Myths and Facts About Social Security’s Disability Program
Reading Time: 0 MinutesLast Updated: November 4, 2016
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Tags: Disability, Social Security benefits
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Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
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Karen
I am 60, disabled and collecting on my own work history-Divorced after ten years of marriage-getting remarried-Will I be able to collect half of my ex-husbands SS once I reach 62 (assuming half of his is greater than mine and after we have been divorce for 2 years)?
Scott
I had no idea that one in four 20-year-olds becomes disabled before reaching retirement age. I can see why it would be important to become educated on how the program works just in case you are one of those who has that happen to them. My uncle will be retiring in a couple years. I’ll have to ask him if he has researched anything about it.
F A.
People think it’s a joke when the see commercials about elderly human beings eating dog and cat food…believe me its not. Eventually you get use to it. You have to. I live on ssdi of $1400 a month. Most would say well thats plenty. Take away 750 rent..electric, gas water phone medical copays and you have nothing left. I see nothing left to live for.
Donna
I am worried. I have severe anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar (on medication & regular doctor visits) and have Hepatitis C.
I was working until 2010 and receive Social Security Diability and medicare (not SSI). Am I right right to be afraid of a Trump presidency?
Donna
I’m sorry, that was a foolish question and I didn’t mean to waste your time. We are all just really worried =-/
Vin
I would like to know why you did not classify and accept my sister-in-law as disabled when she had to have both feet amputated and still did not accept her as disabled when she had to have both legs amputated at the hips.
tammy
Myth: Social Security provides financial support for physically disabled people who can not do any self sustaining work.
Fact: Social Security could care less about physical disabilities or if one could do any self sustaining work. They only care if they can fit you in between their special “Rules”, which are designed to deny benefits. If you are physically and totally disabled, you must fit into the SSI, SSDI or adult disabled child categories, or you can forget about ever seeing any benefits. Furthermore, if they can knock you out with any of their special “Rules’, they will mark you for life and NEVER allow you to get benefits, ever!
Myth: (Social Security) “We pay disability benefits to people who are unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last one year or more or to end in death”.
Fact: (Social Security) will only pay disability benefits to certain select people who fit into their special categories or rules, who are unable to work because of a medical condition that fits their agenda and is expected to last one year or more or to end in death. It makes NO DIFFERENCE if you are totally physically disabled and have a severe disability, if they can use one of their special “Rules” to exclude you, they will kick you to the curb and deny all benefits forever!
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I am 45 years old, a mother of three older children and physically disabled ( I was born with cerebral palsy ). I’ve never collected one red cent of money from the Socialist Security System, even though I have applied several times and they find me disabled.
Technically, I am an “adult disabled child” (please look this up, it is NOT SSI or SSDI) but have never been able to secure any benefits whatsoever from the Socialist Security system, even under that program because I got married to an “Able bodied person”. The Socialist Security system is too busy paying benefits to some people who scam the system and worrying about adult disabled children (who they pay benefits to off of a parents record) marrying an able bodied person. This gives them the justification to cut off benefits to the adult disabled child because the husband (in theory) can now support the disabled person. This theory works great, if your husband is rich and you have no need for money but what it actually does, is to force two adults (one disabled one able bodied person) to live off of one income. In the real world, the socialist security system is forcing adult disabled children to only marry other disabled persons (and NO able bodied persons) at the threat of loosing any and all benefits that they are entitled to.
If you are a physically disabled person (an adult disabled child) and you happen to marry an “able bodied person” you will be loosing out on a lifetime of benefits, all because of a one word “rule” that prohibits you from marrying an “able bodied person”. Best of all, they never tell you about their “Rule” so that they can justify cutting off any benefits that you may be due.
Because you are physically disabled (adult disabled child) and you choose not to marry another adult disabled child or disabled person drawing off socialist security, you WILL LOOSE ANY AND ALL BENEFITS FOR LIFE. This means that the SOCIALIST SECURITY system is TELLING YOU WHO YOU ARE ALLOWED TO MARRY and who you are
NOT ALLOWED TO MARRY! It is a discriminatory act “rule” and should be ILLEGAL!
Even though I am permanently and totally disabled, if I marry an “able bodied person”, somehow that marriage makes everything ok and I am no longer considered disabled (in the eyes of the socialist security system). Magically (because I married an able bodied person), the pixie fairies come down and cure my disability, because now I can just go out and find gainful employment, no one will discriminate against my physical disability and everything will be grand, right? Somehow magically, marrying an able bodied person makes my physical disablility dissappear and now I am cured, right? WRONG!
The issue is a special “Rule” that the Socialist Security System uses to discriminate against “certain” people. If you are a “physically disabled person” (AKA-certain people) and happen to marry an able bodied person, then the SOCIALIST SECURITY system will use special “Rules” to legally discriminate against you and deny you benefits, even if you appeal online.
The SOCIALIST SECURITY system has caused me a lot of economic hardship all because I married an able bodied person. The SOCIALIST SECURITY system thinks someone who is physically disabled (permanently and totally disabled) marries an “able bodied person”, that somehow magically they are cured of their physical disability and two people can survive off the able bodied persons income. WOW, talk about a bunch of bureaucratic idiotic thinking, that somehow this would not cause a financial hardship….. amazing.
The rules that the Social Security Administration uses to legally discriminate against persons who are “Adult Disabled Children” who happen to marry an able bodied person, are discriminatory. This is loosely referred to as the “marriage penalty” but I call it exactly what it is, a legal form of discrimination.
I firmly believe this rule, is an act of bias, prejudice and discrimination against people who (by no fault of their own) are born disabled and happen to marry an able bodied person
Please write your Congressional Representative and tell them to end this modern day form of Legal Discrimination. In this day of fairness and equality, there are still some people suffering from an outdated and oppressive bureaucratic rule.
(PS. notice how the only thing any of these SOCIALIST SECURITY workers ever say are quotes of the rules or processes, like a worker drone. They are unable to address any topics that fall outside of their rule books). Typical bureaucracy and bureaucratic responses, like trying to argue over lost change with a vending machine
tony
Social Security doesn’t pay people for reporting fraud like Medicare and the Veteran Administration. People would be reporting their neighbors and relatives if there was a reward.
Social Security doesn’t want to admit that there is much more fraud than what they are reporting.
People on mental disability can go hunting and fishing. They can go on vacation. They can drive and go bicycling. They just can’t work a 40 hours job. It is very easy to get that free disability money.
You don’t even ever have to see a psychologist/psychiatrist or have any medical records. Just apply and the SSA will send you to a psychologist/psychiatrist and you can get that free disability money.
T. W.
Please don’t make ignorant comments like that. Thinking you will be able to walk in to one of SSA’s doctors and fake a mental disability is laughable, I have many clients with outstanding records showing a consistent treatment program and still get denied.
I see the disabled people in our country getting let down by our disability system daily, I fight for them and I also report fraud any time I come across it.
tony
You don’t know nothing, that is why the clients you help got denied.
I just apply and put down a mental disorder on the Listing . The SSA send me to a mental CE exam and I got approved.
The psychologist/psychiatrist your clients go to is a fraud. That is why the SSA believes the CE psychologist/psychiatrist over their treating source.
R.F.
The Social Security Act sets out a strict definition of disability. Our agency pays benefits to eligible individuals who can’t work due to a disabling mental or physical condition that is expected to last at least one year or result in death. Those who qualify based on our strict definition of disability are among the most severely disabled people in the country. No benefits are payable for partial disability or short-term disability.
T. W.
I simply don’t believe you.
I have done this for years and have won thousands of cases, your description of your case is not credible.
R.F.
Thank you for your comment, and thank you for helping. You’re right, the Social Security Act sets out a strict definition of disability. Our agency pays benefits to eligible individuals who can’t work due to a disabling mental or physical condition that is expected to last at least one year or result in death. Those who qualify based on our strict definition of disability are among the most severely disabled people in the country. No benefits are payable for partial disability or short-term disability.
Patricia L.
If ppl. with disabling mental illnesses are among the most severely disabled, then why do I personally know THREE ppl with SMIs who are undergoing CDRs right now? And please don’t give me that every 1,3 or 7 year CDR nonsense, and NO, none of them have been able to work in the past 3 years to trigger the reviews. They’ve all been reviewed within the past three years already. That WAS the schedule for all of the three.
My own son is one of them, and all his medical reviews from his own MDs and two SSA examiners were in his favor. His disability ended in August 2016 anyway. He appealed in Oct. w/i the 60 day period (yes, I was with him when he filed it.) It’s March of 2017 and we’re still waiting for the hearing. Perhaps some SSA worker threw out the appeal papers he filed, for THAT has happened before too! Oh, FYI, in case you live in a little bubble, I KNOW Obama increased funding dramatically for CDRs in 2012, with the goal of recooping $5 for every $1 spent. My son is in psychosis right now, AND without health insurance as a result. And no, he didn’t appeal within the 10 days to maintain benefits, and didn’t tell me about it w/i the 10 days b/c he thought he was “all better” by divine intervention. Yet, he’s an atheist.
What are SSA ppl. basing their decisions on…coin flips? a deck of cards? what & why? to fight job monotony?
I believe the SSA are cuing in on ppl. with SMI b/c they know they don’t have the wherewithall to navigate the system you work for and they are too overwhelmed with everyday life. Hey, just more homeless ppl., right Ray? THAT is the system you work for and I challenge you to get back to me, though I know you won’t.
It’s many of SSA’s employees that make me wish there really was a Hell.
Am I bitter? Oh no, not much Ray. Why would I be.
I don’t wish you a good day or a good life either, Ray.
Charlie M.
What about this: After decades on disability, Chicago ops are put back to work. There are a lot of people on disability that could go back to work. Why not let Social Security hired a lot of these people on disability instead of hiring people that don’t want to work. I worked 51 years at newspapers with a disability (one eye). A lot of other people could instead out hunting and fishing while on disability.
Barbara W.
What I don’t understand is if you are getting workmans comp. For getting hurt on the job why can’t you get social security disability.
R.F.
Hello Barbara, you can still apply for Social Security disability benefits. We pay disability benefits to people who are unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last one year or more or to end in death. This publication provides an overview of workers’ compensation, Social Security Disability Insurance, and the interaction of these two programs. Also, you can visit our Frequently Asked Questions web page for more information.
Amy
I have multiple medical issues (that is not seen by just looking at me) . I fought for 2 years to get SSD. I am able to work a few hours a week. Just because someone is able to work you don’t know the extent of it. I work to help supplement my SSD and to get me out of the house so I don’t go into depression. AFTER I do work those few hours a week I am exhausted and in alot of pain but don’t show that. Remember people can work on SSD but limited. Just because we can or do work doesn’t mean we are “cheating the system”. I pay dearly physically when I do work but don’t want to sit home and get more depressed about being disabled. I am greatful I am able to push myself to work.
When I went to the SSD doctors to be evaluated he said…I don’t know how you could work. But I was denied benefits. I am greatful I had a lawyer, and blessed my job paid me what I would have made on SSD until I got approved. I didn’t qualify because of the list they do have. I weighed 1 pound to much, and my kidney function was 2 points better then what they said it needed to be to qualify, and I could bend a slight amount more then the list. I fought and was told some people get denied to try to weed out the fakers.
I am blessed that I am still alive, able to work some to make me feel worthy (although I pay for it daily), and that I can collect no matter how much it is.
It’s hard but we should be greatful we are alive.