[ponygals]

I suffer from anxiety, GAD General Anxiety Disorder, and depression. I applied to SSI, twice, got denied. During my second try though I went and got a lawyer, went to a hearing, did the appeal but was still denied.

WHY? Well I was told that the ONLY WAY you can get SSI is you need to be taking medication. That is the one and only way you will ever be approved for SSI.

BUT then I have a friend tell me, WHO DOES NOT TAKE MEDICATION - he is suffering from PTSD, BiPolar, Anxiety, and Depression and he is getting SSI! Making $1,100 a month plus other programs.

So how is he getting these programs and I try and I get denied and I don't pop pills.

[jesusplay]

have evidence ad meet the requirements listed on SSA's site.

[Perna]

Supplemental Security Income is not just about being disabled, as per your state's/the Government's idea of disability (just being ill is not the same as being disabled; I was diagnosed with GAD too, had over 30 years therapy but always worked), it is also about how you live. If you live with someone, have a roof over your head, food, clothes, etc. wanting "your own" money will not necessarily be enough to get SSI. If someone else is willing to help you out, the Government is glad of that, you probably would not qualify for needing "supplemental" help. So it is disability, diagnosed for which you are in current treatment, have been in past treatment all this time, have psychiatrists and doctors and the Government's people who prod and poke you all saying you cannot work AND you have to not have "enough" support from others in your life. General anxiety is probably not going to do it for you. Rather than worrying about medication and who does not take medication, I'd wonder, who isn't anxious these days?

[Notoriousglo]

How can your friend not take meds for such serious diagnoses? Anyways to get disability you have to show severe impairment. Don't get me started on people who have received it and don't really qualify. Get a competent lawyer.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by euphy

How can your friend not take meds for such serious diagnoses? Anyways to get disability you have to show severe impairment. Don't get me started on people who have received it and don't really qualify. Get a competent lawyer.

medication is not the only treatment there is various kinds of therapy talk therapy, light therapy, group therapy, there are herbal remedies some people find helpful and of course in some states you can get medical marijuana for some of those conditions and sometimes that proves to be effective for that person...I have GAD(generalized anxiety), PTSD, Depression and aspergers syndrome and the only medications I've been taking for a while are valium for anxiety attacks and trazodone to help me sleep sometimes.

The are alternatives to medication and people have many reasons not to take medication...but it would be a lot to list all those. Though I am on SSI and never heard of having to take medication to get it, not even sure I was when I initially applied.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by ponygals

I suffer from anxiety, GAD General Anxiety Disorder, and depression. I applied to SSI, twice, got denied. During my second try though I went and got a lawyer, went to a hearing, did the appeal but was still denied.

WHY? Well I was told that the ONLY WAY you can get SSI is you need to be taking medication. That is the one and only way you will ever be approved for SSI.

BUT then I have a friend tell me, WHO DOES NOT TAKE MEDICATION - he is suffering from PTSD, BiPolar, Anxiety, and Depression and he is getting SSI! Making $1,100 a month plus other programs.

So how is he getting these programs and I try and I get denied and I don't pop pills.

I don't know that you have to be taking medication to get on SSI, though I suppose it is helpful...mostly because it shows you're being 'treated' for a condition. Also they come up with some pretty weird reasons for denial like they might argue they think your condition will improve enough for you to work if you where taking meds for it, it is probably harder to get it if your not taking any but not impossible since there are other treatments.

But are you like in therapy or getting any kind of treatment for those diagnoses? Because basically they need medical records that prove your condition and how it interferes with your ability to work...the more you have the better.

[ponygals]

My friend who is getting SSI says he was dealing with the following;

Mild Autism
PTSD
Anxiety
Depression
BiPolar

And he did take Mood Stablizers but had allergic reaction hence how he got SSI.

Also I know there are people who have SSI without taking pill pills and use other methods but everyone here and elsewhere even some laweyers here in California have said THE ONLY WAY TO GET SSI IS TO POP PILLS.

[Koko2]

I have a pension fund, so they told me to not even bother applying because my application would be rejected.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by Koko2

I have a pension fund, so they told me to not even bother applying because my application would be rejected.

If one has a pension fund does that come in monthly payments? or is it a significant amount? I mean I suppose I wonder why people who have pension funds and access to income without welfare feel the need to apply for welfare when there are people that don't have pensions or money left over from dead relatives who gave it to them in their will...who really need financial help just to survive.

Sorry if I am being harsh but, why do you need SSI if you have a pension fund? SSI is for people with disabilities who cannot work and do not have access to income through other means not to supplement pension funds or things like that.

If this pension fund cannot pay basic living expenses...and you are disabled it is very likely you can get SSI of course the pension would have to be less than 2,000 a month in your bank/credit union account...since if you have that or more they assume you can get by alright without the SSI. But if you're just looking for a little extra cash to supplement your pension SSI is not the thing for you and quite frankly trying to get it to supplement a pension or any other fund just means less resources for people who don't have those things to help them out...sorry.

[archipelago]

I do think they look for degree of impairment and measure that in various ways, not just current diagnoses and not working. In my case, I got it immediately without a lawyer, just a good shrink and someone else writing a compassionate, slightly pleaful account of why I deserved a chance.

I think in my case it was the sharp decline from highly functional professional to complete inability to do much of anything at all that showed that I needed the assistance. I also showed that I had made attempts to work and had even gone to a career assessment rehab type place and was too depressed to even get through all the testing very easily.

But I didn't get SSI. I got SSDI. I think they are slightly different. When I started to recover and got married and went back to school, I went into social security to ask about the change in status. They told me that I would continue to get my checks and health care, even if I started earning a decent income. They said that they are careful and it is a 4 year process of checking before they allow someone to go off disability. I found them pretty supportive and not oppositional.

[Hellion]

^Uhh wow, I think I came off a little too harsh in last post....sorry Koko2. Was in a pretty bad mood and didn't mean to come off that way. I do know there are people who have plenty of money to live on via pension funds who might also have a diagnoses but don't need the SSI and misreport that to get it as a supplement which I feel would take away from disabled people that will be depending on SSI as their only form of income ...but not good to have jumped to conclusions since its likely not all pension funds cover all needs and what not.

It is true though if you have assets or any kind of money coming in it has to be under 2,000 dollars to qualify for SSI...but sorry about how I worded that.

[Rose76]

For a young person, getting either SSDI or SSI has the exact same requirement in terms of disability. The evaluation of your disability is done by the exact same people using the same criteria. You have to be too disabled to have any ability of holding down a job that would provide an income above a certain threshold. The threshold is $1070 per month. They have to see that you did everything possible to make yourself fit to work. That means that you got treated for whatever was your disability and, still, were unable to work. They consider psychological problems like anxiety and depression to be medical illnesses that often respond well to medication. They figure that, if you never took any medication for either anxiety or depression, then how do you know that those meds might not make you able to cope with work? Also, they know that no doctor in the country is going to say you can't cope with work and not even want to try you on a medication. So they are looking at it as that you haven't made a serious attempt at medically treating your psychiatric illness. I'm not saying you should take pills . . . just saying that's how they look at it.

When I was talking to lawyers, each one wanted to know what meds I was on. They did seem to base my chances of getting approved on how many meds I was taking. They also all wanted to know if there was any doctor who supported my decision to seek disability. I told them that it was my doctor who suggested it to me, before I even really decided to do it. They really liked that.

The difference between SSI and SSDI is that you only get SSI if you are really poor. (For SSDI, it doesn't matter if you are homeless or a billionaire.) For SSI, being poor means having very little income (roughly less than $721 per month, after they adjust for some things) and having very little of value that you could sell to support yourself. How the government looks at help you are getting from other people is a bit complicated. If someone is giving you money that you can spend anyway that you want, that is considered "income." If someone is paying your medical bills for you, that is not considered income. If you are living with a spouse, the government considers part of your spouse's income as yours. It is "deemed income." If you are a child, then some part of your parents' income is considered "deemed income" to you. (since parents have an obligation to support their underage kids.)

However, if you are an adult living with family or friends who do not have a legal obligation to support you, then it gets complicated. If you are an adult, living rent-free with your parents, then that is considered a form of income. If they provide you with free food, that is considered a form of income ("in-kind" income.) Here is a link explaining that: What Counts as Income for the SSI Disability Limit? | Disability Secrets Here's a portion of the article:

"Any type of free rent/shelter or food benefits you are receiving from a nongovernmental source. For example, if you are allowed to live rent free with a friend or your parents, this will be considered as income (this is called "in-kind" income because it isn't actually income, but it is essentially equal to earning the amount of money you would otherwise have to pay for the food, rent, and life necessities being provided to you."

Now, if people are helping you out, but considering it a loan and you have documentation that you borrowed that money, then that help is not considered income. This is where a lawyer can possibly be of help, in that there may be ways to structure the help you get from family, to avoid having it called income.

People you know who are on SSI and not taking medication probably did take meds in the past without success.

[Koko2]

Originally Posted by Hellion

If one has a pension fund does that come in monthly payments? or is it a significant amount? I mean I suppose I wonder why people who have pension funds and access to income without welfare feel the need to apply for welfare when there are people that don't have pensions or money left over from dead relatives who gave it to them in their will...who really need financial help just to survive.

Sorry if I am being harsh but, why do you need SSI if you have a pension fund? SSI is for people with disabilities who cannot work and do not have access to income through other means not to supplement pension funds or things like that.

If this pension fund cannot pay basic living expenses...and you are disabled it is very likely you can get SSI of course the pension would have to be less than 2,000 a month in your bank/credit union account...since if you have that or more they assume you can get by alright without the SSI. But if you're just looking for a little extra cash to supplement your pension SSI is not the thing for you and quite frankly trying to get it to supplement a pension or any other fund just means less resources for people who don't have those things to help them out...sorry.

My pension fund is awaiting my future retirement, but how do I survive until then? Also, I didn't misreport it or hide it. I disclosed it, and they informed me not to bother applying.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by Koko2

My pension fund is awaiting my future retirement, but how do I survive until then? Also, I didn't misreport it or hide it. I disclosed it, and they informed me not to bother applying.

uhh, hate that I worded things all harsh and what not....anyways not sure what options there are in the meantime if you don't qualify for SSI, perhaps SSDI as that is a bit different and I think you can have more assets, but then you have to have worked for a significant amount of time before becoming disabled.

But if you cannot access that pension fund, it is sort of crappy it disqualifies from SSI...any way to access that money sooner if you need to?

But yeah while you are not one there are people who sort of scam their way onto SSI/SSDI, but I think its fairly uncommon and it was stupid of me to assume you'd fall in that catagory....guess I also sort of thought you meant you had access to pension fund that was livable amount so could spend the money right now if you wanted...so seemed confusing you'd want SSI if you already had money coming in.

[shortandcute]

Originally Posted by Perna

Supplemental Security Income is not just about being disabled, as per your state's/the Government's idea of disability (just being ill is not the same as being disabled; I was diagnosed with GAD too, had over 30 years therapy but always worked), it is also about how you live. If you live with someone, have a roof over your head, food, clothes, etc. wanting "your own" money will not necessarily be enough to get SSI. If someone else is willing to help you out, the Government is glad of that, you probably would not qualify for needing "supplemental" help. So it is disability, diagnosed for which you are in current treatment, have been in past treatment all this time, have psychiatrists and doctors and the Government's people who prod and poke you all saying you cannot work AND you have to not have "enough" support from others in your life. General anxiety is probably not going to do it for you. Rather than worrying about medication and who does not take medication, I'd wonder, who isn't anxious these days?

So, basically, you have to be living on the streets and getting no help from anyone at all in order to get disability? That seems a bit weird to me.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by shortandcute

So, basically, you have to be living on the streets and getting no help from anyone at all in order to get disability? That seems a bit weird to me.

No not really, I got on SSI and am 25 and live at my moms house...I contribute to rent now that I am on it and eat some food my mom and her boyfriend get(sometimes mostly that as they lowered my food stamps and groceries are rather expensive)...but no you do not have to be homeless with no help of any kind from anyone. The amount of help you have from others can influence the amount you get and if you're needs are entirely covered by family members or friends helping them out then you wouldn't qualify.

But yeah they don't deny people for wanting money of their own due to being unable to work due to disability(who doesn't want some of their own since you essentially need it to live these days)...they deny people for not being disabled...though of course they still deny people that are disabled considering some appeal and still get on it. But the reason to deny is if they determine you are not too disabled to work, or if you have too much income/money/assets of any other kind to qualify.

[shortandcute]

Well, right now my grown kids are paying for everything, that's only because I don't have any income at all right now. I don't have a choice.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by shortandcute

Well, right now my grown kids are paying for everything, that's only because I don't have any income at all right now. I don't have a choice.

Are they struggling to do so? I mean you can still get SSI even if currently you have people paying for everything...before I got SSI my mom was covering all my expenses as well as some state assistance I had but still got on it. Also though had to stress the fact the support was not expected to continue indefinitely.

But yeah for them to deny you on the grounds of having family support it would have to be stable, consistant family support that really addresses all your needs/costs...and isn't particularly burdening them financially. In my case it was getting to the point of yeah my mom was paying my costs out of nessesity but not because it was really within her capability to support my needs as well as hers...I also could barely afford any medical/mental health treatment and had to do without a lot of things that I would benefit from. I mean unless your grown kids are very well to do and effectively covering your costs of living and provide you with income you'd likely get it if you are declared to be disabled by the state....unless you have over 2000 dollars of savings or assets hidden somewhere which from the sound of it you don't.