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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Maria01 on September 18, 2008, at 19:47:38
My T and I have pretty much agreed that I should go on disability at least until I can get my depression under control.
Has anyone here gone that route, and was it a headache to file for and to receive benefits?
I have been referred to a p-doc at the County Mental Health agency, so I'm not real optimisitic..they seem to be pretty indifferent unless you are suicidal or homicidal.I do know that in my present state of mind I'm at risk for losing my job, failing in school, and I definitely don't have the stomach/patience for dealing with a long, drawn-out process via the County. Since I'm very limited on funds and have no insurance, I'm stuck with going thru them for eval/meds/possible disability.
Has anyone else had to go thru that process? I live in CA if that helps...
Thanks
Posted by softheprairie on September 19, 2008, at 4:33:44
In reply to Disability benefits?, posted by Maria01 on September 18, 2008, at 19:47:38
I'm currently on Social Security Disability Income. It's pretty complicated, which may be why no one has replied to your post yet. The SSDI system seems set up to discourage people. Mine was approved relatively quickly, (I think around three months) but even after I found out of the approval, there was still the wait of six months from the official date of disability onset before they start sending the benefit. You're basically left to fend for yourself for those months, but you can't be substantially employed. It sounds like you're employed. If you have "substantial gainful employment" (currently making at least around $900 a month if I'm correct) you automatically are denied. Theoretically you could be approved while working and making under the amt. of "substantial gainful employment," but having any employment brings up the ease of them saying that if you can do that much, they think you can do more (to reach substantial, thus not qualifying), so the chances of approval are higher, I think, if you apply when not employed at all. I resigned from my workplace rather than wait to be terminated, and applied a few days later with Social Security. (Well, started the first part of the process with them.)
During the waiting period, a few extremely poor, assetless people can get some benefit from Supplemental Security Income under presumtive disability, but even that isn't really enough to live on without subsidies, plus, claims of disability due to psychiatric conditions have a low chance of being approved for the presumptive disability unless you were chronically psychotic (according to section 4/5 of "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting and Keeping Your Benefits, Second Edition," a book I highly recommend).
If you are denied disability at the first round, then the wait really begins. I read horror stories of the waits while appealing the decision. It can be years. That should be a national outrage, in my opinion.
A note on who you get as providers at the county community mental health center: if I recall correctly what I read in the Nolo book, the Soc. Sec. administrative policies really discriminate against accepting reports from your providers if your providers are social workers, and, perhaps also nurse practitioners and physician assistants; they only accept reports from M.D.s, D.O.s, and Ph.D. psychologists (?). I forget if the book said anything about Psy.D. or master's-level psychologists. So, if you have to see new providers, you might tell the scheduler at the facility that you need to see a M.D., D.O., or Ph.D. psychologist.
However, to get SSDI, you have to show that your disabling condition isn't temporary. Having not imporved for x number of months (I forget its number) is evidence to them of not being temporary. You may have to contact your former providers to get evidence for your case. A new dr. probably wouldn't be happy to take you on as a patient when they hear you are there looking to get a monetary benefit.
Aside from providers, Soc.Sec. sends you forms to fill out, and sends forms to two people you designate to write about you. I picked my mother and my friend/former roommate.
I didn't use a lawyer myself, but was going to get one for the appeal if I would have been turned down.
Posted by Maria01 on September 19, 2008, at 10:40:15
In reply to Re: Disability benefits?, posted by softheprairie on September 19, 2008, at 4:33:44
Thank you so much for your reply...very helpful information!
I'm presently employed part-time, but barely. My boss blew up at me for a simple oversight, and I blew up in kind. I would love to resign, but I'm single with no other household income source, so if I were to resign, I would literally be homeless in weeks. =(I called County Mental Health and got, well, the County Run-Around. Theoretically, you go to the office nearest your home. In my case, the nearest office is way out in the boondocks relative to my home. Sooo...I asked if I could be seen at the office closest to my employer and school; it's literally blocks away from both. Very close. That threw them into a bureaucratic tizzy that they are still trying to resolve. I'm supposedly going to get an answer today. I have no insurance, so I'm stuck with going thru the County. I haven't heard a lot of positive things about mental health services in my county, so I'm not fully convinced it's the most effective route.
My T is a MFT(CA and some other states have this license for Master's level providers) so she can't authorize either short-term or long-term disability. She can recommend it, but another practitioner will actually have to do the paperwork...*sigh*
At any rate, I'm hoping to be seen today and to get some direction as to the next step. I also have a T appointment this afternoon as well.
I really want to thank you for your response; I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into it and I really appreciate it. I will try to get a copy of the Nolo publication you have...those Nolo guides are great!
Thanks again! =)
Posted by softheprairie on September 19, 2008, at 21:31:29
In reply to Re: Disability benefits? » softheprairie, posted by Maria01 on September 19, 2008, at 10:40:15
> Thank you so much for your reply...very helpful information!
Aww thanks. I hope others may chime in if knowledgeable...
> I'm presently employed part-time, but barely. My boss blew up at me for a simple oversight, and I blew up in kind. I would love to resign, but I'm single with no other household income source, so if I were to resign, I would literally be homeless in weeks. =(
>I was (and am) also single and living by myself/no other income. The financial nighmare while waiting for disability benefits was also very negatively impacting my mental health. I also feared having to give up my modest home (which I was able to get while I had a normal job, thru a home-ownership program of my city's for people who didn't make a lot). My Mom had offered that I could move back in with her, so at least that was something, but she ended up giving me money to get thru, and I cashed out IRAs and my modest deferred compensation, which I really couldn't have afforded to have in the first place, but mostly put away during the time when I was incurring debt that led to my bankruptcy, even tho I was living modestly, my income was below that. I was psychiatrically hospitalized during that waiting period, but they were disappointing and just a few days at a time.
> I called County Mental Health and got, well, the County Run-Around. Theoretically, you go to the office nearest your home. In my case, the nearest office is way out in the boondocks relative to my home. Sooo...I asked if I could be seen at the office closest to my employer and school; it's literally blocks away from both. Very close. That threw them into a bureaucratic tizzy that they are still trying to resolve. I'm supposedly going to get an answer today. I have no insurance, so I'm stuck with going thru the County. I haven't heard a lot of positive things about mental health services in my county, so I'm not fully convinced it's the most effective route.
>
My county's program isn't very good either. I've tried them a little bit. The only reason I don't have to go there is that my mother is currently paying for my insurance to continue with my former employer's plan under COBRA provisions. To view the county program charitably, tho, they aren't funded enough to do all that they're called upon to do.
> My T is a MFT(CA and some other states have this license for Master's level providers) so she can't authorize either short-term or long-term disability. She can recommend it, but another practitioner will actually have to do the paperwork...*sigh*
>I don't think our providers can authorize any benefit themselves, but the govt. (or private company's) disability determiners take the provider's reports seriously.
> At any rate, I'm hoping to be seen today and to get some direction as to the next step. I also have a T appointment this afternoon as well.
>If you want, tell us how the appt(s) went!
> I really want to thank you for your response; I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into it and I really appreciate it. I will try to get a copy of the Nolo publication you have...those Nolo guides are great!
>
> Thanks again! =):) Yes, I relied heavily on the Nolo series of books for both the Soc. Sec. Disability and for my bankruptcy.
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