by moshe 70 Replies latest social current
Question:
Did I miss somethin' or did these articles leave out how long these indiviuals fought for the payments
you have to have a doctors verification to prove of continuing treatment . Doctors visits are costly
Soontobe's articel suggest disibility is easy as 1,2,3 to recieve
These articles are onesided and leave out a lot of facts
It's easy only for a tiny few. For the rest it takes 3 to 5 years with multiple denials and appeals even if the applicant is dying of cancer.
Conditions Worsen For Those Seeking Social Security Disability Benefits
Millions of people across the country become disabled unexpectedly (over 6 million people since the year 2000 applied for long-term disability benefits). More than 1.3 million workers who applied for SSDI benefits in 2005 were denied coverage. Nationally as of September 2007, over 65% of disability cases were denied at the initial stage of the disability claims process and it took from 101.8 – 113.7 days for claimants to receive the initial decision on their claim. In all but 10 test states where the reconsideration phase has been removed, 87.3% of cases were denied and the waiting time for this phase was an average of 90.1 days. NY is one of ten test states where the reconsideration phase of the SS Disability claims process has been eliminated, causing even longer wait times, up to several years in some cases, for claims to be processed. There are about 1,417,103 total pending cases and out of that number, 154,841 are veterans. There even are cases of Veterans, rated 100% disabled by the VA, who get denied their SSDI benefits and end up living in poverty on the streets. Horrible treatment for those who protect and serve our country. In 2006 there were 2,134,088 new applications for SSDI benefits and as of October 2007, there have been 1,844,898 new claims. If a claimant appeals the initial decision, the national average time to process a hearings case is now 512 days, and that processing time continues to increase. Nearly 300,000 hearings have already been pending over a year, and there are only 1,096 Administrative law judges (ALJ’s), to hear all those cases, with an average of 708.19 cases pending per judge nationwide. Two-thirds of those who appeal an initial rejection eventually win their cases (New York Times 12/10/07). Something is extremely wrong when you have to deal with the pain and suffering physically and mentally that comes along with the illnesses you have, and then have to struggle so hard to get the benefits that you have worked for all your life. It is outright abuse at the hands of the Federal government. There is no data on the number of people who originally filed a Social Security Disability claim that have given up, and according to a CBS News Investigation “Disabled And Waiting” which aired on 1/14/07, during 2006 and 2007, at least 16,000 people fighting for disability benefits died while awaiting a decision.
http://www.frontiernet.net/~lindaf1/SOCIALSECURITYDISABILITYNIGHTMARE.html
The con artists ruin it for the folks who do deserve disability benefits. Nothing new about that.
Not everyone fights for payments, some are solicited and coached.
Moving People From Welfare To Disability Rolls Is A Profitable, Full-Time Job
Planet Money looks at company called PCG which state governments hire to move people off of welfare and onto disability. States hire PCG to do this because states pay part of the bill for welfare, but don't pay for people on disability.
That's right Josie and for those who recieve it quickly
happenes because it's considered a sudden severe change which affects your livelyhood
Yes Moshe
there will always be con artist, it ranks second to the oldest profession in the world
Sadly, because of that there are those who think all programs should be done away
becuase of the con artist
.
We had to get a lawyer that specialized in the SSDI court. Yep you have to go in front of a judge. We got the lawyer because of our move to California. We felt we needed someone here who knew the court system. Good thing we did because moving the case to Califonia required my husband to basically have to refile and go through the process all over again because California wouldn't accept the file Indiana had on my husband.
but you know what? I dare any of y'all to say to my hubby's face that he's a bum and faking it. He'd laugh in your face and then fall over from the pain of it all.
The backlog of applications for disability benefits is so big the Social Security Administration has a special code—DXDI—for appeals dismissed because the applicant died waiting. Since 2005, the agency has made 15,043 DXDI designations.
One person who died waiting was Dexter E. Penny of District Heights, Md., who applied for disability benefits in February 2009 after being diagnosed with colon cancer. His initial application was denied. Then his first appeal was denied on the grounds that he didn't provide enough medical records.
![[VICTIMS_alt]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-BE081_VICTIM_DV_20111227191748.jpg)
Diane Penny
Dexter Penny, who died last year.
Mr. Penny, a mason, approached the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau for help a year after his first application. He couldn't understand why terminal cancer wouldn't qualify him for benefits, says his sister, Diane Penny.
Kate Lang, his lawyer, called four hospitals seeking additional records. Mr. Penny's condition worsened. By September 2010, he was told he had stage-four cancer. Mr. Penny, 50 years old, was nearly broke and dying in the hospital and the agency wanted more accurate documentation to determine whether he was able to work, according to his sister.
On Dec. 15, 2010, the agency informed him by letter that he had been granted benefits. Mr. Penny had died nine days earlier. The letter arrived the day of his funeral. On Jan. 31, the government sent him another letter saying his benefits had been revoked because he hadn't responded to the agency's questions in a timely manner.
Applications for disability benefits are rising sharply because of high unemployment, an aging population and a combination of mismanagement and potential fraud within the system. About 3.3 million people sought benefits in 2011, and at the end of September a record 771,318 were waiting to have their cases heard on appeal by administrative law judges, according to the latest government data.
Both U.S. lawmakers and disability groups have complained about the long waits. The Social Security Administration has set up a program to let some applicants jump to the front of the line. It also has expanded the number of diseases and disorders that merit an immediate review, which include acute leukemia and pancreatic cancer, to 113, from 100.
These moves have reduced the number of applicants dying in line each year, by 20% from its 2009 peak. The backlog, however, has continued to rise.
On Nov. 28, 2007, Phillip Barnes, of Indian Head, Md., was robbed and shot four times. At the time, he was a manager at a hotel in Maryland. He says he couldn't return to work because of his injuries, and that he has been trying to get benefits for nearly four years.
The shooting shattered bones in his left forearm, requiring a plate to be inserted. A second bullet struck him in the left side, piercing his spleen and hitting his right kidney. He had a stent inserted into his kidney that is prone to infections and must be replaced every year.
Another bullet struck him in the left buttock. A fourth struck him near the center of his lower back—an injury that still causes him pain, he says. Mr. Barnes says he also is diabetic and suffers from depression.
While waiting for a decision about benefits, his cellphone was shut off. His then-girlfriend had co-signed for a truck that was repossessed, and she is stuck paying $500 a month to settle that bill, he says.
He receives $185 a month from Maryland social services, and he gets food stamps. He pays his aunt $100 in monthly rent.
"There are other people worse than me still fighting for disability," he says. "But I think I deserve it."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204296804577121401602777764.html
I wonder if forum member Lars is drawing his disability check?
I don't know. Is Lars in California? That state has more than 30% of the nation's welfare recipients, and it pays 70% more per recipient than the national average. That's a third of the national welfare population.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-231645--.html
http://www.calwatchdog.com/2011/07/05/welfare-fraud-still-plagues-california/
Interestingly, CA's SS disability numbers don't stand really out.
Maybe welfare is a "better deal" in CA than SS disability.
http://www.utsandiego.com/documents/2012/jul/28/welfare-how-california-stacks/
http://ihartpolitics.com/?p=69
According to 2010 TANF data provided by HHS California accounts for 32.62% of all the welfare rolls in the country. One third!
Welfare to work program : ( Clinton ) Must be abled bodied and lookin' for work in order to recieve aid
unless you are already disabled but don't recieve enough money to eat
I would think If a person had been on welfare for over a certain length of time
that was not truly disabled from the start, would have recieved aid on the basis
that they were able to work. Therefore that should be a red flag of fraud
even if this did change under Obama, if a recipient did not
recieve food stamps based on a disability. But decided to try for disability
later. They are more likely to have lost out on thier ability to recieve compensation off of what they earned
So there is a good chance they have already lost their ability to recieve thier Social security Disability
if they had not applied directly upon the onset of thier disability that prevented them from
gainful employment
To be able to get SSDI once the application has been filed one has to be able to show and prove that one is unable to work. Even during the application process working will result in a denial of SSDI benefits. But not working is not proof of a disability. Not even close.
When my family and I were on welfare/TANF I did not have to participate in the welfare to work program because I am the care provider for my husband and son.
