Most of us have some form of social media. We use it to express our feelings, stay in touch with loved ones, remember birthdays and events, and share images. But one way in which it can be used may just surprise you. The federal government may use it to monitor if you are eligible for disability benefits.

Leveraging Social Media to Review Disability Claims

According to a New York Times article published earlier this year, Social Security has actually proposed leveraging social media platforms including the likes of Facebook and Twitter, to gain a closer look at those claiming federal disability benefits. The administration would potentially utilize these insights to help ensure that they are not fraudulently collecting.

The difficulty with this tactic, however, is the fact that Facebook postings don’t always document happenings in real-time. In other words, people will often post about themselves in a light most favorable to themselves.

Because of this, they may choose to post an older picture of them when they were 100 percent able-bodied. Or a person could post a picture looking happy spending time with family, even though he or she was in severe pain, which doesn’t translate in the picture.

Overall, many people use social media to highlight the happy times or create a sense of happiness, and it can seem unfair to be judged for what you are posting. Therefore, it is so important to remain cautious as to what you share on social media – and the internet in general.

Tips for Guarding Your Privacy

If you choose to have social media, we are not advising that you should not post anything, just that you should keep these issues in mind before doing so. To best guard your privacy on social media be sure to:

1. Limit your personal information included in your profiles. This may even include not using your last name and not posting your date of birth, phone number, or city at all.
2. Manage your privacy settings. For most social media, your profile is not automatically set to “private,” but you have the option to do so. This is a great idea because (although not foolproof) it can help to minimize the number of individuals who are able to view it. This way only your friends and family can see.
3. Think before you post. Never post anything that you wouldn’t want anyone in the world to be able to see – this includes the federal government. At the end of the day, some things are better off of your social media pages.

Disability Attorneys of Michigan Can Help

If you are disabled and unable to work, call Disability Attorneys of Michigan for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.

Disability Attorneys of Michigan works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the Social Security Disability Benefits they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or cognitive impairment, call Disability Attorneys of Michigan now for a free consultation at 800-701- 5524.

Let Michigan’s experienced Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.