The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), the major umbrella organization protecting the rights and promoting the interests of the disabled, has issued a response to last week's series of pieces on National Public Radio on Social Security disability benefits. I'd like to post some excerpts from the CCD response but for some technical reason I can't cut and paste from the CCD document. You ought to read it.
There's also a piece in the U.S. News & World Report criticizing the NPR series.
There's also a piece in the U.S. News & World Report criticizing the NPR series.
15 comments:
So according to the CCD, the things we see everyday in the field offices are all myths and misinformation. Great, for a while there I thought Social Security had problems that needed attention.
I read through the CCD response. Their insistence that children on SSI are severely disabled is just factually incorrect. They have to have a significant impairment, but the percentage of children that get ceased at age 18 under the adult criteria belies the notion that they were severe in the first place.
I think part of the problem with stories like the one NPR did comes from the understanding of the program. Many who visit here work with the agency and the programs daily and have for years. The average American cannot tell the difference between SSI and SSDI. The stories are designed to bring some of the information to the majority of people in a manner they can understand, not an in depth view encompassing years of experience and work in the field.
The folks who found the Higgs likely have blogs where they are complaining about the dumbed down stories of the work they do.
@ 12:49 PM, I've also found people who talk about SSDI, yet mention SSI, so I'd have to agree with You on this, some just don't know the difference, yet talk as if they did, when clearly they don't know what their talking about.
@ 7:07 pm. I think some people continually mention SSI in the same breath with SSDI because SSI is the gorilla in the room. Sure there are problems with fraud within SSDI, but that fraud is dwarfed by the fraud committed by those getting SSI. "Insiders" realize the difference, particularly with how they are funded, but the general public dies not. If SSI isn't mentioned, it tends to get swept under the rug when in reality it's the rife with the most fraud and wastes the most agency time and budget to administer.
Question: how many mothers file for SSI disability just before or soon after their youngest child no longer is eligible for welfare? Answer: Why wait that long, State welfare offices probably made that referral years earlier, along with likely referring at least one of her children to file for SSI child disability. All the better because this reduces State welfare expenditures while Uncle Sam picks up more of the bills!
@ 9:10 pm, sigh. I was asked twice for bank records, railroad retirement, etc, etc, once in 2011 and 2013 each, of course I only have a checking account as I've never worked for any railroad, though I do get SSI and have since 2003 since I'm severely disabled, not like I like being disabled, 4 walls do make a prison, to get a few things done recently I had to take out a payday loan, which I paid off this month and then I took out another of the same amount to buy a video card that came up that is no longer made, if I had some other income why would I take out a payday loan? I mostly sit around here either being online, watching TV or taking a nap, there isn't a lot out here, the area is either too hot or too cold. I do know My credit history is My own and hasn't been taken over and all I know is someone most likely thinks that no one can live on $866.40 a month, which is a baseless claim, I can, but then I have no debt and no credit score either.
What were you doing prior to 2003?
@11:51 PM, you obviuosly aren't living on $866.40 per month if you are taking out payday loans.
@ 9:21 am, I don't need to take out a payday loan all the time, just when My SSI check is not enough, since I currently have an extra amount after rent, bills & food are all accounted for, I don't work for anybody, nor is there any proof anywhere that would point to Me having extra income and a payday loan is legal for Me to get, this month I had an extra $300.00 and since I have no debt or credit cards My SSI income would be okay, but sometimes to replace something I need the extra money, like for new clothes which for Me are expensive, $50-60 for a pair of jeans and that doesn't include alterations and shipping, which could also be to repair part of a car, about the only thing I still can't do is finance a used car to replace My 14 year old car. Last month I came across some PC parts online that I needed, something to keep My mind busy since I live alone w/a cat, so with the $300 from SSI and $255 from a payday loan, I bought 2 used waterblocks for a GTX590 card, a used GTX590 video card with a waterblock already attached, 2 Zotac omni upgrade kits, some are for this PC and some are for the other PC that I'm slowly working on, I own both PCs, their used to crunch numbers for Seti@Home, the house here is cooled by a swamp cooler so cooling costs are very low, I sure wouldn't work on someone elses PC, I don't see well enough to work on a pc for long, when I do it's during the day and with both ceiling lights on, with My prescription glasses on and then I still have trouble seeing the small parts like a front panel cable, one eye is 20/40 and the other is 20/50 at least, My dad was 20/50 and 20/100 in His eyes. Payday loans in CA are limited to charging 15% interest by law, so they lend $300 and one gets $255 maximum by law, that is not disputable, I do live within My SSI income, I'm better at it than some, I don't have cable TV, nor a smart phone, just UHF TV and a simple cell phone, nothing fancy, electric($31.05), natural gas($38.46), water($15.00; pumping), trash(included in rent) and rent($320.00) were $404.51 total, food was $69.55, gas for the car I skimp on, I spent $14.00, My GMAC car insurance was $15.35, TWC internet $19.99 and the Virgin Mobile cell phone $20.00, which left Me $323.00 to use as I see fit, if You want to call Me a liar and say that I must have an extra income then I could say something, but why? I have a clear conscience, irs matching won't do anything to Me, as to what I did before 2003, It wasn't much and I'm 52 now. If SSI were defunded by Repubs in Congress, taxes would not go down by 1 red cent, the money would just go for more useless wars and no I don't have an M16, but I did have the skills 34 years ago to use one and I was good at it...
Now I need to go wash some dishes and cook My breakfast.
So because you "didn't do much" before 2003, tax payers have to care for you now? Awesome!
@ 8:38 am, what did I do, well I've been a security guard(unarmed and for minimum wage), worked for 3 years in a library as a file clerk(a page), did some work as a inventory clerk, a paper route on a bicycle before I was 17, I've served in the Army and the Navy(I can't swim, more in the army than the navy, both were honorable discharges).
Why are you on SSI? Why weren't you working prior to filing?
@ 12:55 pm, I'm disabled and was unable to work anymore and was before 2003, this just became official in 2003.
Yes I had worked before 2003, I have joint problems in My legs/hips/ankles from a broken left leg in 2002 that has 3 titanium screws in that lower left leg and 2 scars on either side of the left ankle, a dislocated right hip/knee from when I broke the 2 bones in the lower left leg and no rehab(worse than that basketball player, the one that was on TV recently who broke His leg by coming down the wrong way, I just slipped and fell an both bones just snapped, I was barely able to stay awake, I was sleepy and that I was told could be fatal, as the injury was life threatening, I endured 2 hours of surgery), lower back problems, weight that went up after 2002 to about 400lbs now with clothes on, I'm 6'1" tall, Osteoarthritis in My shoulder blades since I was 40, bad eyesight(I don't see too well in the dark or even in less than daylight), anxiety problems, concentration problems, depression(yeah I saw a psychiatrist), a low output thyroid gland. I use a cane to climb any steps and I can't walk far, My left ankle doesn't like too much walking or it becomes very painful.
I think it's time to cut off this discussion. It's gotten too personal.
CTH
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