Waiting In Topeka
From the
Topeka Capital-Journal:
The average time to process a claim for Kansans with disabilities
jumped this fiscal year, despite millions of dollars invested into the
Social Security system to address an issue one official called
“inhumane” and “unacceptable.”
Mike Stein, assistant vice
president of operations strategy and planning for TrueHelp, said he has
“a lot of words” about what people face who are unable to work and whose
lives may be destroyed as they await a decision from Social Security on
whether they deserve disability benefits. An average disability check
is $1,197 per month, he said.
“Every month that goes by when that
person who is simply asking for a benefit that they paid for during
their working years doesn’t seem fair,” he said. “All that while, they
might not be able to afford their medications or regular treatment on
top of the other financial stresses. Their condition probably is going
to get worse because of their financial strain. They were prescribed one
pill a day, and they take a half a pill a day because of cost.” ...
"A lot of damage gets done when someone can no longer work,” he said. “We
see the physical ailment turn into a mental ailment at times. The
depression from losing a big part of one’s identity. Neighbors looking
at you. A lot of pressure, all the way you’re waiting on Social
Security. We hear the stories of them taking out loans, losing the
house, the spouse has to get another job. These are not outlier
stories.”
Today while going to pick up some medical records I heard something interesting on my local NPR station. Up front let me say that I am in no way anti immigrant and disagree with human rights violations period. However, the segment was about the unfair treatment of immigrants waiting for hearings and the poor treatment of their attorneys recently including denying them rooms to meet with their clients before hearing and the economic hardship some are having attempting to provide representation. As I sat listening I couldn't help but start to burn thinking about an NPR story from a few years back attacking our system and the attorneys and reps in it. At one point it implied we were just going in and scaring SSA ALJ's into paying us. It was some of the most slanted, bias garbage I have ever heard and I still wonder what external forces leaned on NPR for the story. When I got back to my office I reviewed records of a client of mine who died a few months ago waiting for his hearing. I'm going in with a substitute party family member in a few weeks for the hearing post death of claimant. I'm mad as hell. American citizens that have payed into this system have been punished in this great witch hunt we have been through in the past eight or so years. Where the hell is NPR now? Why are not more national media outlets reporting on this travesty committed against our own citizenry? As we speak my clients are waiting on thousands of dollars of backpay after they have received favorable decisions. The treatment of the disabled in this society should be a national scandal. The politicians and billionaires making out like bandits should be absolutely ashamed. If there is a hell I hope they get to sample it.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:24 Well said. There should be a ticker with everybody's name on it who died while waiting to get heard for disability. And the SSA commissioner (or whoever is there) should have to hear the name when they die. Maybe the shame will get to them. Probably not.
ReplyDeleteRight next to that ticker should be one for the number of people who return to work or work under the table and do not report it to SSA.
ReplyDelete@9:24
ReplyDeleteYour implication that fraud, which is correctable both through civil and criminal remedies, and the death of a claimant during the claim which is not correctable in the case of SSI and still an exceptionally inhumane burden placed on DIB claimants and their survivors, should be of equivalent concern to SSA is unreasonable.
It is unreasonable to blame a death on the agency as you imply.
ReplyDelete@3:10
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have misinterpreted my statement. I place no blame for the death of a claimant on the agency.
On one hand, you have fraud which is correctable. On the other hand, you have a deceased claimant's survivors who are unable to receive the deceased's benefits, and they could have if the claim resolved earlier; alternatively, in the case of DIB claimants you have financial strain and possible degradation in health as a result in delayed treatment.
Which of these issues do you find to be of greater importance to resolve? Do you stand by your prior answer that these two circumstances are of equal importance?
3:10 PM. These denials, waiting for a hearing , and possible denial... Leading to reapplying and possible further denials places a lot of stress on the claimants, which can only make their health worse. But, to SSA we are only numbers to be approved or denied in what seems to be an arbitrary, almost sadistic way. If the ALJ doesn't want to approve, he just claims the claimant is exagerating their symptoms. Different illnesses are clearly treated differently and therefore unequally. Some are clearly "favored" and others "disfavored." As for "fraud," SSA just uses that to deny anyone they can "justify."
ReplyDelete