
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 19, 1993                   TAG: 9307190025
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

AID AGENCY DOESN'T PASS JUDGMENT

Q: Why do people who do drugs get disability benefits from Social Security, but those with multiple sclerosis have a really rough time getting these benefits? I don't understand, because people with MS don't have a choice, whereas people who do drugs have a choice. They can just say no. I have friends, myself included, who have MS and have a really rough time, and it just doesn't make sense to me. N.N.

A: Social Security doesn't consider the reasons why people become disabled. It just evaluates whether or not people are able to work, said Fred Ayscue, Roanoke district manager.

"We don't pass a moral judgment on why" people get into their conditions, he said.

Objective criteria for decision-making are the only way a government agency can avoid lawsuits alleging discrimination.

Ayscue said the agency primarily considers two factors in disability cases. The first is a person's physical condition, which includes mental factors.

The second is education and/or work experience.

From these the agency decides whether the person can perform a service in the job market.

Age and number of years worked also matter; people usually need to be at least 31 to qualify for full disability benefits, but every case is an individual one.

Choice in weather maps

Q: Why doesn't the Weather Channel carry the radar map of Virginia showing incoming storms when it switches from national weather to the local forecast? That seems to have been discontinued for our area, and I really found that interesting. K.B., Troutville

A: Your local cable, Tele Media Co. of Virginia, doesn't lease the computer that provides that graphic reproduction of a radar screen with Virginia's map outlined.

Instead, you're seeing that information in text form. You have to read it.

You indicated you became accustomed to seeing the map with green spots showing rain's location and path when you lived in Roanoke, where Cox Cable provides the graphic image.

A Weather Channel spokesman said local cable companies are allowed to choose between two computers to provide their local forecasts. The cheaper computer does it with text, and the expensive one offers the graphic image.

Restaurant tabletops

Q: Why do restaurants and the Health Department permit waitresses to wipe off tables with the same cloth they use to clean the seats people sit on? It doesn't seem sanitary. S.C., Christiansburg

A: This practice is permitted because table tops aren't rated as food-contact surfaces, said William Shires of the state Health Department in Roanoke.

The towels are supposed to be dipped in a solution of water and household bleach, which kills most germs.

Table tops probably are more dangerous than the seats, anyway. Food spilled on them can incubate plenty of bacteria, said Shires, who's a sanitarian.

Never eat food that's been spilled on the table, he advises.

Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.

by CNB