To add insult to injury, imagine this:

I found a place to live a month ago after five months homeless through the Winter. I went to my states general assistance and food stamp office. There were two possibilities for me when it came to general assistance - $197/month OR a program that would pay my rent and utilities for a year. Clearly the second program was more valuable to me because $197/month doesn't go far. The second program is for those folks who are temporarily disabled and will be for less than a year.

I was approved for that one while they sent for my medical records. Upon receiving them, the State immediately rescinded my eligibility for the second program saying that I was permanently disabled and will not be able to return to work. So the State says that I am permanently disabled and the Federal government refuses to even grant me temporary disability status - according to them, I'm not disabled at all.

To make matters even WORSE...

After my hearing in Sept. 2016, I went out to find a job against my primary care physicians advice. The lawyer and I agreed that the hearing with the Social Security judge went poorly and I wasn't going to be approved. I started work on a Monday and had a heart attack before lunch on my first day. We appealed the judges decision - still denied.