Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids. The parents sound like losers who mooch the system that was intended to help those in real need.

One of the parents has Down syndrome. If people with Down syndrome don't meet the criteria of people with disabilities, for whom the system was intended, I'm not sure who does.

Well, but she seems to be a pretty high level DS person if she functions like a 14 year old she could probably work a menial job for money. That would actually pay more than a disability check.

Anonymous wrote:I've been trying to get disability for years. I have a life-threatening illness. No one else in my family is disabled, we live below our means, we do not get government assistance, we manage our money wisely, and I am not addicted to pain medication. My lawyer actually told me that if I came to my hearing wearing dirty pajamas and looked like I hadn't bathed or washed my hair in a month, I would be more likely to be approved. I told him that I would never do such a thing, and that if my medical records cannot speak for me, I will go without disability. People like the ones in this article are the reason why there are people like me who are dying who cannot receive the help that they need.

The standard for getting disability is that your disability needs to be severe enough that you can't do ANY paying job. Not just the one you want but any job.
How do you have money for a lawyer though? Disability payments aren't that much money?

There is a big list of illnesses and issues whereby you get disability quickly. Your illness must not be on that list.
My next door neighbor literally died waiting for his case to be approved.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yesterday's Post had an article called "Generations Disabled" that I found pretty interesting. I have been lucky enough in my life not to have any experience with this sort of thing, but I really feel for the kids in this environment who are "labeled" and thus enabled to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. How does this cycle even stop?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2017/06/02/generations-disabled/?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.dcd71507a0df

Free money. That's how they survive. Instead of disciplining, educating, and properly feeding those kids, grandma wants a government check and pour pills down their throats

All the wealthy families around here are pouring 2x the number of pills down their kids' throats so that they can work and not get a call from the school.
Every rich kid with any kind of issue around here in the rich area is ' autistic' too - because the parents want the benefits of free therapies for them.
People around here are WAY worse about that kind of thing . People around here falsely pile up the govt benefits for their kid way more. Those people actually need more therapies for their kids and they probably get nothing. Move those people to Fairfax and they'll get benefits for their kids .

The disability checks are a bit much. I do wonder how the mom or grandma or whatever she is can find childcare for her adult disabled child to work? I doubt that that Down syndrome daughter can be left alone .

This!! I find it outrageous to read in DCUM demanding free therapies, IEPs for their special snowflake at the expense of everyone around them. They scream "Its the law!" It's a rich person version of a welfare queen.

you are a horrible person with no understanding of parents or children with disabilities.

Thanks but I have one who is severely disabled. I see people whose kids have very mild issues getting therapies and the most school programs catered to their kids, horseback riding, government money for classes outside of school - the list is endless. If you people were more honest about what your family is receiving you'd probably be less contemptuous of others.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yesterday's Post had an article called "Generations Disabled" that I found pretty interesting. I have been lucky enough in my life not to have any experience with this sort of thing, but I really feel for the kids in this environment who are "labeled" and thus enabled to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. How does this cycle even stop?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2017/06/02/generations-disabled/?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.dcd71507a0df

Free money. That's how they survive. Instead of disciplining, educating, and properly feeding those kids, grandma wants a government check and pour pills down their throats

All the wealthy families around here are pouring 2x the number of pills down their kids' throats so that they can work and not get a call from the school.
Every rich kid with any kind of issue around here in the rich area is ' autistic' too - because the parents want the benefits of free therapies for them.
People around here are WAY worse about that kind of thing . People around here falsely pile up the govt benefits for their kid way more. Those people actually need more therapies for their kids and they probably get nothing. Move those people to Fairfax and they'll get benefits for their kids .

The disability checks are a bit much. I do wonder how the mom or grandma or whatever she is can find childcare for her adult disabled child to work? I doubt that that Down syndrome daughter can be left alone .

This!! I find it outrageous to read in DCUM demanding free therapies, IEPs for their special snowflake at the expense of everyone around them. They scream "Its the law!" It's a rich person version of a welfare queen.

I'd love it if my child didn't need an IEP. Trust me, the schools don't provide much. I've spent close to $100K on OT, Speech therapy, evaluations, tutoring, etc.

Like it or not, under IDEA (a federal law even though Our Secretary of Education had never heard of it), says the school must provide these things, although most schools do not do what they are supposed to.

My father has family members who live close to the town in this article. I wish I could say the people in the story are some kind of anomoly there, but unfortunately, they are not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yesterday's Post had an article called "Generations Disabled" that I found pretty interesting. I have been lucky enough in my life not to have any experience with this sort of thing, but I really feel for the kids in this environment who are "labeled" and thus enabled to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. How does this cycle even stop?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2017/06/02/generations-disabled/?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.dcd71507a0df

Free money. That's how they survive. Instead of disciplining, educating, and properly feeding those kids, grandma wants a government check and pour pills down their throats

All the wealthy families around here are pouring 2x the number of pills down their kids' throats so that they can work and not get a call from the school.
Every rich kid with any kind of issue around here in the rich area is ' autistic' too - because the parents want the benefits of free therapies for them.
People around here are WAY worse about that kind of thing . People around here falsely pile up the govt benefits for their kid way more. Those people actually need more therapies for their kids and they probably get nothing. Move those people to Fairfax and they'll get benefits for their kids .

The disability checks are a bit much. I do wonder how the mom or grandma or whatever she is can find childcare for her adult disabled child to work? I doubt that that Down syndrome daughter can be left alone .

This!! I find it outrageous to read in DCUM demanding free therapies, IEPs for their special snowflake at the expense of everyone around them. They scream "Its the law!" It's a rich person version of a welfare queen.

WTF. I have a kid with autism. I can't decide if I should be offended or pissed.

Anonymous wrote:Why would a kid with any of those disorders (autism, ADHD, etc) get disability checks to begin with? There are supposed to be school-based resources for dealing with those issues and I'm confused as to what about the twins ever qualified.

That's what I'm wondering too and if they do get those disability payments they should be going toward therapies, schooling, co-pays on medications, etc. Not used to supplement the family budget.

I've been trying to get disability for years. I have a life-threatening illness. No one else in my family is disabled, we live below our means, we do not get government assistance, we manage our money wisely, and I am not addicted to pain medication. My lawyer actually told me that if I came to my hearing wearing dirty pajamas and looked like I hadn't bathed or washed my hair in a month, I would be more likely to be approved. I told him that I would never do such a thing, and that if my medical records cannot speak for me, I will go without disability. People like the ones in this article are the reason why there are people like me who are dying who cannot receive the help that they need.

i know a couple,of young adults with Mosaic Downs who are delightful folks who,take transportation independently to a paying job. (Don't drive). But you can do that in this area where public transportation is relatively decent.
To get Supplemental Security Income for a disabled child, your household income has to be below a certain (very low) level. This is different from Social Security Disability, which assumes you worked a certain amount of time before you become disabled. Adults with disabilities can receive SSI if they are disabled to the extent they can't get a job and are low income: can't have more than $2000 in assets.

So: my adult disabled son (autism and intellectual disability) receives $735/month, which goes to the cost of his care.

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids. The parents sound like losers who mooch the system that was intended to help those in real need.

One of the parents has Down syndrome. If people with Down syndrome don't meet the criteria of people with disabilities, for whom the system was intended, I'm not sure who does.

Why would a kid with any of those disorders (autism, ADHD, etc) get disability checks to begin with? There are supposed to be school-based resources for dealing with those issues and I'm confused as to what about the twins ever qualified.

Anonymous wrote:Regardless if the article is a fair portrayal of all families receiving disability benefits, the system is being funded on the backs of so many families that do manage to work but are struggling as well. I do not care if the article is a fair portrayal or not. I do care that my family does take responsibility for ourselves and works HARD to just get by all the while paying taxes to help those families who instead see finding a diagnosis of some sort as their means to an end. Enough. I am so tired of feeling the fool for doing the right thing with my life.

why don't you direct your ire to the banks that got bailed out, the hedge fund billionaires not paying taxes, the corporate interests that destroyed unions? don't be fooled by attemps to distract you by blaming poor people "abusing" the system. You actually have a common enemy trying to divide you.

Regardless if the article is a fair portrayal of all families receiving disability benefits, the system is being funded on the backs of so many families that do manage to work but are struggling as well. I do not care if the article is a fair portrayal or not. I do care that my family does take responsibility for ourselves and works HARD to just get by all the while paying taxes to help those families who instead see finding a diagnosis of some sort as their means to an end. Enough. I am so tired of feeling the fool for doing the right thing with my life.

https://talkpoverty.org/2017/06/02/washington-posts-reporting-disability-giving-trump-cover-disability-cuts/

Read this. It explains the problem with this WaPo article. It's written by Rebecca Vallas, a nationally recognized law and policy expert at the Center for American progress.

Anonymous wrote:My problem with this article was that it plays into the right wing trope that these benefits are scams and most people are abusing he system, . It a written to make it clear that the only thing wrong with those twins is sh*tty parenting. The one trying the hardest is the one who appears to be the one who would be entitled to benefits no matter what. No matter what system you've got, some people are going to game it. It's the price you pay for agreeing to take care of the most vulnerable. If this article was all I knew about how disability was done in the US, I'd be saying "cut it off" too.

And this is precisely why advocates are furious with the WaPo.