Pictures or Updates to Social Media Sites Can Jeopardize Disability Benefits
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2019/03/29 - Updated: 2023/06/08
Topic: Disability Communities - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Loss of disability benefit payments (SSD, SSI) due to updates, pictures and videos being used as evidence against you on social media web sites like Twitter, FaceBook and Instagram. The U.S. administration is currently working on a proposal to use social media web sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and MySpace to help identify people who claim Social Security disability benefits without actually being disabled.
Introduction
Be careful what you post on Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram and other social media websites - it could cost you your SSD, SSI benefits.
Focus
The U.S. administration is currently working on a proposal to use social media web sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and MySpace to help identify people who claim Social Security disability benefits without actually being disabled. For example, if a person claimed benefits because of a back injury but was shown playing sport in a picture on Facebook, this could be construed as evidence the reported injury was not disabling.
A recent Instagram post with an old photo, or a Facebook post on a low pain day, could also be used against an applicant for disability benefits.
Through social networking websites more and more of our personal lives are ending up flashed across the Internet. While many thoroughly enjoy social networking and its many benefits, being careless with your profile can have grave financial consequences: disability insurers and even the Social Security Administration are increasingly turning to sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to dig up evidence that can be used to deny a disability claim.
Advocates for people with disabilities say the use of social media in this way would be dangerous because photos posted there do not always provide reliable evidence of a person's current condition.
Photos, Videos, Profiles and Posts
The issue at question in most Social Security Disability cases is whether or not you are capable of working. As such, it is easy to see how photos or videos of you dancing, hiking, etc. posted to a Facebook page could be interpreted as harmful to your cause.
Even posts and "status" updates that talk about something as innocuous as weekend plans can be taken out of context by a Social Security Judge or reviewer. Sure, you may know you were only joking around about something you wrote on Facebook, but you do not want to have to later explain that to a Judge.
Of course, you can control what is on your own profile to an extent. But, your friends may post candid photos of you at events or write online content about you that could cast you in an unfavorable light to someone investigating your Social Security Disability claim.
Ask your friends to watch what they post about you, and remove tags of yourself in potentially harmful images.
Adjusting Privacy Settings and Watching Content
If you are pursuing a disability claim, it may be best to simply refrain from having a social networking page. If you are unwilling to make this sacrifice, you should at least be very careful about what you post and what is posted about you online.
Adjusting your privacy settings can also be hugely beneficial:
The default privacy settings on Facebook allow just about anyone to take a gander at your page, only trusted friends and relatives should have full access. Simply by clicking the account button and scrolling to the privacy settings page, you can restrict who is allowed to view various Facebook content.
More than 10 million beneficiaries in the United States currently receive Social Security disability insurance benefits, they have paid into the system through payroll taxes, with a cost of $11 billion per month. Obtaining disability benefits can be a lengthy process so be cautious about your online presence and continue to receive the benefits you deserve.
Related Information
- How to Take Control of Your Facebook - Things you have control over that can help make your Facebook experience better for you - Facebook.
- Avoid Using Social Media Until Your Insurance Claim is Resolved
- Social Media - Study of Patient Experience Sharing
- Joining a Popular Online Social Networking Community for Friendship and Information
- How #Metoo, Awareness Months, Facebook and Social Media Help Healing Process
- Introducing Seniors to Social Media Improves Health and Combats Isolation
- Social Media Use Associated With Depression in Young Adults
- Integrating Social Media in the Humanities Online Classroom
- The Four Types of Social Media Use: What Your Likes and Posts Say About You
- Reporting Social Security and Disability Benefit Cheats - Information on Social Security Pensions and Disability Insurance benefit cheats including how to report welfare benefit fraud.
Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.