Disability/How does it work?

Why? To be rejected a second time for something I don't really want anyway?

I got my SSDI in about 10 weeks here in PA. It has changed my life not for the better. I only get enough to cover the necessities ($858 per month). I was ok until I got my own apartment. It's not a glamorous lifestyle I can tell you that. But I guess it was meant to be because I just went through my first review in 4 years and it appears I'll make it through unscathed. My disability in continuing from a work prospective, but they still have to medically qualify me for disability. I think with all the paperwork I should be fine, but I still have that doubt. Good luck.

Because if you give up, and let your time frame lapse, and then down the road you really need it, you get to start all over. Almost everyone gets denied first time around.

My decision came very quickly after they got all the reports and interviews, but I did start the process 7 months ago. I'm not sure why it took so long to gather everything when the decision was made in about 2-3 weeks after they had.

I had a hard time accepting disability too. My husband forced the issue and I'm glad he did. We would be in such a crisis otherwise considering the landslide of misfortune which fell upon my family. Basically it was explained to me life this and so I do wonder if it varies from state to state. If you cannot hold down a 40 hour a week job without unreasonable accommodations being made you should qualify. If your medical condition keeps you from being able to take care of yourself financially, you should qualify. You can still be working but if it's not enough to support yourself, you should qualify. I'm on it and still must depend on others to keep me afloat. Without my people I would probably need to live in a group home environment. I've never applied for housing and don't need it so I don't know how that works. It's best to keep working if you can....trying to work full time and get benefits....but if you're disabled and can't, that's what the insurance tax you paid is for. ((((Hugs))))

But I don't actually want it. Would it help me? Yes, immensely...but honestly, the biggest reason I even would want it at this point is health insurance. I need the health insurance because I turned 26 at the end of the year I won't be covered by my mom's anymore. I signed up for insurance through my job, but it's so expensive I don't know how I'm going to afford it.

That's the thing...they determined that I can be (and am) "gainfully employed" because I am currently working a 40 hour a week job which I've only been at for about 6 or 7 weeks and have missed days, but that doesn't matter to them. It matters that I have the job.

I hear you on the insurance side of things. Without medicare I would be in the hospital every other week.

That's a bummer. I tried to keep my job and can't remember if I was accepted before or after I lost my job. I applied (actually my husband did) while I was still employed and going back and forth to work. I just started missing months at a time. Like mentally losing chunks of time and of course not working. I'm surprised I made it to the bathroom but once you stop eating and drinking you stop going.

If you can, try to keep your job but appeal just in case. It's best to have the ball started and not need it than to start from scratch if you do. Has the new job said anything about missing days?

No, my manager couldn't care less about missing days as long as you tell him long enough before your shift so he can make sure there's coverage. He doesn't even care if you waltz in 25 minutes late for your shift as long as you aren't opening.

I'm actually actively trying to get out of my job because it is absolutely horrible, and I'm trying to find a new job, but that's proving to be very difficult because I have to be picky because I need benefits (medical). I'm crossing my fingers that I get the teller job at the bank I just interviewed with. It's only part time, but at this particular bank, everyone gets full benefits, so being full time only matters financially.

The bank teller job sounds like it's the answer to your prayers. You will feel better not needing SSDI. You'll need it someday most likely but no rush. It's there for you if you find you cannot work and support yourself. Just appeal if needed. I wish I could find a job where I could come in when able, leave when needed, arrive when I can and still paid me enough to get by. With the passing of a new law in my area I may be able to find what I've been looking for *fingers crossed*. I've crunched the figured and think I can pull off about 15 hours a week. Perhaps a few more here and there. I need to negotiate a rather high salary but I feel I have experience which would be worth the salary.

Part time plus benefits sounds like a dream. Got my fingers crossed for ya!

Yes, I can come and go...but even going and working all 40 hours it's barely enough to cut it. So really, I can't just come and go.

im on disability. i got it when i was 23. i get what is called survivor's benefits- basically the money my dad put into the system... i get this because he died before i turned 18.

i was approved on the first try in a couple months. i was living in a mental health facility at the time, which i stayed in for almost 5 years. i started working a part time job in 2014, and i am still working there while receiving disability. however, i see disability as a bit of a trap in my situation , and i entered the ticket to work program in jan this year to get off my disability, hopefully by next year.

I m on ssdi and I live in a section 8 apartment. Plus I have medicaid n food stamps along with medicare. I make more than ssi but meet all the other qualifications for the other programs by my income. I m still low income. Disability doesn't disqualify you from the programs. They depend on the amount of your total income.

IMO the primary two ways for a person to wait to go on disability and pay the bills are either money in the bank, or live with a relative until accepted. Any other way I think is very financially risky, but I see some have done it this way, surviving somehow.

I can't live at home (I think it's a terrible idea, my mom thinks it's a terrible idea, and my T thinks it's a terrible idea -- a trifecta, don't think I should mess with that)...and I have no relatives to live with, and a lease that would be extremely hard to get out of -- trust me, I did it once (this is my second time living in the same apartment, so with the same lease)...so I'm pretty much stuck where I am, borrowing money from my parents every month to pay my rent. They're not happy with it, I'm not happy with it, but it's the best that we can do. Thankfully my parents both have enough money to do this, and are willing to.

Come March or so when it comes to whether or not I'll renew my lease will depend on a variety of factors like whether or not my aunt would be willing to let me live with her since it will be while since she got her kids and that situation is settled (I was going to go this past summer but she wasn't sure if she was getting the kids and said if she wasn't that she was going to sell the house and get a 1br apt)...but it'll also depend on what job I have and if I like it/if it pays enough, how stable I am (could I move?) etc. I honestly think that I literally live in the best place possible in town. Safest, most convenient and nice because rent includes utilities. I'm paying a bit less than I'd be paying for a 1br anywhere else in town, and not much more than a studio would cost, so trying to move somewhere cheaper probably wouldn't work out so well. I've looked.