Horror stories/Lessons Learned
Social Security disability. Usually one’s first reaction to the term is that it’s for really -disabled people. However, the older I’ve become, the more I see ” regular joe” types who for one reason or another were forced to leave the work force and had to turn to ssd for their primary source of income. Only trouble is , this governmental division which is supposed to exist for the welfare and betterment of the citizenry which is truly entitled to the services and financial support it can provide, instead tends to victimize those very same citizens. How? Well ,ask anyone who has dealt with ssd or who has first-hand knowledge of how it works. The rule of thumb is that most initial applications for this service are rejected. It doesn’t matter how much supportive data you have for your claim, you will be denied. The thinking must be that out of those who are denied, at least 50% will not have the means (i.e. getting an attorney) - or will be too intimidated - to press their case any further.
I have had first-hand interaction with this agency twice. First time, I was helping a friend apply for disability. This gal was a diagnosed bi-polar woman , who in spite of being on medications, was still having major mood swings. She was unable to hold down a job for any length of time and she had been hospitalized more than once in an effort to get her disease under control. In spite of her documents, which included statements by more than one medical professional that she would not be able to enter the work force at any time in the near future, her application was denied. Just the kind of situation a person with bi-polar disorder can least-effectively deal with!
The second experience I had involves a male friend who had a very successful business of his own for many years until a rather sudden incidence of a diabetic coma left him with all types of maladies, including amputation of a foot and very impeded lung capacity (exasperated by some very inept medical treatment.) For the past number of months he has had to enter the hospital for various treatments on a bi-monthly basis in the effort to treat his labored breathing. It is obvious that this gentleman cannot return to any type of work until his medical conditions have been resolved and even his doctors do not know how long that will take. Well, he’s too young to receive retirement benefits, and social security did declare him eligible for benefits. So he receives between $500 and $600 a month . He lives in Philadelphia where his rent alone eats up nearly all of his benefits. He is barely making it from one week to the next and all social security will offer him when he tries to explain that he needs more benefits to just survive is a meeting to go over his request. And when will this “meeting” take place? Well, there’s no definite scheduled appointment yet - and that’s the story he has been given for the past 3 months!
Lesson learned? Be prepared for a struggle, no matter how legitimate your claim; receiving this type of social security will require an attorney, a great deal of time, and a lot of persistence before you see any instance of assistance.