With the growing use of computers, many claimants have social networking and personal websites (such as Myspace.com and Facebook.com). These webpages can be viewed by anyone, including your insurance company and the Social Security Administration, even if you designate them to be private. If you have one of these sites, be aware that anything you put on it could be used against you - including pictures, videos, blogs, and even comments from your friends. For example, if you are claiming total disability due to back injuries but there is a picture of you hiking a mountain, this could ruin your case. Also be conscious of how frequently you update your site. If you are spending a lot of time working on the computer, your insurance company may claim you are capable of doing sedentary or desk work.
REMEMBER: When in doubt, leave it out! Even if you delete content from a site, insurance companies can use technology to view old versions of the page. While social networking sites are a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, err on the side of caution.
Copyright (c) 2008 by John V. Tucker and Tucker & Ludin, P.A. All rights reserved. Any content borrowed or referenced from another source is referenced by citation to the original source as noted in the text above.
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