YES -- I am shouting :-))). After five years of not being able to work or drive or even see too well, DSonIL has been approved for government disability. The **BEST** result is that DD will no longer have to pay for health insurance for him -- to the tune of about $500.00 PER MONTH! He's had long term coverage for big stuff through his work insurance but nothing for the day to day things. He will now be on Medicare and SSI which will be a huge help. He had his court date this morning and DD phoned me as soon as they were in the car to tell me the results. In a rare occurrence, he was approved right then and there -- no further waiting for paperwork, etc. Apparently this is very rarely done but they were told that his disability was SO obvious that the judge didn't feel they should have to wait the extra time after being approved. They looked at his past work record as a registered & certified Architect for 20+ years before the stroke and then BAM, he was unable to do anything for months and months and now is quite limited. He had to get on the stand and tell the judge and the room full of folks waiting their turn that, YES, he was disabled and unable to work in his chosen field. THAT alone was a huge step for him and I am unbelievably proud of him for finally being able to admit this. It was a very long, very hard road for him to get to this point. He now wants to look into going back to school to learn new stuff and just find out what, if anything, there is out there for him to work at. He was told that even with disability, he is allowed to actually work at a job for 8 or 9 months without losing his disability. At that point, if he is able to keep working then his disability will be discontinued. THIS in itself is a god-send and I am so happy to know that AZ (at least) has implemented this policy. Not having much use of his left hand isn't too big a deal as he tries to use it as much as possible and is very, very slowly getting more use of it. His not being able to see well enough to drive also isn't a big deal as Lizard Land actually has got a fairly good public transit system -- at least from where they live. DD's job also allows for her to come as go as is needed throughout the day so she could schlepp him to/from public transpo if needed. His biggest disability -- and it's one that I don't think will ever improve much with more time -- is that he has what we call Swiss Cheese memory. He might know which bus to take but will forget which time he needs to be at the bus stop. Or vice versa -- know the time but not remember the bus. He can look at the bus schedule and 30 minutes later, he has forgotten what he read. He has used EVERY memory improving thing out there. WE bought him the Brain Age (or whatever it's called) hand held gizmo for his B-day several years ago and he still uses. It helps him remembering other things but NOT stuff related to time. This whole dysfunctional time thing is a result of having had a right brain stroke. He also is almost totally unable to "multi-task" so even if he could see, he shouldn't drive. No way could he remember to watch front, back, left & right. Half the time he forgets to look at the street light to see if he can cross the street!!! When we go to anywhere, he just wanders off, without letting us know where he's going. Now, I know this is a guy thing but he doesn't even remember walking off and leaving us! When Raechel asks why Daddy does this stuff, we just tell her that Daddy is a bit kookoo after his stroke and she accepts that. Actually, he tells her the same thing :-). When the kids at school ask her why her Dad doesn't work and is a bit weird, she tells them his brain got sick when she was just a baby and he's a little kookoo now so can't work. SHE has a better memory than he does and he actually listens to her better than he listens to the rest of us -- LOLOL! He also has problems with his social interactions. He talks incessantly -- long after any topic has been worn out and his listeners have gotten bored to death. He invades other's "personal space" and doesn't realize he is doing this. He can no longer pick up on the subtle clues we all send out that let others know they have talked too much or are too close, etc. When they are at a social gathering and he starts to act inappropriately, DD will whisper Ruby Begonia in his ear and this lets him know that he is coming on too strong. WHY he can remember this and not other, easy things is anyone's guess but it works. Anyway, he's now on disability as of right now and it will make life so much easier for the whole family on many, many levels. Also, Cheeto STILL seems drawn to him and spends a large part of his kitty day on Steven's lap. This really means a lot to Steven so I am immensely glad. He's still R's kitty when she gets home and then makes sure that Mom gets some attention when she gets home, too. All around just happy news to be able to share :-))). CiaoMeow >^;;^<
PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at