Disabled seems to have some new meaning!

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I am amazed at how many young, seemingly healthy 20somethings come in with medicare for insurance, since they have SSDI-completely disabled. From what I've seen with my friends and family, getting approved for disability is about as likely as winning the lottery on the way to pick up your Nobel Prize. Any tips? My bones are killing me. I can barely walk to my car after a 12hr shift. My personal med list is longer than any patient I've taken care of in the last year. What is the magic that gets these people approved? I'm not criticizing them, I'm envious. At the rate I'm going, my only hope it to end up in a permanently vegetative state long enough to draw my pension. Even then, I bet the government will declare my decomposing as proof that I am capability of gainful employment-as a flower pot.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
^^^THIS^^^

I couldn't agree more! As nurses, we are trained to provide care and teaching without judgment. I choose to live my life by the same rule.

The truth is that most public assistance programs are not abused by any significant number of people when compared to those who need the programs.

Recently, some states (due to kicking and screaming from their taxpayers) began drug testing welfare recipients/applicants as a condition for benefits. Taxpayers made a big judgment in the belief that the welfare system was being abused by a bunch of pot heads and drug dealers, and lazy people who surely must be on drugs! They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars (taxpayer money) to perform all this testing, and guess what percentage actually popped positive on the whiz quizzes?

TWO PERCENT! As in 2%. 98% of welfare recipients were CLEAN.

Taxpayers spent more testing applicants than the total of the benefits disbursed to those who were using illegal drugs.

I will locate some of the studies and post a link here later this evening.

Disability benefits are even more closely regulated than welfare benefits. The abuse rate is extemely low. Just because you see a young adult walking around with a fancy smart phone, and appearing to be 'healthy', it doesn't mean they can work, it doesn't mean they paid for their phone (gift? Mom & dad paying for it?), and it doesn't mean they have an illness that is controlled by medication, and if it is an illness that can be controlled by medication, perhaps there is a comorbidity or allergy or adverse reaction as the reason they cannot take medication? Or even a cultural reason.

I don't believe we have the right to judge anyone receiving benefits. If someone is abusing the system, they are few, and they will be caught.

note: replying from my mobile device, and I apologize in advance for grammar and spelling.

Well said. :yes:

Despite the evidence, it seems to be that erroneous thought and stereotypes continue to rule the day, sadly. :no:

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Trying to wrap my brain around ADD being a dx. With medication it is controlled to the point that you can't tell; they are NOT dysfunctional and are COMPLETELY capable of holding down some type of gainful employment. Frankly, even lacking ANY medication they aren't eliminated from the working world! But with even simple treatment (a daily pill, anyone?) it's not a condition that excludes someone from work. In fact, can think of a number of people with that and similar (mild) dx's (such as anxiety disorder) who are completey capable of taking a pill and getting to their JOBS.

SO glad to see my taxpayer dollars are funding the cost of living for those who refuse to seek employment....and have obviously gone to some trouble to make certain it's never required of them.

Yeesh.

I'm not trying to be confrontational, just educational, so please excuse me if the tone of my post does not come through correctly.

ADD and ADHD are not mild diagnoses. Some are mild cases. Some are not. And medication does not work for all of the sufferers.

Imagine, if you will, simply getting ready for your hospital shift from the ADD/ADHD perspective.

First, your alarm goes off and you wake up groggy because your brain wouldn't shut up long enough for you to fall asleep until six hours ago. You also had an incredibly real dream about forgetting you had four patients instead of two, so not only are you groggy, you are extremely anxious.

You get up and start your morning routine. Shower, check. Clean underwear, check. Deodorant, check. So far, so good.

Until it's time to make breakfast. You can't remember what you have available, so you stand in front of the fridge and open every cabinet. Then you notice you left some stuff on the counter last night and go to put it up. Your husband is up watching the morning news, you hear it playing and walk over to check it out, then promptly get sucked in to watching the TV until a commercial break. Luckily, the commercial is about food, so you remember you are getting breakfast. You head back to the kitchen, trip over toys on the floor, then grab them and put them away. As you pass the door to the bathroom, you realize you have to go again, so you do. As you get ready to leave the bathroom, you notice the toilet isn't as clean as you'd like, so you clean it really quickly.

At this point, your second alarm, the one that tells you to get dressed because you have 15 minutes to get out the door or you'll be late, goes off.

You run back to the bedroom, throw on your scrubs, and run to the back door. You run over your mental checklist. "Keys, wallet, bag, lunch, stethoscope, hemostat, scissors, pens..." Keys first. Where are the keys? OMG, WHERE ARE THE KEYS!?! Apparently, you forgot to hang them up in their assigned spot by the door.

After you have spent ten minutes over the fifteen you had allotted yourself to get out the door, just looking for the stupid car keys, you yell for help, and your husband finds your keys stuck in your jacket pocket from two days ago. Relieved to have the car keys, you run out the door and jump in the car, then zoom out on to the road, in a tizzy because now you are LATE. Nothing else on your mental list makes it into the car with you.

Halfway there, you realize your badge is still sitting on the nightstand, right where you took it off after last shift. You frantically yank out your cell phone, which was one of the things you had left out on the kitchen counter, and call your husband. Luckily he doesn't have to be at work for a couple more hours. Distracted by the phone, you miss your exit and have to turn around.

Your husband is also wonderful enough to notice that your stethoscope, wallet, and assorted pocket stuff is still laying out on the nightstand, so he grabs all of that in addition to your badge. When he gets to the hospital, only a couple of minutes behind you, he doesn't even yell at you for leaving the cabinet doors open, leaving the cleaning supplies out in the bathroom, and leaving the milk out on the counter (because you thought cereal might be a good idea until you checked the cabinets and there wasn't any because you forgot it at the store).

And you haven't even gotten in the door of the hospital yet.

Add in kids and pets and it gets even harder for the ADD/ADHD'er to function.

It is very hard for someone with debilitating ADD/ADHD to get disability, mainly because of the way the system is set up and because so many believe in the myth that these are not "real" diagnoses. If people with these actually get disability, it is because someone in their family or social network helped them, because there is no way they would be able to navigate the system on their own. They would miss some deadlines, mislay some paperwork, fill out the papers the wrong way, etc, etc.

While this scenario is slightly exaggerated to make my point, it really isn't that far off from what someone with ADD/ADHD experiences.

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Specializes in hospice.
Wow. The attitude and judgement of this thread is appalling. I'm sorry that someone doesn't meet YOUR stereotypical standard of what someone who lives in poverty should look like and live with or without. Or that you should be able to dictate what they have or don't have because you see that get assistance of some type. Or that just because you have some misconception about a disability that it shouldn't be one. /sarcasm I mean, obviously there's no such thing as disabling adhd or add, and that guy with anxiety made it to the office so clearly he's just lying, just because you're a nurse. You totally know everything. /sarcasm

*disclaimer: the word "you" is generalized and not specified to any one person.

I'm sorry, but we can't help what we see.

When someone on public assistance is wearing brand new $100+ sneakers that my husband and I, both full time workers, couldn't afford to buy, and talking on a blinged-out latest-model iPhone, THAT'S WRONG. When someone pulls her EBT card out of a Coach purse, again, WRONG. If you want all that expensive stuff, you should have to work for it. Yes, we are obligated as human beings to provide food, shelter, clothing, etc. to those with fewer resources. We are not required to provide luxury, though. While I realize those people are not the majority and that most on whatever type of assistance have genuine need, I also despise those who are abusing the system.

You can walk and chew gum at the same time.

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Specializes in ICU.

Please don't be envious of me and my disability, I would trade places with a completely healthy person any day. To not have to take all of my meds and be diligent of my health and how I do things every, single day. You can't see my disability. I'm not in a wheelchair or have anything obvious. I have epilepsy. This condition has almost killed me on several occasions. It's not your job to judge anyone. I have an extremely large medical file. I had gastropariesis for several years where I weighed under a 100 lbs, I had a seizure where I ended up with blood clots in my carotid and lungs, I have had been hospitalized with pneumonia more times than I can count. My issues extend a little more than tired legs after a 12 hour shift.

Now, that I am doing better, I am going back to school to become a nurse and get myself back to work. Most people on disability want to work. Most people don't like being on it. There are some that take advantage but not most. Those few that take advantage paint a bad picture for the rest of us. First off, it's hard to accept that you can't work and contribute anymore. It was hard for me to accept that. But my health life was out of control. Out of control. I had 10 different doctors and so many meds I had to get a pill box to remember when to take what. The side effects from the meds were awful. Still are. Epilepsy meds slow down your brain. Slow it completely down. Try functioning that way. It took me over 3 years of fighting to get my disability. 3 years!! I had to go before a judge and state my case. She was not nice and was pretty rude to me the whole time. There is a ton of paperwork to do and trying to remember who does what. It's not a walk in the park. And it's depressing. It's depressing to be sick all of the time. I also have fibro and I am in pain every single day. It hurts to get out of bed in the morning. It depressing to be like this when all you want is to be normal. I would take 10 years off of my life, if I could just be normal. Never had a seizure, never felt pain.

So don't sit there and say you are envious of disabled people. That is a ridiculous comment. Maybe sit down and talk to one of us one day. Find out what our life is like. You shouldn't judge anyone because you don't know the battle they are facing behind closed doors. Posts like that and when people say stuff like this, it makes me sick. Oh and my mom bought me a coach purse for Christmas last year. Do I not deserve that gift because I am on disability. Another ridiculous comment. My mom knows how much I like those purses. I have had a couple in my lifetime from when I had a job and made good money. So she thought it would be nice to get me one for Christmas.

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I'm sorry, but we can't help what we see.

When someone on public assistance is wearing brand new $100+ sneakers that my husband and I, both full time workers, couldn't afford to buy, and talking on a blinged-out latest-model iPhone, THAT'S WRONG. When someone pulls her EBT card out of a Coach purse, again, WRONG.

You know I have nothing but respect for you, but I strongly disagree.

I think the point many of us are trying to make is how do you know who bought the $100 sneakers, or when they were purchased? Could have been a birthday gift, could be a knockoff. Heck, I am a broke single Mom, and my kids tennis shoes for school were $90--and that was on the cheaper side! How do you know who paid for the iPhone (my iPhone was free with contract, and my whole family has them--group plan, very inexpensive)? Blinged out cases cost around $10 at mall kiosks. They aren't made of diamonds. And I am hard pressed to believe that any retailer who is a vendor for Coach even accepts EBT for any purchase. If you see someone on public assistance with a Coach purse, how do you know they didn't have it before receiving aid, or if it was a gift, or if it is a knockoff (which most are)?

Is there SOME abuse? Yes. But it is minimal. If someone used $700 of EBT benefits for a very, very small Coach handbag, that purchase would likely show up on audit (any single purchase over a certain dollar amount will be audited) and the government would make a reclamation for it.

The idea that anyone who receives a benefit should destroy or sell any personal belongings that are 'nice' to appease others, or wear ragged clothes and look "the part" of someone who needs help, is simply wrong.

A girl I went to school with had a Benz with loads of mechanical problems. Husband left her and disappeared. She has 4 children. She never went to college because she married a man of wealth and was a stay home mom. When hubby disappeared, the house was foreclosed. He took all the money from the bank. She had NOTHING. She moved in to a public housing apartment, 2 bedrooms. Five people. She can't sell the Benz because it is worth nearly nothing and would not be able to get another car. But you wouldn't believe the ridicule she gets when she is at Kroger, whips out her Snap card, and pushes her cart to the Benz. Now is that judgment from others fair? No, it isn't.

No one knows the life someone leads, or the health conditions they may have, or their home conditions. That girl with the fake Coach bag and the blinged out phone might be on aid while she attends nursing school as a full time student. She might have a child at home with a chronic illness or disability. She may be unable to work because she is caring for an ill relative. The fact is, NO ONE KNOWS.

I won't judge whether or not another person is "worthy" of benefits. Innocent until proven guilty, as it should be.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
You know I have nothing but respect for you, but I strongly disagree.

I think the point many of us are trying to make is how do you know who bought the $100 sneakers, or when they were purchased? Could have been a birthday gift, could be a knockoff. Heck, I am a broke single Mom, and my kids tennis shoes for school were $90--and that was on the cheaper side! How do you know who paid for the iPhone (my iPhone was free with contract, and my whole family has them--group plan, very inexpensive)? Blinged out cases cost around $10 at mall kiosks. They aren't made of diamonds. And I am hard pressed to believe that any retailer who is a vendor for Coach even accepts EBT for any purchase. If you see someone on public assistance with a Coach purse, how do you know they didn't have it before receiving aid, or if it was a gift, or if it is a knockoff (which most are)?

Is there SOME abuse? Yes. But it is minimal. If someone used $700 of EBT benefits for a very, very small Coach handbag, that purchase would likely show up on audit (any single purchase over a certain dollar amount will be audited) and the government would make a reclamation for it.

The idea that anyone who receives a benefit should destroy or sell any personal belongings that are 'nice' to appease others, or wear ragged clothes and look "the part" of someone who needs help, is simply wrong.

A girl I went to school with had a Benz with loads of mechanical problems. Husband left her and disappeared. She has 4 children. She never went to college because she married a man of wealth and was a stay home mom. When hubby disappeared, the house was foreclosed. He took all the money from the bank. She had NOTHING. She moved in to a public housing apartment, 2 bedrooms. Five people. She can't sell the Benz because it is worth nearly nothing and would not be able to get another car. But you wouldn't believe the ridicule she gets when she is at Kroger, whips out her Snap card, and pushes her cart to the Benz. Now is that judgment from others fair? No, it isn't.

No one knows the life someone leads, or the health conditions they may have, or their home conditions. That girl with the fake Coach bag and the blinged out phone might be on aid while she attends nursing school as a full time student. She might have a child at home with a chronic illness or disability. She may be unable to work because she is caring for an ill relative. The fact is, NO ONE KNOWS.

I won't judge whether or not another person is "worthy" of benefits. Innocent until proven guilty, as it should be.

Again, PREACH!!!! :up:

Until one has had the disdain of someone with such wayward thought look down at one in this situation; to try to make you feel ASHAMED for having a job and a house and try to force you to sell your house, and basically force you into nothingness, they'll NEVER have that idea, and can sit on their loft stereotypes until LIFE happens; I've seen it with families who had everything until their loved one became SCI as a nurse, and I've seen it in the welfare office.

Eyes certainly get opened and opinions are flipped when it happens to the "self". :blink:

I would never wish the hardships I have endured on ANYONE, however, I will always caution about karma, though...

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Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown, PCU.
You know I have nothing but respect for you, but I strongly disagree.

I think the point many of us are trying to make is how do you know who bought the $100 sneakers, or when they were purchased? Could have been a birthday gift, could be a knockoff. Heck, I am a broke single Mom, and my kids tennis shoes for school were $90--and that was on the cheaper side! How do you know who paid for the iPhone (my iPhone was free with contract, and my whole family has them--group plan, very inexpensive)? Blinged out cases cost around $10 at mall kiosks. They aren't made of diamonds. And I am hard pressed to believe that any retailer who is a vendor for Coach even accepts EBT for any purchase. If you see someone on public assistance with a Coach purse, how do you know they didn't have it before receiving aid, or if it was a gift, or if it is a knockoff (which most are)?

Is there SOME abuse? Yes. But it is minimal. If someone used $700 of EBT benefits for a very, very small Coach handbag, that purchase would likely show up on audit (any single purchase over a certain dollar amount will be audited) and the government would make a reclamation for it.

The idea that anyone who receives a benefit should destroy or sell any personal belongings that are 'nice' to appease others, or wear ragged clothes and look "the part" of someone who needs help, is simply wrong.

A girl I went to school with had a Benz with loads of mechanical problems. Husband left her and disappeared. She has 4 children. She never went to college because she married a man of wealth and was a stay home mom. When hubby disappeared, the house was foreclosed. He took all the money from the bank. She had NOTHING. She moved in to a public housing apartment, 2 bedrooms. Five people. She can't sell the Benz because it is worth nearly nothing and would not be able to get another car. But you wouldn't believe the ridicule she gets when she is at Kroger, whips out her Snap card, and pushes her cart to the Benz. Now is that judgment from others fair? No, it isn't.

No one knows the life someone leads, or the health conditions they may have, or their home conditions. That girl with the fake Coach bag and the blinged out phone might be on aid while she attends nursing school as a full time student. She might have a child at home with a chronic illness or disability. She may be unable to work because she is caring for an ill relative. The fact is, NO ONE KNOWS.

I won't judge whether or not another person is "worthy" of benefits. Innocent until proven guilty, as it should be.

This.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.
Please don't be envious of me and my disability, I would trade places with a completely healthy person any day. To not have to take all of my meds and be diligent of my health and how I do things every, single day. You can't see my disability. I'm not in a wheelchair or have anything obvious. I have epilepsy. This condition has almost killed me on several occasions. It's not your job to judge anyone. I have an extremely large medical file. I had gastropariesis for several years where I weighed under a 100 lbs, I had a seizure where I ended up with blood clots in my carotid and lungs, I have had been hospitalized with pneumonia more times than I can count. My issues extend a little more than tired legs after a 12 hour shift.

Now, that I am doing better, I am going back to school to become a nurse and get myself back to work. Most people on disability want to work. Most people don't like being on it. There are some that take advantage but not most. Those few that take advantage paint a bad picture for the rest of us. First off, it's hard to accept that you can't work and contribute anymore. It was hard for me to accept that. But my health life was out of control. Out of control. I had 10 different doctors and so many meds I had to get a pill box to remember when to take what. The side effects from the meds were awful. Still are. Epilepsy meds slow down your brain. Slow it completely down. Try functioning that way. It took me over 3 years of fighting to get my disability. 3 years!! I had to go before a judge and state my case. She was not nice and was pretty rude to me the whole time. There is a ton of paperwork to do and trying to remember who does what. It's not a walk in the park. And it's depressing. It's depressing to be sick all of the time. I also have fibro and I am in pain every single day. It hurts to get out of bed in the morning. It depressing to be like this when all you want is to be normal. I would take 10 years off of my life, if I could just be normal. Never had a seizure, never felt pain.

So don't sit there and say you are envious of disabled people. That is a ridiculous comment. Maybe sit down and talk to one of us one day. .

If this was directed at me- please read my post. I'm not being snarky when I say I am envious of those people on disability. I'm sure most have legitimate disabilities that qualify them for the benefits they are receiving. I was envious of their ability to get approved for those benefits without being a vent dependent quad with severe cognitive impairment. In an effort to stop the "cheaters" from bankrupting the system they have made it impossible for people with legitimate disabilities to obtain the help they need. I'm upset with the "cheaters" as well, but the system seems to be set up to cater to them and deny those with real needs.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
If this was directed at me- please read my post. I'm not being snarky when I say I am envious of those people on disability. I'm sure most have legitimate disabilities that qualify them for the benefits they are receiving. I was envious of their ability to get approved for those benefits without being a vent dependent quad with severe cognitive impairment. In an effort to stop the "cheaters" from bankrupting the system they have made it impossible for people with legitimate disabilities to obtain the help they need. I'm upset with the "cheaters" as well, but the system seems to be set up to cater to them and deny those with real needs.

And that thought process is still "flawed", in my opinion.

Just because people walk around doesn't mean they don't have a SCI injury; working in SCI, there are quads who learned how to walk again, yet still have needs bowel and bladder-wise that still call for accommodation; and with most employers being so generous :sarcastic: they are not so willing to put up with the accommodations or balk at hiring someone who needs them, heck let alone if someone checks off "disabled".

In order for me to get my current position, I checked off "decline" in answering the question to get past the awkwardness of having the disabilities that I have. No one wants to hear that I get dizzy if I don't move my bowels due to the bullets that were lodged in my small intestines and had to be repaired and some removed, which have made my occasional GI ailments magnified; or that my arm burns when someone touches my arm, or if it's too cold or my excessive lightheadness when it's too warm, or sometimes my legs become numb and hyper coordinated to the point that I can sustain a fall, or the potential to flash back, especially if the person has multiple traumas (that is a work in progress in improvement)...but if you looked at me an interacted with me, you wouldn't know I'm disabled, and to be honest, I don't feel the need to divulge that information; you only know if you look up my Medicare number.

The system makes it hard for EVERYONE due to the fact that being permanently disabled means just THAT; if you can work, then the spirit is that one should be able to do so because the money alone is so limiting; get 1,000 plus or minus per month, is not that much money, this isn't 1,000/week; the money most receive is truly a drop in the bucket, just so we can survive.

And in my opinion, I certainly was NOT "catered to" when I was accepted the first time I applied, And with the sheer amount of paperwork, doctors visits, and then waiting without no income and potential foreclosure, I'm sure they could've treated me better. :sarcastic:

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I suspect that there's a "disability" mentality.

I have a friend who has been disabled since his late 20s with amkylosing spondilitis (Oh, I KNOW I've butchered the spelling!) exacerbated by having some drunk driver he was attempting to arrest throw him over an embankment. There's no question that he's disabled NOW after thirty years, but at the time he could easily have been a dispatcher or done some other desk job. At least, he says he could have, but chose not to. He also took out credit cards, bought disability insurance for the credit cards and then ran them up to the limit buying stuff just before he filed for disability.

By this post I can see your friend was a police officer. Not much of a role model of a law-abiding citizen, eh? Sorry he's your friend, but based on what you posted, I can only call him a huge hypocrite! when he was in uniform he would't been sent to arrest someone charged with credit card fraud, but while an officer he COMMITTED it instead. He had not yet filed disability, so he was still a sworn police officer....who then committed a crime that gave him a financial windfall. Theft, by another name.

This kind of thing BURNS me up. And instead of taking a desk job in which he could have been productive, he chose to be a leech instead, taking advantage of a disability claim that really didn't completely disable him. He COULD have worked, but chose not to. What a grand role model of a police officer, that.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I'm sorry, but we can't help what we see.

When someone on public assistance is wearing brand new $100+ sneakers that my husband and I, both full time workers, couldn't afford to buy, and talking on a blinged-out latest-model iPhone, THAT'S WRONG. When someone pulls her EBT card out of a Coach purse, again, WRONG. If you want all that expensive stuff, you should have to work for it. Yes, we are obligated as human beings to provide food, shelter, clothing, etc. to those with fewer resources. We are not required to provide luxury, though. While I realize those people are not the majority and that most on whatever type of assistance have genuine need, I also despise those who are abusing the system.

You can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Perhaps someone bought her those sneakers. Perhaps the purse was a gift, a hand-me-down. a knock off. You don't know how that person came to acquire those things, nor is it any of your business. Perhaps you'd be happier if these people were in sackcloth and ashes, lying in the gutter with outstretched arms, crying, "Alms for the poor! Alms for the poor!"

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..., and yes, someone with ADD who can't concentrate on anything longer than a bird can stay on one telephone pole IS disabled. Pills don't solve everything.....if they did, I wouldn't even think about going on SSDI because I'm taking a fistful of them.

Well.....if about a ton of evidence supports the notion that taking a dailiy pill (or two, depending on the med) CAN take someone with ADD and change their focus from the flitting bird to a typical member of society, then yes, I can say it can change everything. There is much to indicate that there are definitely those who use a dx of ADD as a method for receiving support payments instead of using the medications available to help them.

Your dx is different, and the meds are different and oftentimes not effective enough. You're living it! And I truly feel for you on that score, don't get me wrong. I am in no way judging you and your need for SS help! My comment was specific, concerning a specific dx that has A LOT of help available, one that THOUSANDS of people have and take meds for and hold jobs. My comments were directed at those who use an easily-treatable dx as an excuse. Your situation? Quite different!

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