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To even meet the statutory test of disability, the disabled worker must be unable to work or engage in any "substantial gainful activity." To qualify, disabled workers must have worked in the past, and be unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last more than one year or result in death..Majorities reported that:.Meditation and yogNew research has found that mindfulness meditation can actually change the structure of the brain - in a very protective way. Just a couple of weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training, developed by the University of Massachusetts' Center for Mindfulness, improves concentration and attention since strong focus of attention is one of the central techniques. Meditation training has long been used as a technique for reducing blood pressure, stress and anxiety and also has helped people quit smoking by learning to "decouple" the state of craving from the act of smoking..Higher benefit costs may not be a financial choice for the majority of seniors. Half of all survey respondents report spending 11% to 33% of their Social Security benefit on healthcare costs, and another 22% reported spending 34% to 50% of their benefit. The following table illustrates how respondents answered..There are several ways it happens. One has to do with the type of SSN that was used for employment. The 2004 law requires work authorization in order to claim Social Security. But the law pertains only to individuals who received their SSN after January 1, 200If the individual was issued an SSN prior to January 1, 2004, like the 7 million non-work SSNs issued prior to 2003, the 2004 law prohibiting payment of Social Security does not apply. According to the Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office, that group does not need to have ever received legal work authorization in order to claim benefits - they may have worked illegally their entire careers..The letter you received from Social Security should indicate a deadline for your response. If you have missed the deadline, act quickly and contact Social Security requesting an extension. You may indeed learn there is an error and be able to correct the amount of money to be withheld. In addition, when you check your earnings record, you may need to contest earnings that don't belong to you..TSCL agrees that the WEP and the GPO must be repealed as soon as possible so that public employees receive the retirement benefits they have earned and deserve. We look forward to working closely with Sen. Brown in the coming months to help build support for his important new bill..Improve work incentives and encourage disabled beneficiaries who improve to return to work. Current disability rules restrict what disabled beneficiaries can earn, which serves as a disincentive to those who are capable of re-entering the workforce. TSCL favors adopting rules that are consistent with those of the retirement and survivors program, which allows people to earn ,310 per month before benefits are reduced..On Wednesday, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees released their 2015 reports on the financial outlook of the two programs. At a press briefing, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said: "Today's reports confirm that both Social Security and Medicare are secure today and will remain secure in the years to come. Consistent with previous years, today's reports also show that these programs are facing challenges that need to be addressed."