Social Security

Honesty Is Always Best

AGING DISABILITY BENEFITS: MIGHT BE MORE THAN YOU THINK

If you’re disabled in southern California and you need to receive disability benefits, let an experienced Los Angeles Social Security disability lawyer help. The first bit of advice might seem obvious – you must be honest. If you try to receive disability payments fraudulently, it’s a crime, and you’ll be caught and punished. In May, for example, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason sentenced Amancio Zamora Agcaoili, a U.S. Postal Service employee, to 30 months in jail and three years of supervised probation after he pled guilty to Social Security disability fraud amounting to more than $365,000, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin R. Feldis. Agcaoili, a 57-year-old Alaskan native, faked his injuries, received payments from two different programs, and lied about the payments and injuries, according to court records.

A multiyear investigation by the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Postal Service led to Agcaoili’s arrest in 2014. That investigation determined that Agcaoili faked his disability claims, hid the fact he was working while collecting payments, and collected payments from both Social Security and workers’ compensation at maximum value at the same time. Agcaoili even walked with a cane when he had to visit Social Security offices. According to court records, Agcaoili also took vacations to Hawaii, Canada, and the Philippines.

Overwhelming, the majority of Social Security disability benefit recipients are honest people who would be hard-working if they weren’t disabled. Every person who commits disability fraud steals from disabled Americans who follow the law and play by the rules. If you are disabled in the Los Angeles area, and if you haven’t applied for disability benefits, if your application has been rejected, or if you are at any stage of the application procedure, obtain at once the counsel of an experienced Los Angeles Social Security disability lawyer. It can often be a lengthy process, so you should get started now and make the call.