O/T DH

Kathy, this sounds rather unusual. First of all, they do not pay you for the first six months from the date of disability- which cannot be until some date after he quit working. And I am surprised they would indicate it would be 'no problem' since they have no authority to make a decision. It may be 'no problem' to make an application but......

I'm sorry to be a party-pooper but please double check with SS that there wasn't some misunderstanding. I wish you all the very best and a quick decision on your applications.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Yay! Excellent!

People who work in these places have a tendency to know which applications are a 'shoe-in'. It can take some time to get through the systems, however.

Here it took nearly a year to get all in order, but they back-paid from the date of application.

All I would advise is, to document every phone call, every contact person and their number, the time and date of your conversation, and what was said. I usually do this at the time and finish any conversation with, " I understand this: blah, blah, blah" and get them to either say I've got it right, or to correct things so I have got it right.

Then. If anything goes ker-bluey I can go back to the notes and tell them chapter and verse who said what to whom, and the results and follow-ons from that Understanding.

The other thing I did, was keep the Bank in the loop at all times. They have been absolutely terrific. They changed accounts, upped overdraft limits in advance (just in case: which happened), lowered charges and juggled stuff about when it became necessary. If they know, they can help. If they don't, they are apt to get a bit awkward.

The phone notes made more than one company eat its words. All calls are monitored and recorded for their purposes. But two can play at that game, and sometimes this little man wins. Especially if you can say, "I spoke to Tommy on 12th of Octember at 1345hrs and he said..." They can go back to their records and check... and back down gracefully!

Good luck. Keep up the good work, and remember.

When all was well with you, you paid for some other individual who needed assistance. Now it's your turn. And other people's tax dollars are for you. In a little while, when things are better again, you may be able to help the next ones down the line. That is how it works. And we should be rightly proud that we live in countries who run this kind of system. We help each other according to need. It is no shame to need help. It is certainly no shame to ask for it. NEVER let anyone make you feel that you are 'scrounging' or in any other way unworthy. Next year it may be them.

Take care, Nel (Gadget Queen)

Unless you are 65 don't count on it. Nine times out of ten you will have to go to court to get SSI. No problem usually means that they think the application process will be smooth and that you should indeed get it, but you will probably have to go to court anyway. It is just the way the system works. After you get it they will back pay to the date of the initial application though.

I know exactly two people who got it without having to go to court. Ash got it no questions asked. I got it on my second application. I didn't know about the court thing on my first application, and not going to court earned me a visit from a social worker who yelled at me for not contesting the decision. The same worker was boggled when they just approved the second application. My little brother had to go to court, and he is paralyzed from the waist down! Except for the chosen few (I think it is a lottery or something because it often makes no sense regarding who breezes through) _everybody_ has to go to court to get SSI.

NightMist

....and there still is a ton of fraud. go figure. Anyone that thinks government can do anything well is loony tunes.

Taria

Kathy said SS- which I took to be social security disability and not SSI (Supplemental Security Income). I don't know much about SSI, but I was approved for social security disability (SSD) in 3 weeks, on my first application and without going to court. It happens once in a blue moon with a very thoroughly completed application form and lots of medical documentation to support your claim.

I don't know about a waiting period with SSI but SSD does not start paying until 6 mo. after the date they determine you are disabled. (Your disability date is *always* after the date you quit working- their policy is that if you are working you are not disabled- but they don't say how you are to survive with no income thru the application process and the waiting period.) Medicare benefits start 24 months after the date you are determined to be disabled. That one is my frustrated rant- if you are disabled you *need* the coverage so you *can* go to the doctor- and starting like right now rather than 2 years later. grrrrr! With SSI you will usually get Medicaid benefits that start immediately- and have more medical coverage than Medicare plus prescription benefits that you do not get with Medicare unless you buy an additional supplement policy.

Leslie- th>

Why thank you! I worked for the government for 34 years. My husband worked for the government for 26 years. Mom worked for the government, dad was a police officer (government).

We did our jobs well, all of us. And so did the vast majority of our co-workers. Even when we were hamstrung by Governor Ridge and his gang of incompetents.

Sincerely,

Loony Tunes Iris

It's the government rules, regulations, and impossible restrictions that hamper the civil servants trying to make the system work. Our SS systems are so complex that half the workers in the job centers cannot work out which benefits any particular applicant needs! They find it incredibly frustrating.

Calm down Iris. I sleep with a govt. employee (retired now) and both my kids work for municipalities. I didn't say the workers are lazy just that the system stinks. It doesn't work well. I believe political self interest almost nearly insures that. Most all the parts of a machine can run well and still the machine can be broken. There is a ton of fraud. I used to tell my husband the worst part of his job was putting up with all the BS that was involved. It was and probably still is. Some things don't change. Taria

It is possible that he is over the age of 62 so that he can get his retirement benefit while the disablity is being processed. Then if he is approved for disability, a recalculation will be done.

The process of apply>Kathy, this sounds rather unusual. First of all, they do not pay you for

Yes, at that age it should be a shoo-in... I agree. After age 57 or 58 (I forget which it is) we are advanced aged workers or some such unflattering designation- and it is almost guaranteed you will be approved.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Actually 62 or 60 if widow or widower. In that case, you would get the reduced retirement payment until the Disability claim is processed. Then the amount would be recalculated and you would get any back money.

SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is different from SSA Disability. SSI is a program based on financial need. In 1974, the Social Security Administration took over needs based Aid to Aged and Disabled from the individual states. (Welfare payments) This became SSI. SSA Disability is a payment based on your earnings and FICA payments and is not dependent on need.

Having worked in the past for SSA for 12 years, this is not the way it works. Very few cases went to court. There were many that went to a Hearing Examiner though, which is less formal and less costly than court and can be done without a lawyer. Even if you use a lawyer, SSA limits the fee and he cannot charge you more.

Disability is defined as the inability to do substanial gainful employment for a period of at least 12 months. This means not only your own job, but any job you might qualify for.

I did see many claims initially that should have been approved, but were overturned by a hearings examiner (not court). In 12 years, only

4 cases I handled actually went to court. Three were again turned down, one approved. I also saw many claims denied for failure to furnish evidence. Considering the fact that you do not have to furnish medical records, just names, addresses and phone number of doctors, it is surprising how many people didn't even do that. Also, claims were denied for not meeting non-medical requirements (in the case of SSI, not furnishing proofs needed to establish need and for Social Security Disability, not having the requisite number of years of employment.

I don't know if this policy has changed, but we used to have a policy of not allowing claimants to fill out their own application. If that is still in effect, make sure you read what you are signing.

I ad an Aunt and an Uncle who had both had strokes before age 62. They were both on disability, she used a cane on her left side and could not speak, he used a cane on his right side. Neither got around very easily and an other uncle took them shopping, mowed their grass, etc.

They both got letters saying that they had been on disability to long and that they were being terminated. The other uncle told my Dad what was going to happen and he said that they should both be taken to the SS office right away. As soon as the SS people saw them they were reinstated. Nothing was pretended, both folks were almost child like and the Uncle would cry while the Aunt could only say shit, shit, shit and no for yes and yes for no!

They were quit the pair! And family members tried to help as much as they could, visiting, making special meals, etc.

Snip

The only way that would happen is if they did not furnish the information that was requested for a periodic review. Most younger workers are scheduled for periodic reviews.

On Sat, 25 Sep 2010 10:07:48 -0500, Taria wrote (in article ):

Thanks. I delude myself sometimes into thinking I *am* doing something.

Maureen

As I said they were both very childlike and may not have paid any attention to their mail until they got the termination notice. Their only child paid all of their bills, phone, electric, water, sewage. they only had basic bills and she had them sent to her as she lived in a different state.

On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 11:26:15 -0400, Witchystitcher wrote: Snip

The only way that would happen is if they did not furnish the information that was requested for a periodic review. Most younger workers are scheduled for periodic reviews.

Thanks for posting. It's always good to get information from someone who knows the way things work, to counter anecdotes that don't always provide all the information. And I'm not saying anyone's being deceptive, I'm saying that there may be reasons for what happened that aren't apparent.

I do get really annoyed sometimes at the same old canards about government and government workers. Mom gets Medicare, and so did Dad before he died. Mom has always handled the paperwork and she never seems to have any problems with Medicare - it's her private, supplemental insurance that's been the pain. So I would have no qualms about government healthcare. I do have plenty of qualms about corporate greed, however.

Iris