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• Anthony Reeves is the founder of the Reeves Law Firm, with practice areas in the area of Social Security Disability, Labor and Employment, Personal Industry, Industrial Accidents, and Family Law.

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A reflection on Tragedy: Hurricane Katrina and Social Security Disability

With the devastation surrounding the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and now Taiwan, these disasters started to remind me of the devastation that occurred in New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

I don’t think some people truly appreciate how certain services can be fundamentally SHUT down when hit with a natural disaster.   Of course, we know that power, lights, water, police services, bus services, blah, blah, blah, will shut down.   But you don’t really appreciate how devastating a situation can be until you see spill outside of those communities into your own.

When Katrina occurred, there were ALOT of Louisianans who migrated to Florida.  I had the opportunity to represent a few of those individuals.   Now, I know you’ve heard me scream a THOUSAND times about how YOU bare the responsibility of proving that you are disabled.  I have stressed that you need to get your medical records and YOU have to demonstrate that you are disabled through medical evidence.

Well, how would you feel if you couldn’t prove it because ALL of your medical records were destroyed?   I am mean, that’s what I was faced with when I was representing some of the survivors.   I ran into all kinds of problems.  I had some places where the buildings were destroyed.  Some places, they would not release ANYTHING until they could a detail inventory.    It was crazy.  I mean if you have a condition like the young lady named Prudence who won an Oscar yesterday (Prudence Mabhena is 21 yr old and she is from Zimbabwe. She is suffering from arthrogryposis, a condition that deforms joints and cost her both her legs. ), your condition may be self evident.  But imagine trying to prove you’re disabled due a bad back and you don’t have your MRIs or diabetes and all of your lab work is gone.

But wait.  What if you couldn’t prove who you are??  I had a few people who had their drivers license and SS card but sometimes, SSA requires your birth certificate.   Well, that building was GONE!!

Now, I gotta take the time to give a shout out to the Social Security Administration.  Their offices were obliterated and their workers were literally providing services in other states.  I mean, they were working at other offices and STILL processing claims.   It was crazy.

Part of the reason I’m reflecting on this situation is because we have literally seen 3 major disasters occur in the last few weeks.  It is so easy to underestimate how much pressure it puts on a country to have to rush and provide stability to an environment when these things happen.   Sometimes, the effects can have a much longer consequence than we give credit.

Be thankful.

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