American Disability Benefits

[Bad Aim]

In America, if you become permanently disabled due to injury or illness, you have the option of applying for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). This is to make sure that people who suffer from a disability, be that mental or physical, and are unable to work, have some type of income so they do not end up on the street.

The basic ides of SSDI is that they look at the income you have accrued over your lifetime and from that they base how much income you will get. Once you receive SSDI, you can get off of it if the disability improves. If you are able to get off of SSDI, you will not have to repay it.

Pretty simple?

So, When you want to apply for SSDI, there is a form you need to fill out explaining what your disability is and why you feel you qualify for SSDI. There is a conspiracy theory out there that states Social Security will blanket deny everyone when they first apply. That is not true. Looking at things logically, if someone who was paralyzed from the neck down and had the cognitive functions of a three year old due to a motorcycle accident, Social Security is not going to deny that application. (I did work for the Department of Human Services for about 4 years. DHS worked closely with Social Security)

If denied, you have the option to appeal. The process for this is pretty straight forward. You fill out a form and write why you are appealing the original decision. You can submit anything you want. Often times Social Security have you evaluated by a medical professional at no cost to you.

If that is denied, then you have the option to have a hearing in front of a judge. The judge will look at any and all evidence provided by the person applying for SSDI and Social Security. They will listen to arguments from both sides. Both sides will have the option to call experts in various different fields. The judge will then make a decision based on what was presented to him or her.

Now here is where it gets tricky. I do not buy into conspiracy theories. Most of them are overly complex and if you take a step back and look at things logically, they tend to fall apart. I am not saying all conspiracy theories are incorrect. I think most of them are not really thought out.

That being said, I do think Social Security does have a process to weed out people who may be trying to "play the system", so to speak. The whole process, that being the two denials and the hearing in front of a judge, can take upwards of three years or more. During that time, if you work at all, you will not be awarded SSDI. The thought process is "If you are able to work, you are not disabled". I totally agree to that. But I do tend to think that Social Security does drag out this process. I think their thought process is "If this person, who is applying for SSDI, goes three years without working, s/he must really be disabled."

The problem comes up with people who may not have saved up some money, like I did. Or may not have friends and family that are willing to help the person applying for SSDI. For three or more years, they go without any income. They go without any means of supporting themselves.

I understand that Social Security is attempting to get ride of the lazy people that just don't want to work. That makes sense. But isn't there a better way to do this?

If someone, like me, who is suffering from multiple medical conditions, including terminal cancer, has to wait three+ years, what about the person who has not been able to save up, has children that need to be fed and housed, and needs medical or mental help. Because this person isn't working, s/he might not have access to healthcare for three+ years.

I know American citizens can write and even email our congressmen or even the President. But my experience with emailing these people is you tend to get a form letter as a reply and it becomes obvious that they have some kind of program that scans for key words and generates a reply based on those key words. So you are not actually getting heard.

How can the average American citizen tell someone in the U.S. Government that there is a flaw with Social Security? And if they already know (and I fully believe they do know), then why is it not being fixed?

[craigsters]

When I got on Canadian disability I had to go to the psychiatrist that the government sent me too, they did all sorts of puzzles and lot's of questionnaires etc to evaluate me for Disability and determined that I was a slow learner and had dyslexia and I lacked proper education and they put me on it for life, I've been on Canadian Disability since 1993 and even got extra funds for my lactose intolerance and stomach ulcer, if you go into subsidised government housing you get less then $10,000 a year to live on!..

[Ⓥenom Ⓢnake 🐍]

They apply to DHS for the SNAP/TANIFF benefits. Food Stamps and cash support. That takes about a month. And it gives them access to apply for other benefits like state Medicare which gives you an amazing free healthcare.

Then, if it is mental, they can apply with CSP in their community, which can help with housing, ride services, and finding other community outreach programs to help.

Then if you are in dire straits you can go to something like project now for emergency utility and rent grants.

There's plenty of help out there even if you're not on social security disability. Heck, every community has food banks that people can just show up once or twice a month and get plenty of food.

[Vinegaroon]

Don’t get me wrong a safety net for those who need it is important, but I’ve seen government programs used for the wrong reasons. In ecology we study similar phenomenon to this we call it a “parasite host relationships”.

[Bad Aim]

Originally posted by Ⓥenom Ⓢnake 🐍:

They apply to DHS for the SNAP/TANIFF benefits. Food Stamps and cash support. That takes about a month. And it gives them access to apply for other benefits like state Medicare which gives you an amazing free healthcare.

Then, if it is mental, they can apply with CSP in their community, which can help with housing, ride services, and finding other community outreach programs to help.

Then if you are in dire straits you can go to something like project now for emergency utility and rent grants.

There's plenty of help out there even if you're not on social security disability. Heck, every community has food banks that people can just show up once or twice a month and get plenty of food.

TANF is for families, not single people nor is it for couples without children. At least that is how it is in my state.

SNAP benefits are available to people. But again, a lot of states have work requirements around SNAP.

Not all states have Medicaid. Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida have yet to adopt the expansion of Medicaid, leaving over 2.1 million people in the “coverage gap”.

Getting on housing (section 8) can also be a very long process. In the state I live in, certain counties have flat out said they are no longer taking applications for housing. And when they do accept applications, the waiting period can be five+ years. An accentuate of mine has been on section 8 waiting list now for four years.

In my city a one bedroom, one bath is going for about $1000/mo. A two bedroom, one bath is going for about $1400/mo. Even a studio apartment is in the $900 range.

I do know that there are programs that will help with power. In my area, you can only get help once every 12 months.

And if you are applying for SSDI, you better hope that where you live has some type of mass transit because you can pretty much say goodbye to your car.

It really is crazy out there for people who have no resources. It gets even worse for people who either don't know about certain programs, like SNAP. Or they are to proud to ask for help from DHS or a food bank.

[Bad Aim]

Originally posted by Vinegaroon:

Don’t get me wrong a safety net for those who need it is important, but I’ve seen government programs used for the wrong reasons. In ecology we study similar phenomenon to this we call it a “parasite host relationships”.

I agree that state and federal programs can be and have been misused. In the late 90's i know of a woman who would pretty much have sex with anyone as long as no protection was used. She wanted to have as many babies as possible because at that time DHS was giving out money to people based on how many children they had, without restrictions or incentives to go back to work or stop having children.

I have seen people who own ice cream trucks go to a store and buy up all the popular ice cream bars they had with SNAP benefits.

But forcing someone to live without income for three+ years is a little draconian to me. There has to be a better way.

[Dracoco OwO]

Coming from someone who's Mom can't work due to mental illnesses and thus benefit from something similar but we reside in France, this seems mostly fine but i can see a problem if it's denied and you truly cannot do anything and can't work for 3 years straight there has to be cases like this when peoples that truely are not suitable for work get denied it and attempt working in despair, blow it and then lose both job and chance to get SSDI.

Of course i hope that doesn't happen often but you can only speculate or interpret data.

[Grønlænderen]

Originally posted by Cernunnos:

In America, if you become permanently disabled due to injury or illness, you have the option of applying for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). This is to make sure that people who suffer from a disability, be that mental or physical, and are unable to work, have some type of income so they do not end up on the street.

The basic ides of SSDI is that they look at the income you have accrued over your lifetime and from that they base how much income you will get. Once you receive SSDI, you can get off of it if the disability improves. If you are able to get off of SSDI, you will not have to repay it.

Pretty simple?

So, When you want to apply for SSDI, there is a form you need to fill out explaining what your disability is and why you feel you qualify for SSDI. There is a conspiracy theory out there that states Social Security will blanket deny everyone when they first apply. That is not true. Looking at things logically, if someone who was paralyzed from the neck down and had the cognitive functions of a three year old due to a motorcycle accident, Social Security is not going to deny that application. (I did work for the Department of Human Services for about 4 years. DHS worked closely with Social Security)

If denied, you have the option to appeal. The process for this is pretty straight forward. You fill out a form and write why you are appealing the original decision. You can submit anything you want. Often times Social Security have you evaluated by a medical professional at no cost to you.

If that is denied, then you have the option to have a hearing in front of a judge. The judge will look at any and all evidence provided by the person applying for SSDI and Social Security. They will listen to arguments from both sides. Both sides will have the option to call experts in various different fields. The judge will then make a decision based on what was presented to him or her.

Now here is where it gets tricky. I do not buy into conspiracy theories. Most of them are overly complex and if you take a step back and look at things logically, they tend to fall apart. I am not saying all conspiracy theories are incorrect. I think most of them are not really thought out.

That being said, I do think Social Security does have a process to weed out people who may be trying to "play the system", so to speak. The whole process, that being the two denials and the hearing in front of a judge, can take upwards of three years or more. During that time, if you work at all, you will not be awarded SSDI. The thought process is "If you are able to work, you are not disabled". I totally agree to that. But I do tend to think that Social Security does drag out this process. I think their thought process is "If this person, who is applying for SSDI, goes three years without working, s/he must really be disabled."

The problem comes up with people who may not have saved up some money, like I did. Or may not have friends and family that are willing to help the person applying for SSDI. For three or more years, they go without any income. They go without any means of supporting themselves.

I understand that Social Security is attempting to get ride of the lazy people that just don't want to work. That makes sense. But isn't there a better way to do this?

If someone, like me, who is suffering from multiple medical conditions, including terminal cancer, has to wait three+ years, what about the person who has not been able to save up, has children that need to be fed and housed, and needs medical or mental help. Because this person isn't working, s/he might not have access to healthcare for three+ years.

I know American citizens can write and even email our congressmen or even the President. But my experience with emailing these people is you tend to get a form letter as a reply and it becomes obvious that they have some kind of program that scans for key words and generates a reply based on those key words. So you are not actually getting heard.

How can the average American citizen tell someone in the U.S. Government that there is a flaw with Social Security? And if they already know (and I fully believe they do know), then why is it not being fixed?

:launchpad:

I had to go on that. It took me three years, and in the mean time I was out of work. I would have died of starvation had I not had family who was kind enough to look after me in the mean time. The person I had to speak to when I applied even lectured me, telling me that I didn't seem like I had any real problems. The funny thing is though, all this is technically illegal. The government is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ with other peoples money here, as you even stated - it's OUR MONEY that WE EARNED. So you what - take that money and sit on it while in the mean time the time value of the money goes down, inflation goes up, cost of living goes up most of the people you are 'holding' that money for are probably going to die before they see it AND... if we EVER see that money again, it will be severely devalued. This is the government taking out an interest free loan.

[Raelic]

You have multiple options of making an impact with your story. You can write your state representative and senator since this is federal. Write a single letter, include a CC tag, and include local journalists if you can get any of them to talk to you on the phone first. Send the letter and copies to all of them certified mail.

EDIT: Nevermind, it's mostly state. So I would include all of them and the governor.

[↑↑↓↓←→←→BASelect]

Originally posted by Cernunnos:

Originally posted by Vinegaroon:

Don’t get me wrong a safety net for those who need it is important, but I’ve seen government programs used for the wrong reasons. In ecology we study similar phenomenon to this we call it a “parasite host relationships”.

I agree that state and federal programs can be and have been misused. In the late 90's i know of a woman who would pretty much have sex with anyone as long as no protection was used. She wanted to have as many babies as possible because at that time DHS was giving out money to people based on how many children they had, without restrictions or incentives to go back to work or stop having children.

I have seen people who own ice cream trucks go to a store and buy up all the popular ice cream bars they had with SNAP benefits.

But forcing someone to live without income for three+ years is a little draconian to me. There has to be a better way.

Them programs and ssdi are abused by people who don't need them and people who do need them are denied.

[Violeta]

The tv said people use benefits to buy lobster dinners, while they live free on beaches and have parties all the time.

[Grønlænderen]

Originally posted by Raelic:

You have multiple options of making an impact with your story. You can write your state representative and senator since this is federal. Write a single letter, include a CC tag, and include local journalists if you can get any of them to talk to you on the phone first. Send the letter and copies to all of them certified mail.

EDIT: Nevermind, it's mostly state. So I would include all of them and the governor.

That's another thing - why is the federal government messing with people's money AT ALL? The powers of the federal government are SEVERELY LIMITED by the Constitution. It says NO WHERE in the Constitution that the federal government has the power to do this. It also states that powers not delineated in the Constitution and not specifically given to the federal government are given to the States or the People.

[Hector]

who cares about american in wheelchair??

In my village we have man without leg from war in wheelchair who still work his farm with cows and goats. you americans are just lazy!

[Dracoco OwO]

Originally posted by ⛧:

The tv said people use benefits to buy lobster dinners, while they live free on beaches and have parties all the time.

Has to be those governement elites, that's totally in line in what they do.

[Violeta]

Originally posted by Dracoco OwO:

Originally posted by ⛧:

The tv said people use benefits to buy lobster dinners, while they live free on beaches and have parties all the time.

Has to be those governement elites, that's totally in line in what they do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkXxBy4x6rs

I'll never forget this video lol. They really wanted to paint people on food stamps as like this.

[Dracoco OwO]

Originally posted by ⛧:

Originally posted by Dracoco OwO:

Has to be those governement elites, that's totally in line in what they do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkXxBy4x6rs

I'll never forget this video lol. They really wanted to paint people on food stamps as like this.

Yeah it's really something you can expect in modern day media to antagonise an entire group of peoples by showing one bad example.