Jul 20, 2007

Man Needing Heart Transplant Denied Social Security Disability

From the Shenandoah [Iowa] Valley News:
Kyle Nelson can't play with his 8-year-old daughter Ashley without becoming winded. So why has the rural Shenandoah man been denied twice for Social Security Disability benefits?

That is the answer Nelson wants to know as he faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills waiting for a heart transplant.

Social Security officials told Nelson, who hasn't worked since December 2006, he is capable of returning to work by December 2007, even though two doctors have confirmed Nelson should not be working.

"I just don't know what to do," he said. "I'm behind on all my bills and I'm in the hole about $290,000 from medical bills," said Nelson.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes the DDS and district offices forget that disability can be established if it has lasted for at least a year OR if it can be expected to last for at least a year. It sounds like this claimant received a "duration" denial at the initial and recon levels based solely on the fact that his disability has not yet lasted for a year.

Anonymous said...

I guess it's in the best interest of legitimate beneficiaries to either contract a disease which will kill them in drastically less time than the DDS office needs to process or establish a claim or to just pull up their boot straps find a good spot on the street for their cardboard box until they're in this position.

This entire process makes me sick - now I'm off to my cardboard box.

Anonymous said...

"Just because he has been denied twice does not mean it is the end of the road," said Sam Shin, teleservice representative for Social Security."

If this guy is an 800# rep I have a feeling his manager will be having a talk with him. LOL

Anonymous said...

Why in the world is a teleservice rep responding to or commenting on an ongoing case in the press? That is a matter to be left to management. I agree, someone will(or should) be talking with him about this. Not only that, but why is the press calling the 800# in the first place--they must be totally green at dealing with SSA.