Re: Info about disability?

[Guest guest]

, It's true that SSI is not enough to live on. Unfortunately, it is

a very small amount. However, is there any disability insurance through his

employer? That is usually better than SSI, but not all employers provide

it. In California, you are better off if you get SSDI and SSI, but that

probably depends on the state. In other words, benefits are better if you

were previously working and paying into a state fund.

Once you get on SSI/SSDI, you usually also receive Medicaid and after a

couple of years Medicare as well. People who have been disabled and on

SSI/SSDI for a certain amount of time also get Medicare regardless of age.

In addition, the lower income qualifies you for a number of programs, such

as Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help you in paying

utility bills and you can get Universal phone service, the cheaper phone

service for low-income people. There's a lot of programs you will be able

to access with a lower income particularly with the SSI/SSDI eligibility.

Would it be possible for you to go to work? I know it's hard with young

kids and you're trying to get through school, but if your husband can't

work, that might be the way to get by, at least for a while.

Good luck and God Bless,

Janet in SF

[Guest guest]

Hi Janet. Thanks for the info. I do work full time as well as

attend school. I'm a financial analyst with a degree in Business

Administration (a dime a dozen these days). I'm in school for

Nursing but will have to cut back my hours at work a bit once I'm

doing clinical rotations. I have no choice once I get there since

the schedule is so demanding. It's taking a lot out of me, but it

will be worth it in the end. Eventually, I want to become a Nurse

Practitioner or PA. Right now we're okay financially. I just hate

to see my husband suffer b/c he's worried about our loss of his

income. I really hope to make enough for us to be comfortabe w/o

hubby having to do anything. It puts him is such a hard postion. He

never wanted to stop working. He's a huge believer that the man

should bring home as much of the bacon as possible. As it stands

right now, he's going to have to continue to work. I amdire his

ambition so much, especially knowing how much he hurts. I just wish

I could do more sooner. Patience is hard to have when running out

of time and energy.

I think our state does have a calculator based on taxed income over

the years. For some reason, it's still a very small amount. His

employer offers no such benefits and since he's had ReA for 10 years,

he's only been with the company he is now with for 9 months. It's

just very frustrating. I wish I could keep the taxes I pay on this

kind of " benefit " . It's not worth it if this is all my husband gets.

Thanks again Janet.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/13/04 9:13:10 AM Pacific Standard Time,

lbulifant@... writes:

> Am I

> understanding this all correctly or was my husband misinformed about

> this? He feels guilty about his inability to work. He doesn't want

> this but the disease is making his live so miserable.

>

> Any input is greatly appreciated.

>

> I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

>

>

>

dear lauren,

it may be that your husbands disability is less than 1000 a month, mine is.

the amount he would receive if he is eligible is partly determined by how long

he has worked and how much he has contributed to his social security fund.

(if you live in the states that is)

one way to find out how much he would receive is to look at the most current

social security statement he may have gotten in the mail. this lists how much

money he would receive for different circumstances, such as disability, at

this point in time.

the fact that his doctor wants to help is good, i think. i took a month to

fill out the paperwork (i rescheduled appointments after i got the forms to

fill out so that i had plenty of time to fill them out correctly).

i also read a couple of books from the library on how to file, which is what

helped me get approved the first time i think, along with asking my doctor to

document my case in detail for his part of the application. i took the time to

gather all of my medical records to send in with the application as well,

which allowed things to move more quickly, rather than having them call for them

from the various places.(often times, i feel things get lost in the shuffle

unless i keep track and keep on whomever to get things signed, etc)

the most important thing i think i can say is have him DETAIL everything he

can about his discomfort. add as many additional pages to the application get

your point across as you need. i started the process by writing down the

details of my illness on a daily basis for a while so that i could document just

how disabling it is and what i can no longer do. document not only the

physical but also the mental and emotional aspects of being chronically ill.

right now, not working and getting my small monthly disability amount is a

huge, huge blessing, and my right i might add, for contributing to the system

for many years. (i receive less than 800 a month, mostly i think because i am

young, 46, and worked a lot in restaurants where income can be much less than

other types of employment without benefits). not having the extra stress of

having to work when in agony or call in sick has changed the quality of my days

immensely. now i can stay in bed when i need to and that helps everything in

my life from how i respond to daily challenges to keeping my pain meds down to

a reasonable amount.

life is full of challenges, that's for sure.

good luck to you and yours on this journey~

take care,

barb

May all beings be free from suffering and its causes

May all beings have happiness and its causes

May all beings be free from attachment, aversion, anger and fear

May they never be separated from the bliss that is sorrowless.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I know what you are going through. One year ago today I finally had

to stop working because of the pain and fatigue. I, like your

husband have just worked with the condition and pain. I am the only

income between the wife and me. I have always felt that as long as

I was able to bring in enough money, the wife would be a stay at

home mother and raise our kids, that is what she wanted and she has

done a fantastic job with the kids. We have 5 grand kids with a

sixth on the way. My wife has taken over most all the duties around

the house and yard. We get some help from friends and neighbors but

she does most of it by herself along with taking care of me. That

is a full time job in it self.

Luckily for the last 25 years I have been paying for long term

disability insurance at work hoping to never have to use it but that

didn't work out. So for the last 12 months between what I had in

sick leave and vacation on the books, along with the insurance

paying a portion of my income we are able to pay the bills. We

can't do much else but at least we aren't loosing everything.

On Thursday I received my second denial from SSD since first

applying 11 months ago. This is so frustrating and depressing. It

has gotten to the point that I feel like I am now begging for my

benefits. You are right; they don't pay much when you do get it. I

was lucky in that the insurance company has provided a company to

help me fight to get my benefits. I am sure it is also in the best

interest of the insurance company to get me onto SSD so they can

stop paying. My next appeal is the third level with is to request a

hearing before a judge which can take another 8-12 months. My

problem is that now that I am on long term medical leave from work;

I can not retire until I get the SSD certificate. And since I went

on medical leave, the company has stopped paying for the wife's

medical insurance, which we won't get back until I retire. So with

the little bit that we do get, we pay for her insurance every

month. Like I said, it is frustrating and depressing.

Being only 54 now and missing the last 9 years of retirement

savings, without my retirement added to the SSD, the wife would

defiantly have to go to. We don't have any bills except a small

house payment and utilities.

Good luck and I would highly recommend you get someone to represent

you when you go to apply for SSD. Most people I have talked with

that are on SSD said that it took them as much as two years before

they were approved and that is after getting attorneys to help. The

only ones that get it right away are those that have a critical

condition. We pay all our life for social security and then when we

need it we have to beg for it.

Good luck, Dick

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I was forced to retire from my job due to unbearable pain from Reiter's 4

years ago. It was very hard to leave a job that I really enjoyed, and also to

take a large pay cut. I'll just give you the facts of how I was awarded Soc

Sec Disability benefits. I receive $1,297 per month, and I have pretty good

medical coverage through Medicare. I filled out the first application by myself,

and I had backing from my Rheumatologist, along with very revealing x-rays of

the damage to my feet and ankles. I was denied the first time, when I applied.

I then hired an attorney who does only Soc Sec Disability, and tried again. I

was denied again, and requested a hearing with a magistrate of these cases.

The hearing seemed very routine, and I was then awarded my full benefits,

retroactive to the first application. My lawyer received a payment that is a set

fee, in accordance with some law, which was taken from the money I got

retro-active. The entire process took one year.

THINK POSITIVE! Best Wishes, Harv in MI I'm 49/ Reiters 25 years