From the New York Times, Associated Press:

The recent in vitro birth of octuplets to a woman who already had six children born through in vitro procedures has spurred new questions about the lack of regulation of the fertility industry.

Nearly a third of in vitro births involve twins or more. The government, along with professional associations, have been pushing fertility doctors to reduce that number, citing the disastrous health consequences that sometimes come with multiple births – infant mortality, low birth weights, long-term disabilities and thousands of dollars’ worth of medical care.

… [Nadya] Suleman, whose six older children range in age from 2 to 7, said three of them receive disability payments. She told NBC one is autistic, another has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, known as ADHD, and a third experienced a mild speech delay with “tiny characteristics of autism.” She refused to say how much they get in payments.

In California, a low-income family can receive Social Security payments of up to $793 a month for each disabled child. Three children would amount to $2,379.

From CBS/AP, People, Los Angeles Times, AP/Forbes:

Public records show that Nadya Suleman, who recently gave birth to octuplets, received $168,000 in disability benefits from the state of California after she was injured in a 1999 riot at a psychiatric hospital where she was working as a technician.

“There has to be some question,” says CBS News Legal Analyst Trent Copeland, “about whether or not a woman who’s disabled and collecting over $150,000 worth of disability payments is really authorized to receive those payments if she’s too disabled to work, but not too disabled to have at least a half-dozen children.”

There were also mental health issues, [CBS Early Show correspondent Hattie] Kauffman reports. Suleman was labeled as being at some risk for suicide, and diagnosed with a “depressive disorder.”

In addition, three of Suleman’s first six children have disabilities and are receiving federal assistance, her publicist has confirmed.

In a television interview with NBC’s Ann Curry, Suleman said she had used some of her disability payments to pay for her fertility treatments. An in-vitro procedure typically costs between $8,000 and $15,000.

See also: Loony octomom is baby ‘buggy‘ — New York Post

Octomom Nadya Suleman kept popping out babies even after doctors diagnosed her with paranoia, depression, wild mood swings and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

But as far as the single California mother is concerned, she’s only one kind of crazy — baby crazy.

From BusinessWeek:

Over the past few years, American businesses have started offering support to workers who care for family members with disabilities. It’s a strategy that pays business dividends: Employers see less absenteeism and lost productivity when workers don’t have to take time off to oversee care for their loved ones.

In what have become the latest benefit programs, companies including PepsiCo, KPMG, JPMorgan Chase, and Northrop Grumman are offering services that range from parent networks to Web seminars to meetings with financial planners and educational consultants. In addition, a growing crop of advisers is emerging to guide families through the financial, medical, and educational labyrinth.

“There is no national network to tap to get information, so private industry is stepping in to fill the gap,” says Charlie Hammerman, president of the Albertson (N.Y.)-based Disability Opportunity Fund, an investment and financial-services firm focused on special needs.

From U.S. News and World Reports, CNN and the Washington Post:

Two groups representing some 60,000 veterans have filed suit against the Department of Veterans Affairs, charging that delays in decisions on disability claims are causing hardships to returning veterans.

The claimants allege that it takes an average of more than 6 months to get a decision — 70 percent longer than it took just four years ago — and an average of four years to resolve an appeal. By contrast, private healthcare groups usually process claims in less than three months, including appeals.

The suit asks that the VA adhere to a time limit of 90 days to decide initial claims and 180 days to resolve appeals.

From the Associated Press, USA Today:

The government is more than quadrupling the monthly payments to some veterans who sustained mild traumatic brain injuries, acknowledging for the first time that veterans with these wounds could struggle to make a living. The change goes into effect in 30 days.

New government assessments have concluded that some troops with even mild brain trauma could end up with chronic headaches, memory loss or anxiety that could hurt their chances of getting or keeping a job.

A RAND Corp. study earlier this year estimated that more than 300,000 troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan sustained traumatic brain injuries.

From the New York Times:

Virtually every career employee of the Long Island Rail Road applies for and gets disability payments soon after retirement, according to an investigation by the New York Times. In one recent year, that amounted to 97 percent of retirees. The number is far above the average for all railroads.

“Short of the gulag, I can’t imagine any work force that would have a so-to-speak 90 percent disability attrition rate,” said Glenn Scammel, long one of Capitol Hill’s top experts on railroads. “That defies both logic and experience.”

UPDATE: Gov. David Paterson announces investigation of railroad disability claims — New York Times

“To say that this is outrageous is probably an understatement,” Mr. Paterson said in an interview. “It’s one of the most surprising developments in my tenure as governor and even in my long service in government.”

Guest commentary:

What Kind of Advocacy

Do Americans with Disabilities Really Need?

By Paul K. Longmore

Ever since Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech, the “needs” of children with disabilities have gotten a lot of press. Palin pledged to be a “friend and advocate” for those children. News stories have reported the excitement of parents and other people in the disability rights constituency that disability issues are finally getting some attention. Some of them have decided to support the election of Palin and John McCain. But do the Republican candidates offer the kind of advocacy Americans with disabilities really need? I don’t believe they do, and I want to explain why I am voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden instead.

(more…)