FIL and MIL had a neighbor on disability -- they saw him mowing the lawn, working on the house, and expressed some doubts about his eligibility. Then the neighbor died of a heart attack.

You can't get SSDI unless you have worked legally 20 quarters within a certain time frame (past 10 yrs I think) and paid into the system. Illegal workers do not qualify, so take your racist conspiracy theories elsewhere.

My Mom gets it but because she was self employed for many years and didn't pay in to SS, her check is minimal, I actually subsidize her income monthly.

She is capable of getting from A to B, she can clean a house, mow her yard, etc. Mowing her yard is a bit of a problem so someone normally does it for her. She has extensive circulatory issues in her legs so standing for an extended period of time is not an option. In addition, it's not an option for her to NOT be on SSD because of her health. Between heart meds, BP meds, beta blockers, cholesterol meds, HRT, and some sort of anti seizure drug that is supposed to address the neuropathy in her legs, she couldn't afford to NOT be on SSD as she would never be able to find insurance to cover her pre-existing conditions.

It's a crappy system. It's broke and is in desperate need of fixing. It's all we have. She's even in OH and has to participate in a Spend Down program where she pays the difference in what she makes vs the poverty rate to cover her "insurance" each month. This is new since she enrolled in Medicare. Now she has a luxurious income of about $600/month. BTW, I own her home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can find a good disability lawyer who will get you through the hoops to qualify. It will cost you, but in the long run you can really make out. I was in the healthcare field and I had patients eventually go this route. The sad thing is there were foreigners who somehow knew the system and would get all kinds of benefits courtesy of Uncle Sam, but patients who were US citizens were getting turned down.

Doesn't everyone get turned down the first time?

I can't believe depression is considered a disability and something you can get paid for considering there are plenty of courses of treatment for it.

I think disability is a huge scam and I would eagerly vote for any President who would declare his intention to do away with the program and make it so stringent that a very narrow margin of individuals would be eligible.

Well, people become disabled all the time. In fact, disability insurance coverage is, statistically speaking, far more frequently used than life insurance is.

My DH has MS and I pray daily that he can keep working. At some point he may not be able to, and I would hope that if that happens, he is eligible for SS (he has paid in for decades of course). He has been denied both disability and life insurance coverage because of the MS, so if SS disability were to go away, he'd be completely dependent on my income.

We would manage, of course - but IMO disability coverage is very much NOT a scam, and is very necessary for some people.

are you sure it's SSDI they are getting? Not just plain old ss?

Anonymous wrote:You can find a good disability lawyer who will get you through the hoops to qualify. It will cost you, but in the long run you can really make out. I was in the healthcare field and I had patients eventually go this route. The sad thing is there were foreigners who somehow knew the system and would get all kinds of benefits courtesy of Uncle Sam, but patients who were US citizens were getting turned down.

Doesn't everyone get turned down the first time?

I can't believe depression is considered a disability and something you can get paid for considering there are plenty of courses of treatment for it.

I think disability is a huge scam and I would eagerly vote for any President who would declare his intention to do away with the program and make it so stringent that a very narrow margin of individuals would be eligible.

Anonymous wrote:You can find a good disability lawyer who will get you through the hoops to qualify. It will cost you, but in the long run you can really make out. I was in the healthcare field and I had patients eventually go this route. The sad thing is there were foreigners who somehow knew the system and would get all kinds of benefits courtesy of Uncle Sam, but patients who were US citizens were getting turned down.

Oh those damn FOREIGNERS.

You can find a good disability lawyer who will get you through the hoops to qualify. It will cost you, but in the long run you can really make out. I was in the healthcare field and I had patients eventually go this route. The sad thing is there were foreigners who somehow knew the system and would get all kinds of benefits courtesy of Uncle Sam, but patients who were US citizens were getting turned down.

Age, education, and work experience are considered. Could they work for 7-8 hours with standing and lifting? SSA has a website that explains although I would just talk to them.

I've always heard it's hard to get approved for SSDI, especially if you are younger (how old are they?).

But I "do" know several people with back problems and sitting at a desk job is pure hell.

Have you talked to them about it?

Does anyone else have parents on social security disability?

Don't get me wrong, its there for a reason - people who are truly disabled and cannot work. For the life of me, though, I don't understand how my parents qualify. One had a back injury 25 years ago and the other recently had a flare up of a back injury. However, they are both capable of moving from A to B (no handicap sticker), do yard maintenance among other things physically. Mentally they are both still pretty sharp and qualified to work. How in the heck does it that SS disability is given to people who could work a desk job or retrain for a less physically demanding job? Makes no sense to me.

Just wondering, is that normal?!