Good news: I was denied SSDI

November 1, 2012

You’re probably wondering about that title.  Shouldn’t I be upset that I was denied SSDI?  I should be, but I’m not.

I’ll admit, I teeny tiny part of me was hoping that I’d be approved for SSDI on the first application, and that teeny tiny part of me is a little bit disappointed.  It would have made things immeasurably easier, no doubt about it.  But I also know that a ton of people get denied the first time around.  I read the denial rate was 80%.  I don’t know if that’s accurate, but more than 80% of the people I know have been denied the first time they applied, so I was assuming I would be too.  What I didn’t expect at all was that it would happen so quickly!  I applied for SSDI less than 2 months ago.  At the time, the web confirmation told me to expect a response within 4 months, but I assumed that was wrong.  I figured I wouldn’t hear anything for at least 6 months, maybe even a year.  And I heard today!

So I’m saying this is good news, because now I get to appeal the decision this month, instead of having to wait until next spring.  As soon as I speak with my lawyer I can start the next stage of this annoying, irritating, frustrating, exasperating process.  The sooner I get approved, the easier my life will be.  I am fortunate to be in a position where I can manage not having any income in the short term, but I’m not exactly wealthy, and not having an income in the long term could be a real problem.  I don’t want to cringe tomorrow when I buy the large 24-pack of toilet paper, but I know I will.  I don’t want to wear pants that are 2 sizes too big because I can’t justify even thrift store spending, but I do.  I don’t want to depend on others to support me, but without SSDI I will have to.  SSDI may not pay much (actually, it would be $3 more than my current rent each month!) but it’s still far better than nothing!

So starting tomorrow (or whenever my lawyer gets back to me) I can be proactive and work on appealing this damn thing!  I’ll let you know what happens….

4 Comments | Expectations, Healthcare, Politics, Rants, Raves, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Why using assets to determine benefits eligibility sucks

October 28, 2012

Let’s take two identical people, Jane and Mary.  Jane and Mary each graduate from college and get good jobs in the same city.  Each earns $45,000 per year.

Jane goes on some trips, but tries not to spend too much.  She uses frequent flier miles to go to Europe.  She brings her lunch to work every day.  She lives in a nice apartment, but it’s nothing fancy, and it’s definitely not her ideal.  She buys decent clothes, but tries not to spend too much.  She manages to save $10,000 each year.  She puts most of her savings into a retirement account, and keeps some handy in a savings account, just in case she needs it.

Mary goes on a fancy vacation every year, spending as she pleases.  She eats out all the time and goes to fancy clubs with high cover charges.  She lived in a luxury apartment for a bit, but now owns a condo in a trendy neighborhood.  She goes to the expensive department stores to buy high-end clothes and shoes.  She keeps around $200 in her checking account.  She doesn’t have any savings, but she doesn’t mind.

Now, Jane and Mary each get sick and have to stop working.  They both apply for SSDI.  Then they need to apply for other services too, like SSI and food stamps.  Mary is able to apply for all of these but Jane is not eligible to even apply for SSI or food stamps.  Why?  Because Jane has savings!

You see, someone decided that to get a lot of federal and state services and aide, what matters is not only income, but also assets, but for some reason they do not count houses toward the asset limits.  So Mary can get extra services that she can use to pay her mortgage, but Jane does not get these services to help pay her rent.  Mary gets help buying food, but Jane does not get help buying food.  Jane did what she was “supposed” to do – she saved for the future.  Now, the government is telling her to spend down all of her hard-earned savings before she can get their help.  And if she needs the money later?  Too bad.  To get help now, Jane needs to spend the money that she could otherwise use in a few years for extra medical bills, food, or clothes.

Now, suppose Mary and Jane both get these extra benefits, after Jane spends all of her savings.  After a few years, Jane and Mary are ready to go back to work!  Yay!  Mary is back where she started (minus a few years of work experience.)  On the other hand, Jane is now behind.  In addition to the same lack of work experience, Jane has also spent her retirement and other savings, and now has to start over.

Guess who I am?  Yup, that’s right.  I keep discovering that there are all sorts of services I can’t get, or even apply for, because I have savings.  Since they don’t look at real estate in calculating assets, I could take all of my savings and buy a house and then I’d get those services…. but I don’t want a house!  Why should I have to spend down my hard-earned savings?  I have spent my entire life (well, almost – I started saving when I was 10) building this up, and I resent being told that I’d get more help now if I’d wasted that money on martinis, fancy cars, designer purses, and the newest electronic gadgets.  I understand that help should be reserved for only those who need it, but if a house isn’t counted towards assets, then I don’t think my retirement fund should be either.  If they want me to spend down the money in my checking account, that’s annoying but fair.  But my retirement account should be off limits!

Our system is broken in many ways, and I believe this is one of them.  After all, if I need to spend more than SSDI provides for new sneakers, an umbrella, unexpected medications, or some other “luxury,” then wouldn’t it be better if I could spend my own money on it?  It would sure be a better use of the cash than buying Hermes bags…. which I don’t even want.

5 Comments | Expectations, Frustration, Politics, Rants | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Looking for the government-provided cheese

October 22, 2012

As I type this sentence I have been on hold for 1 hour 55 minutes.  No, that’s not an exaggeration or some sort of typing mistake.  I have actually been on hold for almost two hours.

I have spent a lot of time on the phone for health stuff over the last few months.  There have been a few minutes at a time with doctors.  There have been a few 20-30 minute calls with my lawyer.  Then there have been long wait times of 10, 20, 60+ minutes to deal with social security, medicaid, and long term disability insurance.  Getting help seems to involve hours and hours on the phone.

In hindsight, I sort of wish I’d kept track of the wait times.  I think it would be interesting to see.  When I tell healthy friends about what I go through, they’re shocked – and I have it easy!  I’m lucky enough to have the patience and skills to deal with this bullshit!  What about the people who don’t have that?

Although, my patience is wearing very, very thin…..

There’s this idea that there’s a ton of free government money just out there for the taking, and lots of immoral people are taking advantage of it.  I’ve heard that more times than I can count.  The reality is that there’s very little government support and even when you’re completely deserving and completely qualified, it’s almost impossible to get the support.

It’s a beautiful autumn day here in New England.  The sky is blue, the trees are yellow & orange & red, the sun is shining, and I’m still in my living room.  A friend and I were going to meet at her office for lunch and eat outside.  We cancelled that picnic because I was still on hold and didn’t want to hang up and miss out on my chance to get legal help to appeal my denial of state medicaid services.  Maybe I can take a short walk after I eventually get off the phone?  But there are more phone calls to make, more help to seek.

I’m thinking of a mouse in a maze looking for cheese, but I think that to make the comparison more accurate, we’d have to add a playful cat to the maze.  That sounds about right.  Because the government and private insurance companies are doing everything they can to avoid giving people the aid that they provide.  I’m just going to keep trying to dodge that cat.

And speaking of cheese, I haven’t even had lunch yet because of the long hold time!  Time to forage for food…..

4 Comments | Frustration, Healthcare, Limitations, Politics, Rants | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Fire under my ass: Social security application DONE

September 11, 2012

It’s amazing what a little fear will do.  I was dragging my feet.  I admit it.  I didn’t really want to apply for SSDI; I didn’t want to admit that I’d still need it a year or two from now when they finally got around to approving my application.  You can’t really blame me,
right?  Who wants to think that way?  So I procrastinated too much before finally sending in the first part of the application, and then I got bulldozed with a short deadline for all the rest.

There’s nothing like getting informed that your future ability to pay rent is based on information you must complete right away, but it’s after 5pm on a Friday so you have to wait two and a half days to get details.  Not fun.  At all.

First thing Monday I called the SSA and got all sorts of details from them that really should have been included in the letter to begin with.  Now, surprisingly, I’m done.  I managed to get a document from my ex-employer’s benefits office and I got it in record time.  Apparently, when you complain to the head of the department about someone not returning calls at all, they tend to call you back quickly the next time you need something.  Thank goodness.  She emailed it to me, I printed it, and  I drove it over to the social security office in person today to drop it off.  I started the second application online over the weekend and made a list of questions for my lawyer, who also got back to me quickly on Monday.  Today, I submitted that application!

And now, I wait.  When I submitted the application I got the message that I’d have a response in more or less 120 days.  I guess they want to leave themselves some leeway, because they specifically said it could take more or less time, depending on various unnamed factors.  Right.  I’m not holding my breath for that 120 day response, but whatever it is, I’ll just have to take it.  At least this part is done.  Now to move on to the next set of paperwork….

It amazes me that there’s no one central location to find out about all of this stuff – what paperwork is needed, when the deadlines are, etc.  A friend suggested that I make a web site with all of the info I can find.  I just might do that, but first, does anyone know of one that already exists.  I’ve looked, but I could have easily missed it, and there’s no point replicating someone else’s work.  If you’ve seen one, please let me know!

Leave a Comment » | Educating, Expectations, Frustration, Politics, Rants | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

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