains, the desert...all of it," he says. Chad was raised in Springfield, Kentucky, where he met his future wife Christina ..."and we dropped out of college together" is his unusual way of explaining the beginning of their adventure together. They moved to New York City, and he earned his degree at Hunter College. To pay the bills, Chad got a job as a tv camera operator, and Christina became a lighting technician at the Food Network cable channel. But after a few years, it was moving time again, when Christina was awarded a full scholarship to the University of California at Irvine to study for a doctorate in Logic. When asked what it’s like being married to someone that smart, Chad laughs and says, "She loves complicated and dynamic discussions, but otherwise she’s just my wonderful wife." Chad’s background as a student of American Literature shows in his choice of favorite authors. It’s a line up of writers we all know we should have read but probably didn’t...Hemingway, Faulkner, and Melville are his top choices. Raymond Carver is his current favorite modern day short story star. As one of our top Disability Advocates, Chad has had a remarkable string of successes for our clients. But one case...actually one smile... stands out in his memory. As he remembers it, "A gentleman with psychiatric problems along with the loss of his legs was really sweating at the hearing. When the judge gave a favorable decision, the client looked at me and just smiled. I’ll never forget that smile." There’s one more thing you should know about our Mid-West to East Coaster who roller coaster-ed out to California for us. He also plays rock guitar...which makes him a genuine rock and roller coaster...and an all around good guy...Client Advocate Chad Simpson...our Binder and Binder® Power Person of the Month. |
