Posted by softheprairie on September 19, 2008, at 4:33:44
In reply to Disability benefits?, posted by Maria01 on September 18, 2008, at 19:47:38
I'm currently on Social Security Disability Income. It's pretty complicated, which may be why no one has replied to your post yet. The SSDI system seems set up to discourage people. Mine was approved relatively quickly, (I think around three months) but even after I found out of the approval, there was still the wait of six months from the official date of disability onset before they start sending the benefit. You're basically left to fend for yourself for those months, but you can't be substantially employed. It sounds like you're employed. If you have "substantial gainful employment" (currently making at least around $900 a month if I'm correct) you automatically are denied. Theoretically you could be approved while working and making under the amt. of "substantial gainful employment," but having any employment brings up the ease of them saying that if you can do that much, they think you can do more (to reach substantial, thus not qualifying), so the chances of approval are higher, I think, if you apply when not employed at all. I resigned from my workplace rather than wait to be terminated, and applied a few days later with Social Security. (Well, started the first part of the process with them.)
During the waiting period, a few extremely poor, assetless people can get some benefit from Supplemental Security Income under presumtive disability, but even that isn't really enough to live on without subsidies, plus, claims of disability due to psychiatric conditions have a low chance of being approved for the presumptive disability unless you were chronically psychotic (according to section 4/5 of "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting and Keeping Your Benefits, Second Edition," a book I highly recommend).
If you are denied disability at the first round, then the wait really begins. I read horror stories of the waits while appealing the decision. It can be years. That should be a national outrage, in my opinion.
A note on who you get as providers at the county community mental health center: if I recall correctly what I read in the Nolo book, the Soc. Sec. administrative policies really discriminate against accepting reports from your providers if your providers are social workers, and, perhaps also nurse practitioners and physician assistants; they only accept reports from M.D.s, D.O.s, and Ph.D. psychologists (?). I forget if the book said anything about Psy.D. or master's-level psychologists. So, if you have to see new providers, you might tell the scheduler at the facility that you need to see a M.D., D.O., or Ph.D. psychologist.
However, to get SSDI, you have to show that your disabling condition isn't temporary. Having not imporved for x number of months (I forget its number) is evidence to them of not being temporary. You may have to contact your former providers to get evidence for your case. A new dr. probably wouldn't be happy to take you on as a patient when they hear you are there looking to get a monetary benefit.
Aside from providers, Soc.Sec. sends you forms to fill out, and sends forms to two people you designate to write about you. I picked my mother and my friend/former roommate.
I didn't use a lawyer myself, but was going to get one for the appeal if I would have been turned down.
poster:softheprairie
thread:852760
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080906/msgs/852829.html