How to get disability benefits in NJ — It’s hard, but possible

Obviously, I’ve heard of people being on disability, but until I had a family member with a legitimate disability who was applying to receive benefits, I never understood what a quagmire it can be.

There are so many people who suffer from debilitating diseases in New Jersey, and wouldn’t know the first thing about how to receive disability payments if they needed to stop working.

Getting disability is a serious thing and not an easy process here in New Jersey but there are some tips that atticus.com provides to help New Jerseyans through the red-tape that is the application process.

Keeping in mind that this is a lawyer referral website, one of the first things that they recommend is that you hire a lawyer.

It’s not absolutely necessary, but an interesting statistic provided by the site is that you're three times as likely to win benefits with a disability lawyer than without. Also, 83% percent of applicants do have lawyers at their hearings.

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I recommended this to my family member, and it made all the difference in the world.

What I never knew, and what you may not have known is that a disability lawyer will not charge you unless you are successful in your case. If you are approved they'll take 25% of your first check and by law, they can only take a max of $7,200.

Also, if your case is turned down, your lawyer will know how to appeal so that you can be successful in receiving benefits

It’s hard enough to have a truly debilitating illness whether it is physical or mental, but to have to go through this excruciating process on top of it — if you truly can’t work — is heartbreaking.

There are hundreds of disability lawyers here in the state who can walk you through the process and it won’t cost you a dime.

Mental illnesses can qualify for disability benefits, but it’s a little more complicated because the burden of proof tends to be higher for illnesses you can’t see. Still, a lawyer can help you figure it all out.

And just so you know, according to the website, these are the conditions SSDI and SSI.

Alzheimer’s
Arthritis
Back Pain
Brain Tumors
COPD
Cancer
Chronic Kidney Disease
Crohn's Disease
Depression
Diabetes
Epilepsy.
Fibromyalgia
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Lupus
Schizophrenia

Weird things NJ taxes - and some they don't

In general, New Jersey assesses a 6.625% Sales Tax on sales of most tangible personal property, specified digital products, and certain services unless specifically exempt under New Jersey law.

However, the way the sales tax is applied in New Jersey sometimes just doesn't make sense.

New Jersey puts out an itemized list for retailers that spells out what is, and what is not, taxed.

Perhaps because this is New Jersey, there are some bizarre and seemingly contradictory listings.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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How much does the average NJ home cost? Median prices by county

Everything is costing more these days — and housing is certainly no exception in New Jersey.

Data for 2022 from January through August, compiled by New Jersey Realtors, shows that South Jersey has been seeing homes hit the market and sell in less than a month, on average.

Median prices for single-family homes have reached $500,000 and above in nine counties in North and Central Jersey.

All but two counties have seen houses go for more than the list price, on average, this year.

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