Am I Disabled?
by Talks about the injustices that disabled individuals have to deal with when applying for benefits through the Social Security Administration or private long term disability insurance carriers.
In the United States, there are millions of people who are legally and permanently disabled who collect Social Security Disability Income each month. In addition to these people, there are others who can be classified as disabled, due to the fact that they are suffering a physical ailment, mental condition, or a combination of both. However, these people are either still in the work force despite their deteriorating health or they are currently unemployed and have been denied disability benefits, because the government or a private insurer has determined that they are NOT disabled and should be working.
This is a national tragedy, because not only are these people suffering from the physical and mental effects of their conditions. They are also going without the financial resources they need to survive and support their families.
The Social Security Administration has only a thirty percent approval rate for disability applicants on their first attempt. Because there are some people who will fake a disability, there are some very stringent guidelines used when qualifying applicants for benefits, as well as a very long wait, in most cases. This hurts the people who ARE legitimately disabled, unfortunately. The Social Security Administration does a thorough check of an applicant’s employment history and medical records. Many disability applicants do not have the financial means to afford a doctor, and a great number of them do not qualify for Medicaid either. This leaves them with no options other than to find a doctor who will see them based on a sliding scale fee basis, and these doctors are sometimes difficult to find. In addition, some people have no means of transportation, so it is almost impossible to physically GET to a doctor. The Social Security Administration will often send an applicant for an Independent Medical Exam with a physician or psychologist who is contracted through Social Security. This doctor will NOT treat your condition. He or she will only perform a brief assessment of your condition to report to the Social Security Administration. It is believed that Independent Medical Examiners are paid a higher fee by both the Social Security Administration and private disability insurers if they report that you are NOT disabled. I don’t know if this is totally accurate, and I sure hope it is not, but from what I have heard, it may be true. How can somebody who examines you once know about all of your physical history and problems?
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Post Commentjo oliver
On August 16, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Diane,
I appreciate your article & think that 99% of your opinion is a bulls-eye. I am the mother of a totally disabled child. She will never walk, talk, or even hold her own head up. She will need SSI for the rest of her life. So, it is my opinion that people who are permanently disabled should always come first. Depression is a hard thing to prove and difficult to compare to those mental handicaps, like retardation. If a depressed person feels better by going to the store, then they are capable, maybe not ideal, but very capable of choosing to work. However, someone that does not have the mental or physical capacity to work, can not choose to work or not. I was severely depressed to the point I didn’t leave my house for weeks at a time, after I found out my daughter was handicapped, but I didn’t go and get on disability. That money needs to go to those who don’t have options, medicine cant help, and are truly unable to work.
jo oliver
On August 16, 2008 at 9:17 pm
http://www.socyberty.com/Society/A-Day-in-my-Life.137936
http://www.socyberty.com/Society/A-Day-in-my-Life.137936
PS: This are a few of the articles I have written on the subject. Thought you might enjoy.
GreyWolfeSC
On August 17, 2008 at 5:58 am
Great article, A++++, I hope ya get it the goverment and SSA only care about the illegial aliens in our country and certain attributes of a person, they only care about certain ones, period
they act as if it is their money but you paid it in and should be able to draw whenever you please and especially if you are disable
thestickman
On July 18, 2011 at 6:42 pm
I’m living in Canada now, we in Ontario have paid healthcare and while not the best probably and often there is a wait-time, it is far better than what we still do in America. The US needs to wake-up and get with socialized medicine.