Social media is a big part of everyday life, and it is not unusual to provide updates on your daily activities to friends and family. However, when making a disability claim, your pictures or videos could prove costly. If they suggest that you are lying or your disability is not as serious as you claim, your application could hit a snag.
While it is not a standard routine to go through all applicants’ social media profiles, red flags could appear on your online activity.
Your posts could be misunderstood
In a bid to eliminate fraudulent claims, due diligence is done on every application by the Social Security Administration. Looking into social media posts is not out of bounds when investigating fraudulent disability claims.
For example, suppose you claim that you cannot work because of your disability but later post yourself on a hiking trail or engaging in other strenuous physical activity; it could cast doubts on the severity of your injuries.
While some of your posts could be pictures from the past, they could be mistakenly used to point at your current situation if you are under investigation.
Protecting your disability claim
It is advisable to keep off social media for a while to avoid making any posts that could hurt your claim. Additionally, it might help your case if you made some changes to your profile, including tightening the privacy settings of your profile to regulate who can view your posts.
Most importantly, you need to anticipate any eventuality with your disability claim. If it is denied for any reason, including your online activity, it will help your case if you know what to expect in the appeals process. Doing so will increase your chances of a successful outcome for your appeal.