Should I apply for SSI/SSD?

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.

In my opinion, I feel that a lot of people are taking the easy way out and getting SSI/SSDI when they truly can work, but don't want to deal with a job and its responsibilities..... I am sure that there is something out there that may be low stress jobs....I am considered " high functioning" as I CAN hold down a job, raise a family, run a household.....and manage my illness on a daily basis.... There are times when I want to take the easy way out and do nothing and collect money for it..... But in reality, I know that it would not be the road that I want to travel down..... Buty like I said this is just my opinion..... Good Luck with whatever you choose....

I applied for both with the help of my social worker because I'm not as functional as I used to be, even at a low stress job. I landed two jobs recently, one as a busser/hostess at a cafe and the other at a dog daycare. I HAD to drop the cafe job; I almost walked out, was extremely stressed out and ready to lose it. If I went back I know I would go through that again and lose it on someone and I'm not even talking about the customers either.Basically I don't need to be arrested again.
The second job at the dog daycare would seen easy because I work with dogs and I used to work at one before. This one is just very dysfunctional and I work 6 hours a day with one 15.minute break. My old dog daycare, I worked 4.5 hours a day. So I'm on my feet all day, no chairs, on concrete floors. This does a ridiculous number on my body. Just interviewed for a bookstore job and got hired so I will be giving up the dig daycare since they don't offer part time hours. The bookstore is more accommodating.
I'm praying that the bookstore works out for me because I seriously need the money to afford a pdoc and therapist.
If you were advised to apply then apply if you feel that your mental illness is affecting your ability to work. But be advised that it does take long and a lot of people recommend a disability attorney. They don't collect any money till you're awarded disability. Some will even preview your case for you before proceeding through applying for disability.

If your mental disorders prevent you from holding a job, I would apply for it. I am 22 and considering it because I have tried working and my mental issues interfered too much with all three jobs I attempted even the work study job my first year of college and that wasn't even hard work or fast paced.

Speaking of that the mental issues also are the main reason I dropped out of college. Besides the way I see it society is flawed...so the least it can do is help those of us who cannot function in it with a little something to live on...which is basically what SSI is. Or in the case of SSDI it would be what you've earned in Social Security or whatever by working.

But if you do apply for it try not to get down on yourself about it, I know it can be hard especially with a lot of the political rhetoric about how people who need financial help and such are just 'leeches' or whatever. But it's not worth it......you're not a lesser person for needing help.

Also it does not have to be a permanent thing as far as I Know, you could apply and get on it for a while until you could find a job you could function in or maybe in the future your symptoms would improve some or be easier to manage and you could work.

I haven't been arrested yet...but that is one of my issues is I can lose it on people due to my PTSD which has if anything only gotten worse. I mean I have already freaked out on family members and had a pretty bad freak out at my friends house. So what's to stop me from freaking out on other employees or customers if I get set off? So I can kind of understand that issue.

I have PTSD,Depression and physical limitations. I was making $32 an hour but spent most of the day regrouping and fixing things I messed up due to flash backs and lack of concentration. I saw everybody walking down the street or just driving by as a threat and some times even yelled at people that had nothing to do with what I was doing. I am truly scared that I wil end up in jail or the hospital for losing it and becoming violent.
Even scarier is going to pdoc or any pdoc and not being a basket case at the time, and being labeled a faker. If forced to return to work(if I can get a job) especially during these lean times. It is inevitable I will at some point lose it all together and hurt someone and myself. I 48 and damaged goods nobody's going to hire a liability like me. I can only see 2 alternatives crime or suicide and I won't make it in jail so that would be a death penalty. It's a plus your doctor told you too apply because he does understand. Don't be ashamed your very young and have a lot of time to get help. I waited 48 miserable years to get help and I barley holding on.
Get the help and take the financial assitance till you get better, a lot of patients have ended up becoming therapists.
Good Luck.....

mommyof2girls, you have obviously never tried getting disability, because if you did, you would know that it is not the "easy way out." It can take several years sometimes, and the hoops you have to jump through to get it often make it more stressful than holding down a job, which is why there are a lot of people who should be on disability that just work instead.

I used to also think the way you do--even tho there have been people--including physicians!!!--who have told me that I needed to be on it.

But I have lost the few jobs I was able to get because of my disabilities. Some jobs I lost after one hour, some after a few days, etc--and not because I didn't want to work, either! But because my supervisors could see that I couldnt handle and didnt have the time or patience to deal with me. Of course, that doesnt look good on a resume', which makes it difficult to find another job. In the meantime, I have had to resort to prostitution, living with men who abused me, and having kids so I could get on welfare--all because I didn't want to "take the easy way out," but couldnt hold down a job either! (Right now, we are living on survivors benefist that are supposed to be for my daughter only--her dad was disabled and died a few years ago.)

It's different when it's your life and your opinion on it, ie not wanting to go on disability because you don't need it. That's a positive thing, and I'm glad you're able to do that.

But judging other people, especially on a public forum specifically for health issues is kind of rude, sorry. To get disability benefits you need to be examined by a doctor, often more than one, so I don't think you really know better than them how much a person can function in a job environment, especially since because of the economy a lot of the jobs available are high stress and low pay.

Going on government benefits isn't "the easy way out"! It can be hard and stressful to be on them, and trust me when I say the vast majority of us would rather be healthy and working! But unfortunately, we can't, and we still need to pay our rent, feed our kids, etc, just like you.

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.

It is a blessing that you are able to handle all the elements of your life, including holding a job, but not everyone is blessed in that way. For you to dismiss people you don't even know as choosing to take the "easy way out" is rather cold and judgmental. Perhaps, unless you have gone through the process of having struggled with employment, then applying for much needed assistance....only to be put through months ~years of jumping through hoops of every kind, with your future on hold in the meantime, you might want to reserve judgement......

AMEN!!

sidestepper,
I'm sorry but that is much easier said than done. I was told several years ago that I needed to be on disability but I did not want to go that route. I did not want to "take the easy way out." I wanted to work as long as possible in order to have a good work record. Unfortunatley, I have both physical and mental issues that make it virtually impossible for me to handle any job. I have been let go from some the few jobs I could get in a very short time, some after a few weeks, some after a few days, and a couple after an hour, because I couldn't handle the demands. With other jobs, my supervisors just thought I was being lazy so they would pile the most amount of grunt work on me to "teach me a lesson," plus I would get bullied by the other employees because of my limitations, so I was forced to quit. That doesn't look good so a lot of places won't hire me! Even if you do find a government program that will "help," no one will hire you if you don't have experience or good references. I am talking about the real world here, not a fantasy that looks good on paper. And you cant force someone to hire you.

SSDI is Social Security Disability Insurance. It is part of Social Security and comes from someone having worked X hours and becoming disabled; it's a disability benefit insurance for workers (or working parents get benefits for disabled children and then the disabled children continue to receive benefits when they become adults).
From: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10026.html

SSI is Supplemental Security Income and not part of Social Security; it is added income to help pay for food, shelter, clothing, etc. if you are disabled and not able to make a living wage. Parents can receive SSI payments for disabled children, as you read above, if their income is not such that they can adequately care for disabled children.

Even if you live with your parents and they are able to pay for your food, shelter, and clothing, etc., SSI would allow you to contribute to your own upkeep.

You can work and receive SSDI and/or SSI, but there are limits (because presumably you are disabled and unable to work and make a living wage).

I am so sorry that happened. I was not being critical. I was hoping there might be a way to extend or put off going on SSDI because of my own experience w/ the loss of buying power over time. What happened to you in the work field should never happen but it does, all the time. I've been hearing impaired since age three and ran into plenty of opposition before I considered myself disabled from very ignorant people. After getting more obvious physical disabilities and MI, trying to go back to work has been a nightmare and I do know what you are talking about. I wasn't putting you down or thinking you are taking the "easy" way out. There is nothing easy about living on SSDI/ SSI. Those that say that, do not have a clue. I do truly wish you the best of luck.

Ok--I see what you are saying. And I have tried to put it off--but now my buying power is nill anyway because I haven't had a job in over a year. But you did make a good point. I'm sorry for being so defensive.

It is supplemental income but you are only allowed to make a limited amount monthly by working if you receive SSI. You need to go thru the local community service board to access income based fee scale mental health treatment and medication to ease the symptom burden to allow you to hold a job if at all possible. SSI is never sufficient to have what you desire and sometimes not even enough to cover what you need: shelter, food, transportation, clothing. To apply, go thru the social security office closest to you, expect to get turned down the first application but be persistent. There are pro bono legal aide agencies locally or regionally that can assist you if you have a case documented as in need of SSI by physicians AND you have been turned down.

does the amount you get monthly remain the same year after year?
my child is young also, and has not yet attempted to get a job (still in hospital). What agency in my state, would help with getting a job??

thanks

Sorry this is so delayed, I somehow missed this post.

There is a cost of living increase sometimes but it does not keep up with the true cost of inflation.

After 2 years on SSDI a person is eligible for the part 2 medical but you must pay for it and that has gone up faster than my SSDI.

Most states have a state disability center or rehab center; they work with all people who have disability's and want to work. If going to work is all they want then that will be the plan, they will help with interviewing skills, and resumes. If that means going to school first then that is how the plan is written up. The rehab will help pay for going to school and what is needed if your child needs a tutor to be able to focus on the homework and pass classes or special colored filter to read, then they help with that. Some states are better than others at purchasing things people need. sometimes people need to go to their states "Disabilities Rights" a federally funded legal rights office for people with disabilities to make sure they are getting their needs met by the states rehab offices. Sadly "DR" has a large portion of there funding set aside just to deal with this issue.

If your child is still in the hospital you can talk to the social worker and get the names and address of the agencies in your area. Best of luck.

I used to think of SSI/SSDI as the "easy way out".That is why I have fought like Hell against applying, despite advice to the contrary from multiple tdocs and pdocs. I am finally giving in (I think) and going for it. I am still having a tough time lighting a candle under it, so to speak. If I do it, it really does become real.

The fact is, I went on short term disability from work three times in less than two years. I just kept falling apart and "crashing" again. I fought formally going for SSI, etc. because I felt like I would be giving up and letting the illness win. I felt like I wanted a normal life so badly that if I tried hard enough I could just push through it.

I got layed off from my last (really good) job, I believe as a result of all of this, although I cannot prove it. I have been on unemployment for over a year. I thougt in addition to honing my skills and job searching, I would have some time to find "stable". Here I am... out of unemployment time, still a mess, still playing med roulette, and rarely going for long without crashing again. I hate it.

Is this the easy way out? I do not know. One thing I do know is that my state has awesome resources to help you transition back to work once you are able. And they leave a two year "grace period/safety net" once you are back to work full time, so that if you really still cannot do it, your benefits are there to catch you without the red tape of the beginning. Another thing I like is that they allow you to work part time while on disability as you are able. If that is the case, as soon as I can I will be out there trying part time- that way I can live with myself and also have more structure once I am doing a bit better.

Oh- and the "easy way out" from what I understand keeps you broke (like not even making ends meet) and stressed constantly. Who the hell wants that?

i have SSD "SURVIVOR'S BENEFITS"

medicare and medicaid