Damn dude, how did I take so long to notice your post. That's really awesome, I've always held the view that health care / accounting law is There Be Dragons territory, where only lawyers and seasoned corporations can make headway without missing an obscure detail which invalidates their entire calculations.One is a benefit calculator that, after entering your information, displays whatever welfare/VA benefits you're eligible for. The second I'm still working out how I'd like to accomplish, but in theory it will parse medical documents to further determine disability eligibility and potential percentage. The criteria that disability analysts use is can be fickle, and it's done a bit differently between the VA service connected disability and Social Security Disability Insurance. It's going to be a challenge.
For most welfare programs, it's pretty easy. For example, here are the qualifications for VA Pension: - Discharged from service until other than dishonorable conditions - Served 90 days or more of active duty with at least 1 day during a period of war time - Countable income is below a threshold (changes with dependents, spouse, needing a caregiver) - Net worth is below a threshold - Age 65 or older, or have a disability not connected to military service, or receiving social security This makes for very simple programming logic. You can even estimate the amount you'll receive because VA Pension won't pay you an amount that would push your monthly income over $1054 (which generally increases annually due to cost of living/inflation). I have one client that receives an extra $14.00/mo this way. Percentage can be much easier to predict with the VA for service connected disability, since many percentages are set in stone, such as 10% for tinnitus (ringing in the ears). It's far more difficult for Social Security Disability because your amount can fluctuate with how much you've paid into Social Security over your lifetime, and this is where I will probably fail and where many others fail. Ultimately, a predictor of eligibility for Social Security Disability is more important and that can be generally gleaned from medical records. They have a habit of denying these claims on the first go except in obvious cases. Many eligible people are denied when they absolutely qualify, so calculating it to perfection is beyond the scope of what I want to do. This is when the lawyers come in, and there are pro bono lawyers a plenty for SSDI appeals. If the first denial is not just an oversight, I imagine the rationale is that "those who really need it are going to fight for it."