It goes on and on what a nightmare

[country gent]

Got my check saturday in the mail form insurance for medical leave/Disability. March was my hearing with SS and was awarded full disability. July 7 the 3 1/2 years back pay was suposed to be deposited in my savings. Nope checked on the 10th for activity. Open the ins check today and it is for 0.00 the money went to overpayment that I havent got from SS. Called the ins and they were supposed to get back with me this afternoon, That never happened. Called Attorney and they had checked on the 10th also. They called SS and were told it was still being processed would be another 30-60 days. I have filled out the same paper work for SS 8-9 times over the 3 1/2 years this claim has taken. I never was examaned ubntil just before the hearing. Common sense would tink that the exam would take place just after filling for disability so they knew what was being denied.Now they cant get the act together and get things done that were part of the courts decission. Im looking at 2-3 months now with no money coming in. What a bad joke this has turned into. Ive paid into SS since I was 15 years old when I started in my first Job Shop. I am at my wits end with this red tape and game playing. Its no wonder why goverment needs so many employees working for it with these games going on.
Sorry but needed to vent somewhere?

[SciFiJim]

Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire (or government with government). Call your Congressman. They have people on staff just for this sort of thing. It is surprising how fast things can happen when a Congressional office starts asking questions.

[MaryB]

It took me 3 appeals and a hearing over 3 years to get SSDI. When I finally got before the judge he chewed the social security rep a new rear orifice for denying my claim to begin with. They tried the back pay thing on me and I contacted my congressman and it was taken care of in 7 days. I hadn't received a dime from them and they wanted money back.

[pmeisel]

I'll vent too. My sister just got awarded SS disability. She is disabled like my beagles need to be told to eat.

Just another lazy hog at the public trough. No offense to those of you who can't work, she can, she just don't want to.

[Hickory]

I'll vent too.
Just another lazy hog at the public trough. No offense to those of you who can't work, she can, she just don't want to.

I know at least 8 people who are on SSI and can work with nothing wrong with them.
They know how the system works and they use it.
The system is broken.
Thank the good doers in government.

[dg31872]

I agree with Jim. Contact your rep or senator, and watch things happen. You'll wonder why I hadn't done it sooner.

[Echo]

I agree with Jim. Contact your rep or senator, and watch things happen. You'll wonder why I hadn't done it sooner.

PLUS one, and TODAY!!!

[375RUGER]

Sounds really screwed up, not sure how to read it that the LTD insurance has anything at all to do with SS. I would think that is 2 completely separate entities. Why would your LTD stop? You likely will get something from SS after the first deposit is made that says something about being overpaid, your lawyer will know how to handle that.
I had to wait a couple years for a hearing but had no issues getting paid. Most problem I had was when I went in a few years ago and said I was well enough to start working again- I got a deer in the headlight looks and a "You want to stop SSD benefits????" Yes, said I. "I've never been asked that before. I don't know how to do that. I'll have to get a supervisor."
You will get a form in the mail on occasion that will outline how to start back to work. Ignore it until you can or are ABLE to start work.

[WILCO]

The system is broken.


You are correct Sir!

[Love Life]

How do you get social security disability? is it like VA payments? What if you have only worked and paid into SS for, say, 8 years. Do you only get 8 years of disability payments or do they pay you for life?

[country gent]

I contacted my Senators office this morning and filled out a form allowing them access to SS. Talked to unicare since they never returned my calls yesterday, Looks like today is going to be the same. By my companies contract I get X dollars on medical retirement any payment from SS or others is deducted from it. So the 3+ years of back pay are considered overpayment. They started deduccting from the overpayment ammount this month even though I have yet to recieve any funds from SS. This has been a nightmare of hoops and forms to jump thru. Ive filled out the same forms 8-9 times. When I went to the hearing it was in a big building with no consideration for disabled handicapped. While I can walk short distances with the cane there I had to stop and rest twice along the way. WHen we got into the room we were forced to empty our pockets and be "wanded" before sitting down to wait.

[blackthorn]

Reading of your problems I can sure see why they "wand" people down! How frustrating! Good luck dealing with bone headed martinetts!

[garym1a2]

Its supposed to be like an insurance so everybody pays into it and those that truly need it should be the help. Too bad the goverment makes it hard for those that deserve it and gives it to those that don't. I put into SSI for over 37 years so far, so if I get injured than I expect to get the benifits. To bad a big chunk of those that get it never put much into it.
Only thing I can add is to always carry a good insurance disabillity policy. My dad did and due to a heart problem he was on it for 20 years and it made a big difference.

How do you get social security disability? is it like VA payments? What if you have only worked and paid into SS for, say, 8 years. Do you only get 8 years of disability payments or do they pay you for life?

[bikerbeans]

country gent,

If you are award SSI disability you basically are paid the amount per month that you have received at normal retirement age. So your SSI disability payment is a function of how much you have contributed to SS while you worked. There isn't a time limit on the SSI disability other than SS is only supposed to approved disability for people that have a illiness/injury that will result in premature death. The reality is that SS doesn't follow their own guideless very well when approving or denying a claim for disability.

Regarding private disability insurance provided by your employer there is generally a clause that reduces your monthly benefit by the amount of your SSI disability payment. This clause is in theory to reduce the premiums paid by the company and other employees. This little "detail" is rarely mentioned to employees when they sign up for company benefits.

I am not a lawyer and don't play one on TV. I know this stuff because of a severe case of pulmonary emboli that trashed my heart & lungs and almost killed me 5 years ago.

Good luck and keep your head up.

BB

[375RUGER]

How do you get social security disability?direct deposit- is that what you are asking? I think what you ask is how is diability determined. There is a list of specific ailments that are essentially no contest, if you are diagnosed with one of these and can't work then you get it, period. Others, like myself, get denied the first time around and have to appeal. Then you wait for a hearing by a federal judge. In the meantime, your lawyer is gathering as much info to make a case for you as he can. You fill out a lot of questionaires from your lawyer and the SS Administration. Then you see the judge, answer some questions, he questions witnesses and in my case a few days later he made a judgement in favor of me. is it like VA payments? What if you have only worked and paid into SS for, say, 8 years. Do you only get 8 years of disability payments or do they pay you for life?

Paid for life. I could still be on SSD if I was a slug, but I have a conscious, dadgumit. Payment is based on the 12 months of employment prior to the occurance of disability. No one ever mentioned anything about how long I had been paying in only that the 12 months was of interest to them. I made a lot of money in that 12 months so I very nearly maxed out on the maximum payment a person can draw. my work history that paid into SS was only about 7 years worth, only 4 of that was a full time job the other was while in college. Became disabled at age 26.
Also, the lawyer generally works pro bono so there is very little financial stress on you while waiting. But they are compensated well when the receive about 30% of the back pay you get for waiting on the judgement.

[375RUGER]

little clarification on terminology
SSI = Supplemental Security Income funded from the general US Treasury but administered by the SS Administration, a stipend given to disabled people with low income and resources. No work history required.
SSD = Social Security Disability funded from the SS Trust Fund. Work history required.
Some people can draw both, some can draw only one.

[country gent]

The 2 things I know for sure are 1 this has been a royal Pain. even with the attorney. 2 I would much rather be working in my trade as a tool and die maker. I really liked what I did and was very good at it. I love making tools for the line to make the jobs easier and less stressfull. The prodution people would come to me this works but..... . We would talk a few mins I would go over and watch if boss and stewards wernt around I might even do a few parts. Then a couple days later a new hand tool would appear for testing. A little tweaking and the engineers would draw it up and send it out to other plants to be implemented. I always felt my job as a tool maker was to make others jobs as easy as possible.Now with the MS and the mobility balance issues I can no longer do this.

[MaryB]

I really enjoyed my job at a casino as an electronics technician. But it required a lot of very heavy lifting that eventually took its toll on my shoulders and back. 27 year solid work history but this area the pay is low so I only get $1227 a month to live on. My long term disability cut me off so once I went on SSDI they couldn't file a back claim legally even though they tried.

Yes some people are on SSDI who shouldn't be. Like the one I know who is 400 pounds. Get off your butt and work, you may just lose some weight in the process (he does not have a medical condition causing it either). I tore my right rotator cuff twice, still have an 80% tear on the left because surgery on the right just made things worse. My back is loaded with bone spurs that are slowly fusing the vertebrae together. In the process they are compressing nerves causing severe pain. Add in bad discs, fragmented discs with disc fragments in one spot touching the spinal cord and I gave up on trying to work. I had gone back to school to get a degree in programming but then my back made it impossible to sit for more than an hour at a time. Made concentration on problems impossible.

[country gent]

Well some good news came today in the mail Im no longer on medical leave as my medical retirement was accepted by Fords. Back dated to 12-1-12 so now theres anothe overpayment issue with the insurance also.But now I know longer have to keep going to the Doctors for medical leaves. Im hoping all this gets straightened out fairly quickly.