Disabled seems to have some new meaning!

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

You need a doctor that will work with you on this.It takes some effort from the doctor, many just don't want to spend the time or effort on it for you.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

I have always wondered that myself. However they can get disability if they are in addictive services....that says a lot.

IN order to even qualify for disability you, in most cases, need to unable to work and have not made more than $1040.00 a month at any time with in the previous (I think) six months.

Disability Planner: How We Decide If You Are Disabled

enuf_already · Sep 3, 2014

If they are receiving SSDI they have a work history and enough previous income to qualify them for benefits. SSI is forced poverty, you do not have to have previously worked, and in my state, pays $720 a month.

The system is twisted and I see people who are not disabled continue to receive benefits because there is never an audit done to prove they are still disabled. Some of the young adults in the DD community with severe lifelong documented disabilities struggle to get benefits when they turn 18. When they do, they are audited frequently to assure they still qualify (these are people with profound intellectual disabilities, severe autism, or Lennox Gastaut syndrome who are not going to get better).

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 3, 2014

I talked to an old high school friend at a reunion several years back about this. This friend does have some disabilities and lived at home with her parents. She told me that her dad made her quit her job as a preschool assistant because her parents were afraid of her losing her check if she worked.

Trouble is, working opened up her world and made her a more interesting person. Work gave her a reason to get up every day, plus, she loved her job, and was able to earn a little money for herself.

That monthly check plus parental fear created a trap.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

Just speaking as a disabled person who got disabled in their 20s; it was NOT a walk in the park; I had a physician fill the intimation out and STILL had to be evaluated by SSA physicians as well which included a psych evaluation.

I had a trauma happen to me to the point my peripheral nerves were affected; my GI system was affected I couldn't walk for long distances, burning pain, temperature changes to my body as well as psychological trauma. I was unable to work; I had to wait almost 8 months to be approved; during that time I was unable to work.

If one would look at me, I "seemingly" do not look like I "should" be on Medicare-that is until you look at my chart and tell one about my past medical history...

I'm sure a percentage of those people that you look at may have a story, or a congenial illness-such as heart disease or cancer, MS, some form of SCI or TBI disability, etc; many have Medicare due to physical ailments that even the trained eye can't see at first sight...

OP, If you have your own physical conditions that can be approved for SSA disability, then by all means go for it; the paperwork can be daunting, and you can not work; perhaps you can go out on work for long-term disability as a start; but you still may not qualify for for disability until that period ends. You can also consult a lawyer that specializes in handling SSDI cases as well for insight and assistance.

KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

I have a good friend who is an LPN who came from a family and extended family full of people on disability. To describe the environment if one was to define success as distance traveled, for my buddy to get his LPN compared to where he started, would be equal to an average middle class person getting a PhD with honors.

Most of his family members and extended family members who range from ages of 18-60 have managed to get disability in my state by getting an ADD diagnosis from a cooperative physician. Like a previous poster also said, having a drug or ETOH problem also helps get things done. My bud said that in a lot of instances his family members were denied the first time, but keep filing repeatedly. There are attorneys out there that for a fee will also help get things done. That is the route a couple of them had to go.

So there you have it. An entire family. Mom, Dad, Uncles, Aunts, cousins totaling over 20 people who all receive disability because they have ADD. Doesn't matter that they have fully functioning bodies.

In comparison, my buddy rose out of this, got his GED and LPN several years ago. He moved away from this madness and owns his own home and has a car. This so someone who when I first met him never had his own phone number or a permanent address. When he was in the process of bettering himself his family was less than supportive as well. So all in all I am very proud of him for improving his lot in life in the face of adversity.

Think about this family of 20+ and multiply it by hundreds of thousands and it becomes a big tumor on society.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

I talked to an old high school friend at a reunion several years back about this. This friend does have some disabilities and lived at home with her parents. She told me that her dad made her quit her job as a preschool assistant because her parents were afraid of her losing her check if she worked.
Trouble is, working opened up her world and made her a more interesting person. Work gave her a reason to get up every day, plus, she loved her job, and was able to earn a little money for herself.
That monthly check plus parental fear created a trap.

Most people who are in safety net programs are trapped because as soon as you attempted to work, the possibility if losing the check or paying it back or losing access to healthcare is REAL; plus having to seek insurance that is not affordable or the check is too much that makes one ineligible for Medciaid, it can set someone up to have setbacks; it can be VERY frustrating and difficult, especially if you have a mortgage and bills to pay; speaking for myself, the issue at hand is if I get cut off, I would be out of a home; if I sell my home per some requirements for state programs, I would be (and people I care about) will be homeless. That won't help ANYONE, but put more people at risk; some state requirement for assistance want people to be near homeless, struggling so bad to the point that they CAN'T contribute to society, which to me, as someone who has contributed to society and had to put up with that BS, is disgusting to me.

The light in the tunnel at the time when they were trying to force me to sell my house was that they were family who were percentage of property owners that didn't want to sell, so they couldn't force me to sell my house (and it wouldn't have sold; this was during the time when the economy tanked), and I still have it ; unfortunately, that's not the case for many people who have to and need these social programs. :no:

I.C.UNurse · Sep 3, 2014

I'm a little confused about you saying your envious of people being on disability? If you have two trained eyes and see that half (very consrvative estimate) of people on disability SHOULD NOT be on disability it does not make you envious, it makes you MAD! Why should I pay somebody to sit at home and abuse my money because they have a "ETOH" "Drug" or ADD ADHD problem?! Does not make any sense, people are again lazy and I should not pay somebody to have a nicer phone and car than me because they like to drink and do meth (but who knows I can be wrong). No lie, one time a patient came onto the floor and the physician asked what the patient did and the patient said "I am disabled" and he said "Why?". The words that came out of her mouth was "Umm, well, because I have anxiety". They use and abuse the system that is in place that is for the geniune people who need it (congenital birth defects, TBI's, and that sort). Not alcholics, meth abusers and people who have ADD, ADHD or anxiety problems.

KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

They use and abuse the system that is in place that is for the geniune people who need it (congenital birth defects, TBI's, and that sort). Not alcholics, meth abusers and people who have ADD, ADHD or anxiety problems.

Exactly. Like I said, in my state if you can get an ADD diagnosis, that will get you disability. It is much easier to get it for your children, but adults are successful as well in this area. The example I described is a clan of able bodied people who could work but chose not to. Instead we give them a check and they sit in front of their HD TV's smoking pot and playing XBOX all day.

I am not criticizing those who genuinely are disabled and need disability, but when you take the example I cited and multiply it by hundreds of thousands, you have to admit we have a system that is completely ****** up.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

There are two types of disability aid; SSI (supplemental security income) which is usually run by the state; and SSDI (social security disability income), which is run by the federal government.

SSI is less than SSDI, in terms of money.

There is a monetary amount related to working with either benefits; it's about 1,000 a month one can make, otherwise one is not able to collect benefits; living off of 1,000 month, depending on a household expenses, is not enough, even for one person when you factor in rent (or mortgage), utilities, food (some need food to help minimize symptoms) medication, and essentials (thinking household items and personal products), just something to think about... :whistling:

FYI, someone who is disabled can get SSDI, and if they have children, they receive SSI for support due to their parents inability to work.

Survivors of parents that are deceased also get SSDI survivors, which is based on how much their parents paid into the system; they stop receiving benefits by the age of 19; unless they have a documented disability.

As far as "questionable" activities regarding people who collect that "should not" (which is open to interpretation); SSA has jailed and fined people, including physicians that do commit fraud; as well as have a time limit on attempting to put people to work; if they can find the person functional to work, they will help; they also have to be periodically interviewed in order to continue to received benefits; from the people that I have seen during my own visits to the local SSA office; they are either elderly, sometimes to the point they barely can make it to the office :no: have real mental health issues, the intellectually disabled, had children with disabilities, or have a physical disability; visible or barely visible (unless you know the story behind my disability); I don't see the "abusers" that many speak of...I just don't.

KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

There are two types of disability aid; SSI (supplemental security income) which is usually run by the state; and SSDI (social security disability income), which is run by the federal government.
SSI is less than SSDI, in terms of money.
There is a monetary amount related to working with either benefits; it's about 1,000 a month one can make, otherwise one is not able to collect benefits; living off of 1,000 month, depending on a household expenses, is not enough, even for one person when you factor in rent (or mortgage), utilities, food (some need food to help minimize symptoms) medication, and essentials (thinking household items and personal products), just something to think about...

In the example I gave earlier, I am talking about SSI (state). My state is very generous when it comes to giving out benefits. So much so that people from surrounding states come here for that very reason.

So even if SSI is only a grand a month, that person in this state could also walk out the door with food stamps, a housing subsidy, an other types of "welfare", in addition to the SSI. It seems to be enough income that literally thousands of people are are able to live, eat, drink, smoke cigs, smoke pot, do meth, and play XBOX on it. They don't look like they are starving on it unless it is their own choice not to eat.