RE: More on the meltdown

[Guest guest]

> The trick here would be to get the disability people to put AS (or

> HFA if that is the dx) as the cause of the disability, not the

> depression or anxiety. This will only matter, of course, if you do

> not get enough SSD on your own to exceed half of whichever parent

> gets more in SS. In my case, the AS (I had not gotten my HFA dx at

> that time) was the cause of the disability, so it was easy to prove

> that I was disabled at 21. All I had to do was ask them to confirm

> that AS is a developmental disability, that exists (by definition)

> from childhood.

In my case, it was actually *extremely* easy because I got SSI at the

age of 19, which by definition meant I was disabled before the age of 21.

My dad had made a lot more money than we had thought he had, so when

he retired, I ended up getting *more* money in SSD than I got in SSI.

This means that now I get no SSI and entirely SSD.

This affects insurance in an important way that people should be aware

of. I now get Medicare.

*However*, there is a provision in federal Medicaid law that says if a

person switches from SSI to DAC (disabled adult child) benefits, they

*also* keep their Medicaid. In my case, the switch happened

automatically and I have not needed to reapply. Some people need to

reapply. Also, some states have attempted to act as if this law

didn't exist, at which point the thing to do is go to court because

the law *does* exist and Medicaid can be important for certain things

(for instance attendant care services in some places).

(For pedants: Yes, I know in California it's Medi-Cal. But that's

just California's cutesy name for Medicaid, and we still call things

the " Medicaid Waiver Program " , not the " Medi-Cal Waiver Program " .)

So basically I now get both Medicare and Medicaid, and so should

anyone who switches from SSI to DAC by way of the death/retirement/etc

of a parent.

[Guest guest]

The key sentence in any claim is: " Due to my medical/mental condition, I am

unable to be gainfully employed. " I put this on all of my claim/appeal

forms.

Louis

In my house, " normal " is only a setting on the dryer.

Re: More on the meltdown

The worst thing about this is that I then attempt to make money by doing

online consumer surveys, which ask *absurd* questions, which personify

brands. Like, like, does Yoohoo care about me? Well, considering Yoohoo is

a *freaking drink,* I don't think it has the capacity for emotion. My head

hurts trying to wrap my brain around all of this crapola.

[Guest guest]

Oooh, , you're good. I was about to say the same thing.

I was recently moved in my job. Since I know the regs inside and out, they

moved me from Aged, Blind and Disabled Medicaid Intake & Management to SSI

Case Management. Instead of doing Food Stamps and Medicaid, I now represent

people who are applying for SSI. I take care of their appeal processes and

go to court with them for hearings if it gets to that point. I request their

medical records and gather them together. I keep a copy and send the

originals to our county medical service so that they can get interim

disability payments from our county until their SSI gets approved. I have

some really interested clients and cases.

Louis

In my house, " normal " is only a setting on the dryer.

From: Klein

If you have a disability that manifested before you were 21, and you

have at least one parent getting SS retirement or SSD, you are entitled

to half of whatever they get. and I both get this. My mother

gets $700 or so per month in SSD, so I get about $350 in SSD. Since the

SSI limit is $530 or so, and SSI disregards the first $20 you make, I

get 550-350+20 in SSI, which is $220.

When my father retires in May, I will get half of his $1600 a month,

which means I will get no SSI anymore. I wish I would get half of both

parents put together, but it is not that way-- it is half of whichever

one gets more.

The trick here would be to get the disability people to put AS (or HFA

if that is the dx) as the cause of the disability, not the depression or

anxiety. This will only matter, of course, if you do not get enough SSD

on your own to exceed half of whichever parent gets more in SS. In my

case, the AS (I had not gotten my HFA dx at that time) was the cause of

the disability, so it was easy to prove that I was disabled at 21. All

I had to do was ask them to confirm that AS is a developmental

disability, that exists (by definition) from childhood.

[Guest guest]

Louise Gainor wrote:

> Oooh, , you're good. I was about to say the same thing.

Thanks... but in your post, I realized I made an error. I wrote:

> My mother gets $700 or so per

> month in SSD, so I get about $350 in SSD. Since the SSI limit is

> $530 or so, and SSI disregards the first $20 you make, I get

> 550-350+20 in SSI, which is $220.

I should have said that the SSI limit is about $550. Otherwise, I added

the extra 20 in twice.