Happy Dance for M!

witzend

Well-Known Member
M just called to say that his Social Security Disability was approved! It was his second application, and they have approved him as of that date. There's really nothing different in his health now than from when he first applied, so he's thinking of appealing back to that first application, which would have been several years ago. As it is he is approved back to December 2011, so he should get a decent sized check! (Less the attorney's 25% cut.)

Of course he said he would like to buy a car. I advised him to get a bus pass. I also told him to get a credit union savings/checking account, as they don't have fees and only require you to keep a minimum $5 - $25 in the savings.

So, you know I will be contacting some of you who are more recently experienced with this than I am for answers about Medicare/Medicaid, what happens if you appeal, and so forth.

I'm just really glad that he will have something to support himself with.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
I am so happy to read the news. on the other hand :consoling: I've got to tell you it is complicated dealing with these people..REALLY complicated. As you know I am not a "dummy" but many times I just sit looking at the newest mailed list of rules and truly wonder how to H anyone who is disabled can follow the bouncing ball. Seriously.

As an example the lump sum money that goes back to when he first applied...the "big" money...has to be kept in a separate account from the monthly income money. It is against the rules to mix funds. That money is not given in one lump sum (or at least easy child/difficult child's isn't). The government does not trust that a large sum of money should just be released to a disabled person so it is released in increments AND they, evidently, want an accounting of how you have spent your first allocation before releasing the second allocation.

I won't keep going BUT take my word for it. I am a smart cookie and it is "you know whattin" complicated. I have easy child/difficult child's money in a credit union. There is a savings account where I'm keeping his lump sum payments until we have a closing on the house and there is a checking account. Both are required by the credit union. A teller put a deposit in his savings account instead of his checking account and when I realized it I thought OMG I hope I can explain to the SS people what happened. Geez Louise.

Be very careful. I still can't believe how complicated it is. by the way, they have changed his food stamps amount, the monthly income amount, and the method of payment........and it's only been a few months. STRESS! on the other hand, I'm joining in the HAPPY DANCE for M. What a relief it is to be approved. Hugs DDD
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Actually DDD's gs should be getting a combo of SSI and SSDI because his mother was considered disabled before he was 22 I believe. And so would M if he gets his disability appeal. There are so many little rules and things to consider.
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
Thanks, all. I feel badly saying this, but it has been a little over 10 years since I first posted when M was in the Residential Treatment Center (RTC), and I think this is the first time I have ever posted anything that was just gladness and relief. I'd be ashamed if we all hadn't been so undermined by people who wanted thought that they knew better than we did what was best for us. As it is, I think that we have all done as well as we could under the circumstances.

DDD and Janet, M's never really worked, so I have to assume that he is getting SSI. The government site says that OR administers SSI funds, so who knows what the rules are. Same as NC, it says. He should be able to get Medicaid now, which is a big relief. He can finally see a doctor and get back on medications, I hope. M's probably mentally capable - if maybe not mature enough - to deal with a savings account and back moneys. Not sure how they will deal with that. He was so excited he had this five page letter he had not read yet, and called his dad and I to tell us. I think that his girlfriend can help keep him on track, too. I know that husband would never have had a penny if he'd stayed a bachelor.

I think that Lisa's Travis got SSI then got back money from an appeal, didn't he? I remember her being anxious about whether they would withhold the original settlement while they waited on the appeal, but then they didn't, I think. Hopefully she'll chime in here. He first applied several summers ago when he was hospitalized for depression.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Congrats on the approval! Yes, a bus pass is a GREAT idea. NO car, lol!

I have no advice. This is new territory for me. I will be paying attention to others' responses.
 

buddy

New Member
Congratulations! Yeah, if it's ssi my friend's daughter had to have a separate account too for the back pay and there were different rules for how it was used from the monthly checks. Hope it means he won't have a choice but to get a bus pass! .
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
I am definitely not an expert on this subject so I'm not giving advice...except...beware that it is complex and also that they can change $ benefits in what appears to be a capricious manner. In writing the paper work shows that easy child/difficult child will receive two checks a month and the approximate date each month for monthly benefits. Really it was generous and a surprise. I think one is SSi and the other SSDi, I think. Two months later the SS office manager told me "he will be getting a letter soon showing a reduction of over two hundred a month so keep that in mind when trying to find a house.

The biggest news to me was "he can own one house and one car" that will not be considered assets. The Mnager said "yeah we have eligible recipients who live in mansions and drive a BMW" BUT remember he can not have one cent over $2000.00 with-o notifying us right away. That is why we began our search for a house asap and hope to get a car, too. The backpay or bulksum money can be spent for that as well as other specific expenses.

Much to his girlfriend's unhappy surprise he must notify SS if he gets married "or" presents himself as married (I guess like common law.."this is my wife"). If he shares his residence he has to notify them right away and both he and his roommate (surprise..his girlfriend who is dying to get married) have to go to the office and attest to how the expenses are being handled. The manager told me "tell him to say that everything is 50/50" which, fortunately, is fairly accurate.

Hmmm...I've done it again. Gone on and on and on. My intention is to be helpful. I really am shocked about how complex it is. The best part...yeah!...is that medical help is available for the asking Phew/Whew! Hugs DDD
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
Congratulations. I agree with DDD, it is a relief and a burden. The difficult child's are held accountable (as they should be with taxpayers money) so the rules need to be followed. My difficult child can only use SSI money for housing, utilities and food. His account is very simple. My difficult child has never held a real job. If he moves back home, he loses about 1/3 of the monthly allowance unless he is paying 1/3 of the mortgage. The car he uses is my car, in my name. difficult child only pays for gas.(hence the comment about nice cars) I know he can have it in his name but I don't want to muddy the waters. My dream is that he can hold a real job and he can stop being part of the system. It is not an easy and is humbling.
It is very confusing and there is no way to simplify it for the new recipient. Not knowing anyone who used ssi made it even more of a stressor. He never got a big pay out since he was approved quickly. I hope your difficult child can get things set up so that it isn't a problem.
by the way, no one told us he could apply for food stamps. Can you believe that? I had no idea. Guess I should have read more of the reams of paper that come with the approval. If his g/f hadn't applied I wouldn't have even thought about it.
Good luck. It is a relief to me that he is in the system in the event we aren't around.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Witz, like DDD.........nothing can confuse me quicker than this whole disability thing. Personally, I think they make it so frustratingly confusing on purpose. Only things I can tell you is what we were told by his cw, and I had to take it as facts because I figure the dude knew what he was talking about. I'm certainly no expert, I'm not even sure at this point I'd qualify as novice.

Travis' cw had him apply for both SSI and SSDI even though when he looked up the boys work history it was clearly evident he'd worked long enough to easily qualify for SSDI. CW said it was often done that way to avoid the massive amts of back pay accumulated while waiting to be approved by SSDI, as in SSI approval is usually much quicker. He didn't get as much from SSI as he does from SSDI. But it did get approved rather fast......I think within 3 months. When I talked to his cw he said it could take a very long time for the disability part to be approved even with it being a "formality" in Travis' case due to his diagnosis (blindness). It's a slow process evidently.

So I thought I had that all clear in my head. Next thing I know he's got the approval for disability (SSDI) about a month or so later. Now when cw was explaining about the SSI payment was to keep back payment cost down, he said new regs prevented someone from going back more than 2 yrs prior to filing. (Travis' was documented for much of it at birth, he had also applied at age 16 or so) Travis would get his upon approval from the date he filed even though it was clearly obvious he'd been disabled for many years. Because it was his first application as an adult. Uhh, ok.

Only it didn't turn out that way. Travis instead was declared disabled a year prior to his file date, and back pay was done from that point. It was my impression that his SSI payments would be deducted out of his back pay before he received it. If they did (I'd have to check the paperwork) it was an awfully small amount. But as you can see........even though they said the boy wouldn't get back pay prior to his file date, they gave him a whole year prior all by themselves. Thereby contradicting themselves. And yes I called to make sure it was legit and what was supposed to happen.

Soon as Travis got his first disability check, the SSI stopped. We were not told back pay had to be kept separate from monthly pay. Even welfare doesn't have an issue with his back pay sitting in his bank acct that is used to deposit his monthly checks. Most likely because he has documentation as to where that money came from. We were not told even that SSI pay had to be kept separate from disability pay or back pay. But you can bet your bottom dollar I double checked to make certain he didn't have to pay anything back to anyone.

All that said, I still can't say I understand it. But he gets his monthly check just fine and everyone seems happy.

I'm am not looking forward to going through it all over again for me, even IF they approve it. argh!
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Like Fran and Hound I had no experience in this arena. I was naive enough to take this sentence literally "a benefits review can be expected in approximately three years". I thought "ok, we're squared away for three years"..not as they have changed things. Sigh. I still don't understand why his food stamps that started at $200 a month were reduced to $16 this month. Maybe ?? because he has over two grand in the bank??

The other more long range rules that confuse me is he cannot have over two grand at any time with-o reporting. So when I die or someone dies and leaves him five or ten grand is the government going to stop giving him as monthly payments until it is depleted? Sneaky stuff is not my thing, lol. on the other hand I've told easy child#1 "maybe" you should receive any inheritance money and then either disperse as needed or purchase valuables to give as gifts so he can't end up with zero income and in need. I am his representative payee for the time being. I "almost" tried to get him in charge of his own funds but I'm sure glad I didn't. He could not absorb all the rules and follow them. Once the lump sum is spent on a house and his mortgage payment is set to come straight out of his account...then he can do it. DDD
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
DDD, you have to be sneaky in order to survive. Im sorry if anyone doesnt like it but that is simply the truth. What you are saying about your passing and leaving your daughter in charge of his portion is exactly what you need to do. And yes about the marriage...never, ever, ever say he is married. She can be his SO, his girlfriend, his old lady. Even his fiance. Not wife. Thankfully NC doesnt have common law marriages but many states do. Tony and I didnt have to say that we split finances 50/50 but that might have been for food stamps and I dont get them. Social security knows we live together but as far as they are concerned, he is just my boyfriend. I dont get any SSI though. Just straight SSDI.
 

flutterby

Fly away!
SSDI doesn't have the limitations that SSI has. With SSDI, assets don't matter, how much money you have in the bank doesn't matter, if someone else pays your rent/mortgage it doesn't matter, who lives with you doesn't matter. All those things matter with SSI and effects your SSI payments. SSI is much more complicated than SSDI, and SSDI is complicated enough on its own. I imagine if you are receiving both, it is even more complicated - and something I may be dealing with as I'm applying for SSI for difficult child.

ETA: Lisa, they told me that SSDI would only go back one year from my application date if I was declared disabled that far back. Mine went before an adminstrative judge and she took it back to when I had to stop working which took it back 4 years. I waited 2 years before I even applied (cause I wasn't willing to admit that this was going to be my life and I wasn't getting better), and then it took another 2 years before it got in front of an administrative judge.
 

flutterby

Fly away!
When I say those things don't matter with SSDI, I mean relatively speaking. If I were to win the lottery, obviously SSDI would stop. If I were to try to work, there are limits on how much I could earn before it would effect SSDI. But other than large windfalls or earnings from working, the other stuff doesn't matter with SSDI. There is no accounting that has to be sent to the SSA for SSDI like there is with SSI.
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
DDD, if difficult child gets an inheritance, it needs to be in trust. With that said, if they dispense it 100.00 a month, it will still be deducted from SSI.
The less our difficult child's or us say the better because we don't know all the rules and it can bite us in the butt.
 
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