SSI and the crazy dilemma

Fran

Former desparate mom
difficult child started to receive SSI when in school about 6 months ago. He had a reduced amount because we paid for housing and food.
He moved into an apartment June 1st. We couldn't apply for a review and increase until we had a signed lease. This was done May 15th. The current amount is 20.00 less than the rent. So obviously we had to make up the difference.

I called yesterday to check on the status. I was told that it will be until Sept 1(june,july and August were still the lesser rate)before he gets an adjustment. I asked about being reimbursed for the 3 months since we applied. I was told that difficult child wouldn't receive it. So my question to the caseworker was how do people manage without food if they don't have parents to feed them.
The first thing out of her mouth was "if you are giving him food or money, you must have difficult child report it and will be deducted from next months payout". My jaw hit the floor. I responded that it was a loan and he was to pay me back(whew)

I asked if I was supposed to allow difficult child to starve or go to soup kitchens? Does he now need to receive food stamps too?
You would think this is simple common sense but they won't hear of it. I was so speechless I almost cried.
How can that be right?

difficult child doesn't have an income. I have a feeling he will be having a review of his documentation. I don't even know who to report things to? There is no guidance. You are left to figure it out and then difficult child gets penalized if we make a mistake.

I simply hate having this bureaucracy in my life.

I am a very reasonable person and I don't have excessive expectations of what SSI can do for difficult child but if they start to penalize difficult child for something like food, I am going to rattle some chains.

Does any of this make sense to anyone else?
 

StepMomLMP

New Member
Wow! can't believe it and kind of scares me for the future. But can understand they would say something like that. The county agency pretty much said when he turns 18 we have to pretty much kick him out so he's destitute and then they would help him. Doesn't make much sense huh? I may not like the kid much right now but I don't want him to starve either!

Give us strength!
 

dreamer

New Member
does he get housseing assistance? Most of the ppl around here who are on ssi go thru section 8, subsidized houseing and then they pay 30% of income for their houseing.
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
No subsidized housing.
I am going to get an advocate who can mentor me on how to set this up in a way that is acceptable to the SSI folks. I'm flying blind most of the time.
 

dreamer

New Member
that will be good if there is someone to help you navigate. I know it can be so complicated. I do not know how anyone thinks someone can live on such low funds without help. It is a problem. Good luck!
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Fran this is why people are "forced" by the government to fib. No one tells the complete and utter truth because it is utterly impossible to live on what they give you. Yes your son should be applying and receiving food stamps. I know you never in your life expected anyone in your family to be on them but think of it this way...your husband is paying enough in taxes to cover it.

Its an idiotic system that needs overhauling in the worst way. They actually should have asked you if you wanted to apply for food stamps for him when they did the application.
 

dreamer

New Member
really it all goes hand in hand, ssi, houseing, food stamps, Medicaide, Liheap (utility asistance)
if you get ssi you undoubtedly qualify for the rest.
(if you are over 18 and living "independantly" )
In our city you can even apply to get a card for reduced fare public transportation, (disabled and elderly) I have a public transport card cuz of when we took the trains in the city, but we do not have public transportation by me.

And to supplement the food stamps, there is also government commoditites foods. and then when those things are in place, our park district offers scholarships for recreational programs and in our community names go to charitable organizations during holiday times and sometimes people get holiday surprises. Many ppl who are "in the system" of ssi also can access lots of other programs as well, such as DORS (dept of rehabilitative services)- job training, "Pioneer Center" (job coaches and jobs within the system with mentoring in place and transportation pre arranged etc)
ALL these go hand in hand together. - "IF" you get ssi.

and in our area here there are some very nice living arrangements available thru houseing. (where I used to live there was nothing at all "nice") the parent of one of my kids friends father even bought a brand new very nice victorian style home, 5 bedrooms, a pool, etc and "rents it" to his adult dtr on ssi. she pays her 30% and the govenrrment pays the rest up to fair market value to the father. she has a lease and she still gets her food stamps and ssi etc and he holds title to the house and gets the income as if he were renting it out.
 
O

OTE

Guest
Dreamer... every state is different. In some states the "poverty" number is so low that if you get SSI you don't qualify for anything else. In other words, SSI is more than the income limit for any of the other programs you refer to.

"the parent of one of my kids friends father even bought a brand new very nice victorian style home, 5 bedrooms, a pool, etc and "rents it" to his adult dtr on ssi. she pays her 30% and the govenrrment pays the rest up to fair market value to the father. she has a lease and she still gets her food stamps and ssi etc and he holds title to the house and gets the income as if he were renting it out. "

I wouldn't talk about this too much. I am quite sure it's not legal re SSI. But you are referring to a state program so I have no idea what the state rules are in Ill. I wouldn't talk to SSI about it though! LOL
 
O

OTE

Guest
Fran, yes, you've got it right. But with all these rules there's undoubtedly some way around it. LOL eg the trust we've talked about before. The trust could do some grocery shopping. Same with any licensed charity. What you receive from a charity does NOT count against you. Yes, I was personally without a doctor or medications for some time because my prior state wouldn't give an adult medicaid. Current state does. Had someone paid my medical bill it would have come out of my check... well not literally in that poor example because of who in my family is getting SSI. LOL

But yes, this is why there are homeless families, shelters, soup kitchen, food pantries, etc. FYI: I know this may not be well known but one of those things I found out through hanging out in a food pantry myself...many churches are approached by non-members all the time and given cash (not more than a few hundred dollars) in such situations. Also, I've been offered food or emergency money by the welfare office. There is also usually a state program for emergencies through the welfare office. Here I think it's up to a few hundred per year. When you live in sub standard housing, drive a bomb if you're lucky, etc, etc accidents happen, fires happen, floods happen, people have no savings, etc so welfare is used to emergencies.
 
O

OTE

Guest
Fran, about the adjustment. Yes, they take forever to process a change. They will pay or take back the excess which "explanation" in jibberish will be on a separate letter. BUT for a few dollars they're unlikely to do it at all. They leave it until the final end of year review. You're not there yet. Chances are, particularly since you made that comment, that they're do the full year review. You'll have to show up for an appointment with all your records for the year showing all the money he got and where it all went. Anyone who gave him anything will get a letter from them to independently confirm the amount, eg the place he's living. They'll spend an hour or more going through all your records in painful detail asking about every deposit to his accounts. There's more questionaires. Have to say that I got letters asking me for amounts for last yr but no receipts and no appts. I did it all honestly which was a lot of placements for my difficult child last yr. Still haven't heard from them with an appointment which has surprised me.

Once they interview you and go through all the receipts which they'll keep and return if there's a lot... they'll send you an adjustment letter telling you how they recomputed what you should have received last yr and what you were overpaid or underpaid. Overpmt is deducted from future checks. But they can't take more than 10% of future checks. So one of mine is on the 10% payback plan until heaven knows what year! LOL

While I also hate these rules, I appreciate the fact that more or less someone isn't collecting "gifts" from friends of brand new cars, appliances, utilities, etc while I live with nothing. Wouldn't be the same lousy lifestyle for all of us "welfare queens" if there weren't some rules about gifts, working under the table and such.
 
SSI gets me all fired up! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hot_head.gif
My daughter age 8 gets SSI (she is multi handicapped and wheelchair bound) as well as being on the autistic spectrum. She has been getting SSI since age 2 and believe me its peanuts!!
I do agree the way the government has it set up it forces people to fib. It shouldn't be that way, but you also have to survive.
 

KimmieC

New Member
When I got this better job, making more $, I lost my housing. My rent went up by 3x it was. They shut Zach's checks off, because I make too much $. It's considered a type of "welfare" I was told. All the "professionals" in his life all say the same thing, he should qualify for his own disability, but the "government" is saying it's considered supplemental income because he's only 15.5. Who knows.

The government doesn't make it easy.
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
Just keep repeating housing and food, housing and food. This is what it's supposed to be used for.

difficult child is on a diet by doctors. order so I "gift" him the food via a credit card so no money exchanges hands. I am going to have it set up that difficult child will pay me for food(minimal amount) which won't cover what I spend on his food.

I'm terrified to ask for SSI's Opinion regarding reimbursement for money spent until the adjustment takes effect.
 
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