Portland Social Security Disability Law Blog

Disabled people in Portland who use service animals to help them with their daily lives received some welcome news lately. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development recently posted a notice that clarifies requirements of landlords to accommodate disabled people with service animals. This will likely affect many people who receive Social Security disability benefits to live on because of their conditions.

The federal Fair Housing Act contains many important provisions regarding accommodation for disabled people. This includes the fact that trained service animals -- usually dogs -- that aid people with tasks and act as companions are properly accommodated. It also means that landlords cannot deny a disabled person the opportunity to rent strictly based on the fact that the person has a service animal.

Bipartisan support for bills in Congress often comes down to situations that can benefit multiple groups. At first glance, it wouldn't seem that immigration reform and Social Security benefits have much in common; however, an immigration bill has gained support because it would be beneficial to people who are waiting for changes to both of these important issues.

The reasons come down to economics. According to estimates, the immigration bill would grant legal status to about 8 million immigrants. Many of these people will be "on the books" and begin paying taxes -- including those that go toward Social Security -- right away.

People with disabilities often face difficulties that other people might not. Things that can be accomplished with ease by some people might be very difficult for someone with a disability. People who receive Social Security disability benefits do so because they are not physically able to work -- something some people might find difficult to relate to.

Now, an Oregon man is testing the limits of what people might think of as a disability. In 2001, the man -- a police officer in Gresham, Oregon -- was driving a police vehicle when it went into a ditch. He refused to take a field sobriety test or a breath test at the scene, but he was arrested for drunk driving and later pleaded guilty. He was fired by the police department.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, better known by its initials PTSD, is still not very well understood, decades after it was first defined. While most people might think of it still only in terms of stress from serving in or witnessing wartime combat, PTSD could come from any number of sources.

When it becomes severe, PTSD can be a crippling illness for people, often leading them to seek Social Security disability benefits if they are unable to work as a result of their condition.