Social Security Disability

[RetiredGySgt]

I live in CA and it is extremely hard to get permnanent disability here. I've known people that really needed it and people that did not. Nobody gets it on the first try. They get a letter telling them that they have to file for a reconsideration. After that is denied, they go before a judge. It's a very lengthy and tiring process. Seeing their doctors and doing all the paper work!!

I'm surprised you neighbor was able to get it. I could be wrong. But I think they do a good job here of weeding out the deatbeats!!!

I seriously doubt his claim that nothing is wrong with his neighbor. The process is lengthy and yes some people slip through the cracks. But it is not 50 percent. Further they review the cases every few years with a different doctor involved.

By the way the claim that somehow Conservatives are the dead beats is hilarious. Social Security is a system every working person pays into their entire working career. To claim that somehow conservatives should not use said system when they qualify is ignorant as hell. Regardless of whether or not they believe the system should exist or not.

I have never heard that. But I'm sure that deadbeats come in all political affiliations.

Better read the original post then.

 

[MaggieMae]

My neighbor is on it and is proud to be on it. She proudly displays her free car tag and parks in the handicapped spot every time she can.
She is on social security disability and there is not a dam thing wrong with her. She also proudly displays her conservative opinions on bumper stickers on her Denali.
This program is the fastest growing Federal program out there.
My neighbor rides horses, cuts grass on the rider and has a garden to kill for.
There is a special place in HELL for people like her.
And nothing will or can be done to stop the checks. $2200 a month in her case.

You should report her. There's nothing wrong with being a whistle-blower in cases like that. Social Security is so short-staffed they can barely keep up with servicing people legitimately on SS, SSD and SSI, let alone monitor potential fraud perpetrated by each individual. In the past, I've reported people that I knew were not eligible for Medicaid or any of the other State-sponsored family subsidies, and the results were immediate. They can't act unless they are aware of such problems.

That said, SSI is a program that never, EVER should have been attached to Social Security. It's one of the reasons that entitlement program is so drained of funds. The only saving grace is that it is extremely difficult to qualify for. Often even if someone is legitimately entitled, he needs to get a disability attorney involved. BUT, once they are on SSI, many slackers continue to collect even though they are no longer disabled. For that reason, again, you should notify your local office (anonymously of course). At least you'll have the personal satisfaction that you tried to do something instead of just complaining on a message board.

 

[MaggieMae]

OASI and ADA were born for exactly that kind of abuse for the terminally entitled mindset. Ditto Medicare/Medicaid, welfare, food stamps, gubmint schools...The list goes on and on.

What else is new?

Okay, I'm stumped. What are OASI and ADA? You must remember, dud, most of us don't have your intellectual command in all matters of national importance.

 

[MaggieMae]

There are people that use their disabled children to collect a "crazy check" as well.Disgusting.
A few years ago we allowed a stakeout from our yard on a guy who was collecting permanent disability from an insurer in TX. They spent three days taking pictures of the guy PAINTING his house. Private insurers can afford to hire PIs. The govt. could care less. Its not their money.

Good for them. It's the only way to catch such fraud.

 

[MaggieMae]

I live in a seasonal community where unemployment is abused as well. Many people work in the summer long enough to qualify and then get paid under the table during the winter months. NJ is very lax with enforcement. We had a kid quit to work for his brother in law and collect DUI under our acct. My husband took photos of him working and told the people he did not get laid off, he quit. Their response was "don't care".

That's why I'd like that info public. At least neighbors and employers would be aware of the grifters, because the govt just doesn't care. Why would they?

I think crackdown on those collecting unemployment and yet ignoring the requirement to look for work on a weekly basis (which they have to prove) depends on how lax (or not) the state is. In Vermont, they don't fool around. My own son got caught a long time ago. While he did the legwork for several weeks, there was a single week that he got caught up in a personal matter and needed to spend the bulk of his time dealing with that and didn't arrange for interviews. It took the State only two weeks to notify him that he could no longer file for benefits. He appealed, with witnesses, but he still lost. He just wasn't able to find comparable work here, so he moved to another state thereafter.

 

[uscitizen]

According to my SS statement I got a few weeks ago I would qualify for $2,110/mo as disabled.
Which btw I can get, but see no purpose in it since I have ins and money.

Getting disability is a career path around here.

 

[MaggieMae]

Then it's not Social Security Disability. Or else somebody's fibbing.

SSI is different from SSD. SSI has a cap no matter how much a person earned in the past. But it's still got a lot of fraud that goes unnoticed. $100,000? No way in hell. I think it's only around $690 per month.

 

[Some Guy]

My fiance gets money from Social Security because she was legitimately disabled due to car accident about 5.5 years ago. She had to learn to walk and talk again, but did and is fine now save for migraines every once in a while. She feels very guilty about collecting from it, as do I, but the only reason she still does is because her migraines are frequent enough to prevent her from even working part-time while going to school. That, and it's nice to know that at least one of us will be getting something from it as Social Security will probably be defunct by the time either of us qualify to get anything back out.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

I'm amazed by the $$ amounts being quoted.

My father was on disability income after he had literally no other choice. He attempted to work despite his epilepsy right up until he became a danger to himself and others on site.

As a kid I grew up on what my dad drew and what odd money my Mom could raise. It certainly wasn't the picnic you all seem to think it is. I recall weeks where we cut back to 2 meals a day, and I recall having 3 meals a day as a kid... as long as one of the meals was a bread and butter sandwich.

That was incentive for me to work doubly hard and make sure that my kids never ever ever had to live like that. Don't get me wrong, my parents did the best they could by us, but I'll never live on the government's dime like that again.

There's a place for these programs. They can help insure that families survive and kids go on to become productive parts of society if done right. I acknowledge there's abuse, but to really live well abusing that system you have to really work at being good at fraud.

 

[MaggieMae]

If she still lives at home and is receiving tutoring, she may be receiving some sort of benefits under her parents or if she is disabled may be covered under a private policy of hers or theirs. You're right, we never know the whole story. But knowing where to get a car seat or legal help from the county or state and really understanding the red tape and labyrinth of programs are two different things.

Social Security (SSA) is also not administered through the State welfare offices but directly through the Federal Social Security office, so she may be dealing with one and thinking it's another. Especially if a caseworker or her parents are doing a lot of the paperwork for her. But take a look at your own statement sometime and you'll see how it works. It's pretty straightforward.

The SSA works in tangent with each state's allocation of welfare benefits, though, so if she managed to get extra help for some state program, her SSI check eventually will be reduced to reflect that. Unless people have a lot of crooked people lying about their qualifications, people on SSI and other welfare programs do not "make money" from it. Usually, when such people appear to be living quite well, they have something going on the side which is beneath the radar.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

The SSA works in tangent with each state's allocation of welfare benefits, though, so if she managed to get extra help for some state program, her SSI check eventually will be reduced to reflect that. Unless people have a lot of crooked people lying about their qualifications, people on SSI and other welfare programs do not "make money" from it. Usually, when such people appear to be living quite well, they have something going on the side which is beneath the radar.

That isn't as easy as it sounds either.

One of the things I really hated about disability income is that there's a cap on income from the rest of the family. That in and of itself isn't bad, but I know that every time my parents tried to find a way off disability, they'd fall through the net and come out in worse shape. Mom only had a high school diploma and often any full time work she could find was just enough to knock out Dad's disability but not enough to actually replace the income.

They ended up deciding to stay on disability and make due until all of us kids left home. It was no picnic and they well and truly felt trapped their whole life by it. It was definitely incentive to take my education seriously so I could make sure my kids didn't grow up that way.

 

[MaggieMae]

According to my SS statement I got a few weeks ago I would qualify for $2,110/mo as disabled.
Which btw I can get, but see no purpose in it since I have ins and money.

Getting disability is a career path around here.

You're talking SSD, though, not SSI. Even SSD isn't easy to get. As someone mentioned, the paperwork is huge, and you need to get doctor certifications and all kinds of proof. If someone is already a slacker, they'll look for an easier route.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Thanks goldcatt. Interesting. This young lady has been known to fib but she also seems very knowledgable about her entitlements as well. Counseling, free legal help, uninsured driver program, home instruction and even free car seats!

The mom has been in and out of jail and her "boyfriend" is headed there right after the baby's born. Maybe they have additional giveaways for those situations.

She gets 10 hrs of private tutoring each week until she is 21. Maybe her parents get extra for having her "enrolled" in school. I don't kbow, but they don't seem like they are struggling. Decent house, two cars, and everyone smokes.

Thanks for that # Avg Joe, but of course we never know the whole situation.

Anytime chanel - some of the facts:

Social Security varies based on your work record and the work record of your spouse (opposite sex only).

Supplimental Security (welfare) from the Federal Government is maxed at $674 per month per disabled / aged person and if he/she lives with someone else, it is $449. Some states add to that total. Disabled children usually get the $674 if their parent(s) don't work. If the parents have income, it gets complicated quickly.

As a percentage of the Federal Budget, the SSI (welfare) distributed is not much... Social Security is self supporting via FICA taxes.

 

[uscitizen]

According to my SS statement I got a few weeks ago I would qualify for $2,110/mo as disabled.
Which btw I can get, but see no purpose in it since I have ins and money.

Getting disability is a career path around here.

You're talking SSD, though, not SSI. Even SSD isn't easy to get. As someone mentioned, the paperwork is huge, and you need to get doctor certifications and all kinds of proof. If someone is already a slacker, they'll look for an easier route.

Naah we have Binder and Binder SS disability advocate lawyers advertising all the time here. They just get 6k or so of your back pay when you start getting disability.

In any case it takes about 6 months on the average to start getting SS disability even if you have had your brain removed and voted for Palin.

And we were told many years ago that allowing lawers to advertise would not be a problem becuase lawyers would not advertise in such manners.

 

[Rinata]

I'm confused then. I know of. 20 year old who claims she's getting 1000K a month and will get. Another 600 when her baby is born in a few weeks. She's never worked.

She is probably getting SSI (Supplemental Security Income). People that are not eligibl;e for disability benefits usually apply for that. But I don't think it's a lot of money.

 

[Rinata]

I seriously doubt his claim that nothing is wrong with his neighbor. The process is lengthy and yes some people slip through the cracks. But it is not 50 percent. Further they review the cases every few years with a different doctor involved.

By the way the claim that somehow Conservatives are the dead beats is hilarious. Social Security is a system every working person pays into their entire working career. To claim that somehow conservatives should not use said system when they qualify is ignorant as hell. Regardless of whether or not they believe the system should exist or not.

I have never heard that. But I'm sure that deadbeats come in all political affiliations.

Better read the original post then.

Oh, I did. But I still say that deadbeats come in all political affiliations. They are white, brown, black, and yellow. Some are men and some are women. Some are educated, some are not. Some are Catholic, Baptist, Jewish, and other religions. To say anything else is stupid.

 

[Againsheila]

What about people who have never worked? Do they not qualify?

If they're disabled they do but it is not social security it is ssi. My son's are both collecting ssi. A total of $415 a piece...kind of hard to live on that in this area of the country.

My kids are both adults with autism, both ends of the spectrum, we could never collect when they were kids as we made too much money or had too many assets.

 

[Againsheila]

I'm confused then. I know of. 20 year old who claims she's getting 1000K a month and will get. Another 600 when her baby is born in a few weeks. She's never worked.

She is probably getting SSI (Supplemental Security Income). People that are not eligibl;e for disability benefits usually apply for that. But I don't think it's a lot of money.

According to DSHS the minute a girl gets pregnant she can start collecting welfare.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Yes Sarge. I noticed that double standard when people were talking about Bristol's baby. Apparently, only those that think the system is wonderful should be able to use it or something.

I know of a family of six that is supposedly collecting SSI for every member. They are living quite well on around $72K a year. You should see the gorgeous tattoos the children have.

Maybe they can hire investigators and have them work on commission. Now that's an incentive...

First mindset of a real democracy...

Maybe WE can hire investigators.....​

 

[AVG-JOE]

What about people who have never worked? Do they not qualify?

If you have been married to a worker of the opposite sex for longer than 10 years, and they paid into the system, you may be entitled to benefits on their record, depending on your situation.

For people with out enough work quarters to have 'insured' status for SSA disability or retirement, We, The People have provided cash welfare payments via Supplemental Security Income. You must still prove a lawful presence in the US and the max is $674.00 / month. SSI is only for folks over 65 or who are disabled and have less than $2,000 in cash resources.

I sure as hell couldn't live on it.