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Nammu · Jul 20, 2012 at 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miszward809

Hello,

Is SSI/SSD really worth it? I recently moved to Kansas and was told by my local SRS office that I should apply for disability due to my mental disorders (Bipolar/Schizophrenia). When I lived in Texas I was told the same thing. My only issue is I am only 19 and I don't want to live off the government but I have a hard time coping with my symptoms and holding down a job is hard for me. I worked at McDonalds for a month but had to quit because of my mental disorders. They said it could take years to get it, which is understandable. But what is SSI/SSD even used for? I don't really understand what it is supposed to be used for.

Clearly I don't know your circumstances, but now that you should be able to stay on your parents insurance until you are are around 25, would that be a viable option? I'm not quite clear on all the rules but a friend of mine has a son with schizophrenia and he gets to remain on their insurance and try working very, very part time. I know not all parents are the easiest to live with, but if it was between a safe place to live and coverage to see a T and a Pdoc would there be a way to work thing out so that your parents could see you as an adult with the right to set your own hours and yet follow some basic rules?

SSDI doesn't ever keep up with inflation so the longer you are on it the less buying power you will have as time goes on. I worked from high school on, put myself though college, worked while married then my life fell apart. At 29 My doctors told my to apply for SSDI, now many years later I unfortunatly live in the wrong state to get help getting back to work and the SSDI I get now only covers the bare necessities. I do not wish to scare you but encourage you to look into alternatives at your age before jumping into SSDI Look too at what your state offers for help in getting back to work. Some states have fantastic programs and will work very hard with people to help them find the right kind of jobs so they will be free of the hand to mouth cycle and in a job that they can handle. Best of Luck.