Palm Beach County Unemployment Rate Lowest In 3 Years; Drops for Ninth Consecutive Month
Palm Beach County Unemployment Rate Lowest In 3 Years; Drops for Ninth Consecutive Month
West Palm Beach, FL (PRWEB) May 18, 2012
Palm Beach County’s unemployment rate for April 2012 is 8.5 percent – a 1.7 percentage point decrease from the April 2011 rate of 10.2 percent. This is the county’s lowest unemployment rate since January 2009 (8.8 percent) and the ninth consecutive monthly decline, according to information provided today by Workforce Alliance and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The state’s unemployment rate for April 2012 is 8.3 percent and the national rate is 7.7 percent (not seasonally adjusted).
“The continued improvement in the region’s unemployment rate suggests that the quickening pace of the national recovery will be matched locally,” said Steve Craig, president and chief executive officer of Workforce Alliance, the nonprofit organization chartered by the state of Florida to lead workforce development in Palm Beach County.
The latest report shows that Palm Beach County experienced employment growth in five industry categories over the previous 12 months: education and health services (+2,100 jobs), professional and business services (+1,100 jobs), trade/transportation/utilities (+700 jobs), construction (+600 jobs), and government (+400 jobs). Palm Beach County is the only metro area in the state that gained jobs in the construction category. Job losses over the same period were primarily in leisure and hospitality (-4,700 jobs), financial activities (-500 jobs) and other services (-200 jobs).
Workforce Alliance has been instrumental in placing thousands of Palm Beach County residents in jobs, from entry-level positions to the executive suite. In 2011, Workforce Alliance placed a record 13,453 candidates in jobs from entry-level positions to the executive suite, and awarded more than .5 million in training grants to employers and job seekers.
Besides helping area job seekers enter or re-enter the job market, Workforce Alliance provides a comprehensive package of services to help businesses compete in today’s challenging marketplace. These services include recruitment, assessments and referrals of qualified job candidates; space and staff assistance for screening/interviewing candidates; and grants for training new or existing employees.
On average, more than 11,000 visitors each month receive help from the specialized services at three Workforce Alliance Career Centers and two Executive Transition Units for professionals with a four-year college degree. The centers offer more than 100 classes and workshops each month for job search and job skills training, career development and consulting. There is no cost for services to job seekers. Schedules of workshops and employers that are interviewing are posted on the Workforce Alliance website at http://www.pbcalliance.com .
More information also is available at the Workforce Alliance Career Centers:
Central Career Center, 1951 N. Military Trail, Ste D, WPB, FL 33409 (561) 340-1060
South Career Center, 951 Yamato Road, Ste 175, Boca Raton, FL 33431 (561) 853-0181
West Career Center,1085 South Main Street, Belle Glade, FL 33430 (561) 829-2040
Note to editors: You are invited to send a reporter/photographer/video crew to interview a Workforce Alliance spokesperson and/or job seekers at our Central Career Center in West Palm Beach. Please call 561.340.1060 ext. 2368 or 561.340.1061 ext. 2229 for scheduling.
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EPAM Content Center and eZ Systems Partner to Bring Open-source Content Management to Enterprise
EPAM Content Center and eZ Systems Partner to Bring Open-source Content Management to Enterprise
Newtown, PA (PRWEB) May 18, 2012
EPAM Systems, a leading software engineering and IT services provider with development centers across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), announced today a partnership with eZ Systems, a Norwegian web content and customer experience management provider.
Together, EPAM Content Competency Center and eZ Systems now serve a growing number of organizations looking to open-source solutions for their online channel optimization needs. eZ Systems, through its family of products, offers a compelling answer to companies such as CS Monitor, American Museum of Natural History, Deutsche Bank, Havas Health, 20th Television and Informa, that are looking to create value through a streamlined multichannel delivery. eZ’s intuitive and simple editing solutions, innovative web experience management tools, advanced portals, and collaboration environments, work in harmony to create unparalleled ease-of-use and efficiency for their customers. EPAM, through its Content Competency Center now offers consulting, solution architecture, implementation, and support services for eZ products.
“Choosing the right platform for a web content management system is an extremely important decision for our clients”, said Alex Lyashok, Vice President, Technology Solutions of EPAM, “Open source systems have come a long way and eZ Systems offers an important choice for customers. The combination of the openness and dynamic evolution of the eZ platform with the global delivery capabilities of EPAM offers customers support and scalability they need to leverage open-source in mission-critical enterprise applications.”
Gartner, Inc., the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, has included eZ in its 2011 Web Content Management (WCM) Magic Quadrant report, recognizing the company’s maturity and growing sophistication of its product strategy. The company’s strengths include the alignment of its business model and product with the extended solution landscape that Gartner envisions as well as the company’s solid work with its partners.
“EPAM is a great partner for eZ Systems. Our customers are driving innovation through the web and EPAM’s Content Competency Center can offer the right solutions and support services required to drive a truly compelling web experience,” said Gabriele Viebach, Group CEO of eZ Systems.
About eZ Systems
eZ Systems is the world’s leading provider of commercial open source content management software and has been an established player on the market for more than ten years. The international company has a staff of more than 100 employees. eZ Systems has continuously managed to gear towards a comprehensive customer experience management by building its own market place and through selective acquisitions in the area of recommendation systems and analysis. The innovative content management system eZ Publish sets new standards of quality, transparency and scalability. Thousands of companies, organizations, agencies, institutes and publishers worldwide are using eZ Publish. Among the customers are Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Orange, O2, Finanz Informatik, Madsack, Sparda Bank Group, 3M, the US Navy, the Wall Street Journal Asia and NASA.
For more information, please visit http://www.ez.no
About EPAM Systems
Established in 1993, EPAM Systems, Inc. is a leading global software engineering and IT consulting provider with delivery centers throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Headquartered in the United States, EPAM employs over 7,000 IT professionals and provides services to clients worldwide using a global delivery model through its client facing and delivery operations in the United States, Belarus, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, UK, Germany, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Switzerland, and Poland.
EPAM’s core competencies include complex software product engineering for leading global software and technology vendors, as well as development, testing, maintenance, and support of mission critical business applications and vertically oriented IT consulting services for Forbes Global 2000 corporations.
EPAM is recognized among the top companies in IAOP’s “The 2011 Global Outsourcing 100″, featuring EPAM in a variety of sub-lists, including “Leaders – Technology (Hardware & Software)” and “Leaders – Entertainment & Media”. The company is also ranked among the best global service providers on “The 2011 Global Services 100″ by Global Services Magazine and NeoAdvisory, which includes EPAM in the list of the world’s “Top Outsourced Product Engineering Vendors” for the 3rd year running.
For more information please visit http://www.epam.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions and the factors discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. EPAM undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities law.
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Gary Comer Youth Center Welcomes First Lady Michelle Obama and Spouses of Foreign Leaders
Gary Comer Youth Center Welcomes First Lady Michelle Obama and Spouses of Foreign Leaders
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 18, 2012
First Lady Michelle Obama and the spouses of the NATO Summit and G8 foreign leaders will visit Gary Comer Youth Center this Sunday, May 20 at 11:30 a.m. Guests will learn about the Youth Center’s innovative educational and extracurricular programs, view dance and cultural performances by Chicago-area youth, and enjoy a private lunch created by Chef Paul Kahan, who has worked with Youth Center culinary students in preparing the meal.
First Lady Michelle Obama will provide guests with a full tour of the Youth Center facility, highlighting the Youth Urban Agriculture Program held at the rooftop garden, recording studio, visual arts studio, dance and fitness studio, the culinary program and more. Performances will be conducted by the South Shore Drill Team, the Muntu Dance Theater and the Soul Children of Chicago.
“Our goal is to provide programs and resources that ensure our youth members succeed in school and are empowered to seek their full potential in life,” said Greg Mooney, Gary Comer Youth Center’s Executive Director. “We are honored to welcome First Lady Michelle Obama and her distinguished guests and to demonstrate how we have been able to make a difference on Chicago’s South Side.”
Located in the Grand Crossing community, the Gary Comer Youth Center was established in 2006 with a mission to provide area youth with diverse educational and extracurricular enrichment that will equip them to graduate high school prepared to pursue college and meaningful careers. More than 1,000 youth members utilize the Center’s education and support services. Currently, 97 percent of Youth Center seniors are on track to graduate high school and 94 percent have been accepted into a four year college.
“We are addressing a critical need that transcends all countries and cultures, and requires significant commitment and resources,” added Mooney. “We hope that the spotlight on our model inspires others to invest in our youth the world over.”
The organization was founded by the late Gary Comer, founder of Lands’ End. Additional programs and services offered within the 80,000-square-foot facility include academic tutoring, college readiness courses, leadership training, health and wellness services, media training, performing arts and technology, among others.
The Gary Comer Youth Center campus was expanded in 2008 with the creation of Gary Comer College Prep in partnership with the Noble Network of Charter Schools. Comer College Prep, whose students make use of the Youth Center’s facilities and extracurricular activities, is graduating 100 percent of its Class of 2012, and 100 percent have been accepted into a four year college. Many students will be attending top-100 schools such as Dartmouth, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, University of Southern California, Boston College, Carnegie-Mellon and more.
About Gary Comer Youth Center
Gary Comer Youth Center was established in 2006 on Chicago’s South Side by the late Gary Comer, creator of Lands’ End, to provide young people with programs and resources to ensure they are equipped to graduate high school prepared to pursue college and meaningful careers. The Center serves over 1,000 youth, offering academic tutoring, college readiness courses, urban agriculture, a culinary program, visual arts opportunities, and fitness and physical education classes. In addition to the Youth Center’s 80,000 square-foot facility, the educational campus houses the Gary Comer College Prep, which seeks to develop well-rounded and successful college graduates based on the Noble Network pillars of scholarship, discipline, and honor. For more information, please visit: http://www.gcychome.org
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Florida Public Health Institute Names Roderick King, M.D., M.P.H. Deputy Director: King Supports Institute?s Mission to Advance Knowledge and Practice of Public Health
Florida Public Health Institute Names Roderick King, M.D., M.P.H. Deputy Director: King Supports Institute’s Mission to Advance Knowledge and Practice of Public Health
Lake Worth, FL (PRWEB) May 18, 2012
Claude Earl Fox, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Director of Florida Public Health Institute (FPHI) today announced the appointment of Roderick Kenneth King, M.D., M.P.H. as Deputy Director.
“Dr. King’s rich experiences with diverse and underserved communities in the United States and internationally affords him the unique ability to create and implement strategies that lead positive change in health care, public health, and health policy,” said Dr. Fox. “He will be an excellent addition to the Institute as his background is very much in line with FPHI’s mission.”
Dr. King’s extensive medical and health academic training include a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University; M.D. from Cornell University Medical College, where he earned the Honors in Research Award as an NIH Young Investigator; M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health; Council for Excellence in Government and University of North Carolina School of Public Health’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
“I am honored to accept this position and look forward to supporting the Florida Public Health Institute on many levels in my new role as Deputy Director. We are at a critical juncture in the health of our citizenry, and I’m committed to advancing the health of Floridians in whatever ways I can.” said Dr. King.
Dr. Roderick K. King is currently the President of Next Generation Consulting Group, an organization that uses strategic planning, leadership, organizational development, and evaluation to build healthy communities. In addition, Dr. King is faculty in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Senior Faculty at the Massachusetts General Hospital Disparities Solutions Center, and formerly Director of the Program on Cultural Competence in Research in Harvard Clinical Translational Science Center (Harvard Catalyst).
He most recently served as the Director for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), New England Regional Division and as a Commander in the US Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. At HRSA, he was responsible for the management of 0M in grants; the supervision of staff and activities in Primary Care, Maternal and Child Health, and the National Health Service Corp; and for improving their individual and collective performance within their local community and state to meet the needs of underserved populations. During his tenure with HRSA, Dr. King was selected as a Council for Excellence in Government Fellow and received numerous awards and citations for his work in developing a performance evaluation system for HRSA grant programs and the development of HRSA´s first Balanced Score Card.
In 2011, Dr. King was selected as one of twenty scholars in the Western Hemisphere for the new Fulbright Regional Network for Applied Research (NEXUS) Program to engage in collaborative thinking, analysis, and problem-solving with a focus on improving the quality of life for communities in the region. His Fulbright project focused on “Leadership Innovation for Collective Impact to Address the Chronic Disease Epidemic in the Caribbean.” He currently serves on the US Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health. From 2006 to 2009, Dr. King was selected as one of two Inaugural Fellows for the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. At the IOM, he served as a Committee Member for the IOM Roundtable on Eliminating Health Disparities, as a Member of the IOM Board on Global Health (BGH), and as a Committee Member for the (BGH) study, “The US Commitment to Global Health.”
His academic work and key consulting roles focus on leadership and organizational development in community based organizations; public health, health workforce planning; diversity and cultural competence; and evaluation and impact assessment for programs that address health disparities. His clients include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Connecticut Health Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Pan American Health Organization, and Tuskegee University. Dr. King’s work leverages leadership development to impact health disparities and the social determinants of health on the health and well-being of children and families, both domestically and internationally.
Dr. King began his career after completing a residency in pediatrics at the Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, D.C. In 1995, he received the Teachers for Africa Award and served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa providing public health instruction to those providing care to populations in rural areas. In 1997, Dr. King was selected for the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy Program. He continued his health policy work with the Senior Health Policy Internship at the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he developed a model to review health workforce planning for the New England Region with HRSA’s Bureau of Health Professions.
He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Dentaquest Foundation (formerly the Oral Health Foundation (http://www.dentaquestfoundation.org), the Health Foundation of South Florida (http://www.hfsf.org), the advocacy organization Health Care for All (http://www.hcfama.org), and the media arts organization Amplifyme (http://www.amplifyme.us).
Dr. Fox first had the opportunity to meet Dr. King while he was studying at Harvard in the late 1990s. “Dr. King has an impressive background in public and community health academia and practice and brings a diverse background that will support challenges we face here in Florida,” added Dr. Fox. “He will be a valued team member to the Institute as he is truly impressive on both a professional and personal level.”
Dr. King is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, holds numerous accreditations, affiliations, honors and awards and has many published articles.
About The Florida Public Health Institute (FPHI):
The FPHI works with various local, state and national leaders to develop public-private partnerships that provide recommendations and solutions to health-related matters for the citizens of the state of Florida and the national community. Its mission is to “…advance the knowledge and practice of public health to promote, protect and improve the health of all.”
For more information about the Florida Public Health Institute, visit http://www.flphi.org.
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New Study Shows That Workplace Inspections Save Lives, Don?t Destroy Jobs – OSHA Regulations Can Be Good For Workers? Health
New Study Shows That Workplace Inspections Save Lives, Don’t Destroy Jobs – OSHA Regulations Can Be Good For Workers’ Health
(PRWEB) May 17, 2012
Research published today in Science sheds light on a hot-button political issue: the role and effectiveness of government regulation. Does it kill jobs or protect the public?
The new study, co-authored by Harvard Business School Professor Michael Toffel (mtoffel(at)hbs.edu), Professor David Levine (levine(at)haas.berkeley.edu) of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and Boston University doctoral student Matthew Johnson (m.slater.johnson(at)gmail.com), examines workplace safety inspections conducted by California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). The authors carried out the first evaluation of a “clinical trial” of the state’s mandated randomized inspections to discern their effect on both worker safety and companies’ bottom lines.
The results overturn conventional wisdom: Workplace inspections do reduce on-the-job injuries and their associated costs, and the researchers could not detect any harm to companies’ performance or profits.
“The randomized inspections provided a perfect natural experiment that uses the power of randomization just like a medical clinical trial,” Toffel said. “Because Cal/OSHA typically inspects facilities following complaints or recent accidents, you can’t study those inspections to get an unbiased understanding of whether they make a difference. By studying the inspections Cal/OSHA conducted at workplaces selected at random, we were able to overcome this problem to learn the actual impact of inspections.”
The study found that within high-hazard industries in California, inspected workplaces reduced their injury claims by 9.4 percent and saved 26 percent on workers’ compensation costs in the four years following the inspection, compared to a similar set of uninspected workplaces. On average, inspected firms saved an estimated 5,000 in injury claims and compensation for paid lost work over that period. What’s more, there was no discernible impact on the companies’ profits.
“We spent several years collecting data, not just on injuries, which is very important, but also on other indicators to see whether inspections led to problems they are often accused of causing – like whether they increased costs and led to the elimination of jobs. We looked at company survival, employment, sales and total payroll to see if inspections were detrimental to the employers,” said Levine.
“Across the numerous outcomes we looked at, we never saw any evidence of inspections causing harm,” Toffel explained. “If OSHA inspections conducted in all 50 states are as valuable as the ones we studied, inspections improve safety worth roughly billion to employers and employees, ignoring pain and suffering. The overall message of our research is that these inspections worked pretty much the way one would hope. They improved safety, and they didn’t cost firms enough that we could detect it.”
In future work, the research team hopes to better understand which subsets of firms benefit most from inspections and whether the inspections yield benefits in other domains such as improved compliance with environmental regulations.
Beyond workplace safety, the authors believe that randomized trials could be used widely throughout government and business to evaluate new policies, from environmental regulations to educational programs.
“More trials like this would help us find out where regulations work and where they don’t,” Toffel said. “Because the cost of regulations is very real, governments should be investing constantly to learn how to make them as effective and efficient as possible.”
Additional information about the study:
The cost savings applied to both small (less than 00) and large (more than 00) workers’ compensation claims, and the reduced injuries and cost savings lasted for at least four years after the inspection. These findings suggest the inspections had a lasting, across-the-board effect.
Many previous studies attempting to evaluate the effectiveness of inspections have suffered from the biased way inspection sites are chosen (by complaints or previous accidents) and from problems with how the effects of the injuries are tracked (typically via OSHA logs, which tend to become more comprehensive after an inspection). The new study addressed both of these issues, because companies were selected at random, and because the injuries were measured by workers’ compensation claims and other data gathered from sources independent of OSHA-mandated records.
A 1993 California mandate requiring Cal/OSHA to conduct some of its workplace inspections at random provided the opportunity for the study. The mandate was not designed to evaluate inspections, but rather to improve compliance by including random inspections in addition to those initiated by complaints or problems. The randomized inspections examined in this study were carried out from 1996-2006. For each site chosen for a randomized inspection, the team identified a similar control firm eligible for a random inspection but not chosen.
Processing the information took a considerable amount of time – five years – because the researchers had to extract the Cal/OSHA data from a magnetic tape format the researchers had never encountered, and then match the inspected companies’ names and addresses to separate databases containing workers’ compensation and employment information.
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Nearly 75 Percent of U.S. Android Smartphone Users Accessed Facebook?s Website or App From Their Phones in March, According to NPD?s Connected Intelligence
Nearly 75 Percent of U.S. Android Smartphone Users Accessed Facebook’s Website or App From Their Phones in March, According to NPD’s Connected Intelligence
Port Washington, New York (PRWEB) May 17, 2012
Facebook’s app and website were accessed by nearly three-fourths of U.S. Android smartphone users in March, making it the most used social networking website and app on the Android platform, according to new SmartMeter* data from leading market research company, The NPD Group’s Connected Intelligence®. Facebook is maintaining its social networking strength as the proportion of Android smartphone users accessing its mobile app and website has held steady over the past six months.
With Facebook far and away the overall market leader in social networking, Twitter is a distant second, with 23 percent and 18 percent reach in web and apps, respectively, while Google+ is struggling to find its place even among Android users – with 16 percent reach in web, and fluctuating between 10 and 15 percent reach in apps for the past nine months.
It’s no surprise that Facebook is so popular, as social networking is one of the most highly utilized activities for U.S. Android smartphone users, second only to search among mobile web activities overall and fifth among apps (behind search, webmail, maps/navigation and games). Even though social networking engagement is highly saturated, consumer engagement in Facebook has been resilient.
Facebook users spend over 15 minutes a day, almost 470 minutes a month, using the Facebook app on their Android smartphones. While it’s half the time users spend on a mobile game, the fluid nature of social networking apps translates into frequent dips – with Facebook users opening the app an average of 6 times per day. Facebook’s website comprised 10 percent of all page views for Android smartphone users in March.
“Ultimately, Facebook’s mobile success rests on delivering compelling mobile app and web experiences, and monetizing on these experiences,” said Linda Barrabee, research director, NPD Connected Intelligence. “In order to do this, Facebook needs to ensure that monetization efforts via advertising enhance and do not disrupt the mobile social consumer experience; and with Facebook’s IPO looming and trading expected to begin on May 18, all eyes are on the company.”
*About NPD Connected Intelligence SmartMeter
The NPD Connected Intelligence SmartMeter powered by Informate is an application running on Android and BlackBerry devices leveraging an opt-in panel of consumers. The SmartMeter tracks data consumption, as well as function and content use. This includes web and application use across 23 categories including Banking, content sharing, e-books, games, navigation, health, music and video.
About Connected Intelligence
Connected Intelligence provides competitive intelligence and insight on the rapidly evolving consumer’s connected environment. The service focuses on the three core components of the connected market: the device, the broadband access that provides the connectivity and the content that drives consumer behavior. These three pillars of the connected ecosystem are analyzed through a comprehensive review of what is available, adopted, and consumed by the customer, as well as reviewing how the market will evolve over time and what the various vendors can do to best position themselves in this evolving market. For more information: http://www.connected-intelligence.com. Follow Connected Intelligence on Twitter: @npdci.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 2,000 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food, home and office, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com/ and http://www.npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdtech and @npdgroup.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Sarah Bogaty
+1 516 625 2357
sarah.bogaty(at)npd(dot)com
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Disability Insurance Awareness Month Highlights Need to Know about Social Security Benefits
Disability Insurance Awareness Month Highlights Need to Know about Social Security Benefits
Belleville, IL (PRWEB) May 17, 2012
Many people in today’s workforce don’t think about disability until an illness or injury prevents them from working. But being knowledgeable about disability insurance is crucial to any person’s financial plan, according to Allsup, which has helped tens of thousands of people receive their Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI) benefits. During May, Disability Insurance Awareness Month provides an opportunity to remind people to evaluate their insurance needs and planning in case they can no longer work because of a severe disability.
“Many people are more aware of the value of life insurance and health insurance than disability insurance,” said David Bueltemann, manager of senior claimant representatives at Allsup. “If we assume that someone’s working career may extend for 30 to 40 years or more, there’s a significant chance of experiencing disability with an injury or severe illness.”
The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that up to one-third of Americans are likely to need disability insurance sometime before their retirement years. The Council for Disability Awareness reports that one in three workers have private disability insurance through an employer or private plan. A majority of workers, about 100 million, do not. In addition, nearly 153 million people are insured for Social Security Disability Insurance through their FICA taxes.
“It’s true that many workers’ disabilities may be short-term stoppages, for a few months, but thousands more experience longer periods out of the workforce,” Bueltemann explained. “For example, someone in a car accident that requires two or three years for recovery and rehabilitation still may need the support of disability insurance until they can return to work.”
Social Security Disability Benefits: What’s Involved
On average, more than 200,000 Americans apply for SSDI each month. More than 225,000 people filed for benefits in April.
“We find many people learn about Social Security Disability Insurance after they become disabled,” Bueltemann said. “Prior to that, they simply never considered the possibility that they might experience a disability, or didn’t take the likelihood too seriously and didn’t make any financial plans.”
He added that most people are not familiar with SSDI unless they have a specific need to know about the benefit. SSDI is funded by payroll tax withholdings and is a federal disability insurance program managed by the SSA. A portion of withheld FICA taxes provides for SSDI, Social Security retirement and Medicare benefits.
SSDI provides monthly benefits to people unable to work because of a severe disability that will last for 12 months or longer, or is terminal.
The SSDI program also provides some little-known added benefits, including automatic Medicare coverage two years after being awarded cash Social Security benefits, as well as Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage eligibility. Beneficiaries also benefit from a freeze that protects their retirement benefits while receiving SSDI. The program also has a provision for dependent benefits and return-to-work incentives.
Many workers don’t realize they have already paid into the federal disability program with their FICA withholdings during their working years, Bueltemann said. “People know they are being taxed, but the education is not there about exactly what these withholdings are for,” he added.
A person’s inability to work is the determining factor in receiving SSDI benefits, but there’s much more to it. There are strict requirements to qualify for the disability insurance program, including medical documentation of the disabling condition. The application process is lengthy and cumbersome, Bueltemann said. Applicants with an experienced Social Security disability representative such as Allsup can benefit from determining their potential eligibility and improve their chances for an SSDI award earlier in the adjudication and review process. It’s not uncommon for claimants to wait one to two years to receive SSDI benefits.
“Choosing an experienced representative such as Allsup to guide you through the process will lessen the stress and improve an applicant’s chance for an SSDI award in less time,” Bueltemann said. “The SSA denies two out of three initial applications. On average, Allsup helps more than 50 percent of claimants who are initial applicants to receive their benefits without having to pursue a disability appeal.”
Find help and information about Social Security disability benefits by contacting Allsup’s Disability Evaluation Center at (800) 678-3276 for a free SSDI evaluation.
ABOUT ALLSUP
Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security disability, Medicare and Medicare Secondary Payer compliance services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers. Founded in 1984, Allsup employs more than 800 professionals who deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. The company is based in Belleville, Ill., near St. Louis. Visit http://www.Allsup.com or connect with Allsup at http://www.facebook.com/Allsupinc.
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UAS Laboratories Launches New “Consumer Friendly” Designs
UAS Laboratories Launches New “Consumer Friendly” Designs
Eden Prairie, MN (PRWEB) May 17, 2012
UAS Laboratories will launch a new updated “look” to the consumer marketplace in late May of this year. The new look reflects input from consumers, retailers and partners and makes it easier for consumers to find and identify any of UAS Labs’ DDS® Probiotics. The focus of the packaging is a sunrise emphasizing that starting your day with probiotics. The packaging also creates an identity for DDS® Probiotics and simplifies the UAS Laboratories logo. UAS Laboratories was one of the first probiotic companies in the country, started in 1979. Since then, millions of consumers have tried the product. Dr. Dash, the company’s founder feels that, “as the industry matures and consumer marketers move into the probiotic arena, it has become more important to have packaging that appeals to consumers. This new design change should help consumers locate and identify our products”. The quality and performance of DDS® Probiotics remains a standard for the industry with strict GMP quality standards implemented at the production facility in Wisconsin.
New Look, New Product, New Sampling Program
In March of this year, UAS Labs introduced the first product to incorporate the new look – DDS® Plus 3. The new product uses the award-winning formulation of high potency Probioplus DDS® at a maintenance level and very competitive price. UAS Labs has also introduced a sampling program available to any retailer that carries DDS® Probiotics.
About UAS Laboratories, Inc.
UAS Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN USA), established in 1979, is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies specializing in probiotic research, development, manufacture and marketing. The company manufactures products containing the trademarked, patented, Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS®-1, a probiotic with over 200 studies. DDS® Probiotics are sold to natural products retailers, health professionals, private label customers and as probiotic raw materials and customer specific blends to manufacturers in the US, and over 46 other countries. UAS Labs was founded by Dr. S.K. Dash, the probiotic pioneer, in 1979. Dr. Dash has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors, Vice President and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at the International Probiotic Association and is an Adjunct Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at South Dakota State University. Dr. Dash’s research and innovations in probiotics have earned 2010 Probiotic Award from Frost and Sullivan to UAS Labs and recognition from the Minnesota State Senate.
For more information about UAS Laboratories, Inc please visit http://www.uaslabs.com.
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VETiONX Announces the Release of ?Chillout Chews?
VETiONX Announces the Release of “Chillout Chews”
Grand Rapids, MI (PRWEB) May 16, 2012
VETiONX recently announced they will be releasing their “Chillout Chews” in Spring 2012.
Pet owners can look to “Chillout Chews” to help support their pet’s calm mood, especially during the more stressful moments like unexpected visitors, thunderstorms, environmental change, or prolonged time alone. “We are really excited to release Chillout Chews,” said CEO and President Albert Duoibes. “They provide the optimal choice for those pet owners that are faced with situations they feel are beyond their control and help them get back to building a lasting relationship with their pet.”
“I am truly excited that we will be offering a product that provides pet parents a natural remedy for pet anxiety,” said Behavioral Modification Specialist and Pet Trainer, Victoria Swanson. “What’s more, Chillout Chews provide much needed support for the pet, a factor that will make every parents relationship with their pet even more fulfilling.”
VETiONX features a line of safe and effective pet health care products for all pets and animals, including dogs, cats, horses, birds and reptiles. The company has been manufacturing and selling OTC pet health products since 2005. Its headquarters are located at 4460 – 44th St. SE, Ste. C 600, Grand Rapids, MI, 49512.
At VETiONX, we believe in helping your pet restore natural balance. By providing valuable veterinarian health coaching, training, and unique homeopathic/oligotherapeutic solutions, we help pets around the world lead long, healthy lives, naturally. Interested consumers can visit the VETiONX website at: http://www.vetionx.com/. Customers are also invited to visit the company’s VETiONX Facebook page and sign up for updates via Twitter.
If you’d like more information about our sister company, HelloLife, or our products, visit the website at http://www.hellolife.net.
©Copyright 1997-
, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Related Health Press Releases