Disability Benefits Resources

FYI: Information About Filing For Social Security Disability Benefits

(CBS)  American workers pay part of each paycheck into Social Security disability insurance. And that federal money goes toward paying benefits to those who are injured - and can no longer work.

Each year, 2.5 million people apply to get some of that money back, in the form of disability benefits. But most applicants are denied.

A two-month investigation by CBS News found that this safety net might not be there when the most vulnerable of Americans need it most.

The following are resources about disability insurance compiled by our Investigative Unit.

The Basics

Check out the official Web site of the Social Security Administration.

For the Veterans Administration, click here.

Find out more about housing for people living with disabilities at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Department of Labor has information about working with a disability here.

More resources are available at the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Check out the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives, which provides representation and advocacy on behalf of those seeking Social Security and Supplemental Security income.

Also, check out the Web site of the National Association of Disability Representatives here.

Seeking help from a community of people living with disabilities? Check out the Handicap and Awareness Support League.

For Information about Applying for Disability, visit the Social Security Administration disability Web site.

To get more general information about Social Security Disability, click here.

The SSA also has information about efforts to identify and implement compassionate allowances for children and adults. Learn more here.

Dig Deeper

Check out the Social Security Administration plan to reduce the hearings Backlog and Improve Public Service or its 2007 end-of-year fiscal report (.pdfs).

The Social Security Disability Coalition offers free information and support, with a focus on SSDI reform. Check it out here.

For information on the Fullerton - Edwards Social Security Disability Reform Act, click here.

Think it couldn't happen to you? Read a first-person account of injury (graphic content) here.

Information for specific injuries or illnesses

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes MS as a chronic illness or “impairment” that can cause disability severe enough to prevent an individual from working. Check out what the MS Society is doing to help individuals in trying to prevent difficulties in securing SSDI coverage.

Or, check out the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

For mental health resources, visit the Web site of the National Mental Health Association.

The Invisible Disabilities Advocate is another resource. Visit it here.

Getting the Benefits you Deserve

Allsup, Inc., is a for-profit company that helps individuals in applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The company's Web site includes several resource sheets, including:

Disability guidelines

Disability resources

Disability eligibility evaluation

To help individuals with disabilities apply for and receive the benefits they deserve, Allsup provides its “Top 10 Tips for Breaking through the Backlog.”

1. Determine eligibility. To be eligible for benefits, claimants must have been disabled before reaching full retirement age (65-67) and meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of disabled, which generally means being unable to work due to a medically determinable mental or physical impairment expected to result in death or last for at least 12 months. Individuals must be under age 65 and also have worked and paid into the program for five of the last 10 years.

2. File immediately. If an initial claim is denied, Allsup notes that the wait for an appeals hearing now takes an average of 524 days. There is no time to lose.

3. Obtain doctor’s agreement. Claimants need written medical confirmation of their qualifying conditions when they apply. According to Allsup, not having a doctor’s agreement when filing could delay the process a month or more.

4. Get help. Filing for disability benefits is a complicated process akin to preparing a difficult income tax return. Allsup emphasizes that the earlier applicants seek help, the more support they can get to help put them back on the right track.

5.Prepare an accurate medical record. A comprehensive factual record is required to convince the government to provide benefits.

6. Establish your work history. Compile records of dates and tenure of previous employment. As noted above, individuals must have worked for five of the previous 10 years to qualify for benefits.

7. Meet deadlines. If benefits are denied at any stage of the process, claimants have only 60 days to file an appeal. If the deadline is missed, the process starts over from the beginning.

8. Reduce spending. The long wait for benefits means that people lose their savings, their cars and sometimes even their homes. Cut out unnecessary spending as quickly as possible and prepare for the long haul. And don’t use credit cards. Allsup reminds applicants that high-interest debt will add to long-term problems. There may be other, more affordable options for handling expenses.

9. Maintain health insurance. There will be a temptation to cut spending on insurance, but Allsup notes that even after individuals begin receiving disability benefits there is a two-year waiting period for Medicare eligibility.

10. Don’t give up. The Social Security Administration denies more than 60 percent of all initial applications, but two-thirds of the people who appeal eventually will receive their benefits.

[ErinStevens64]

I will not bore you with my unending list of medical problems. Suffice it to say that my long time employer and my doctor both insisted that I stop working right NOW. By continuing I was severely shortening my life. I finally gave in, and filed for disability. My doctor told me that my case was extremely strong and it should be no problem. He is the chief in his field at a majoy hospital in Dallas so this is not your small town doctor. I did as instructed and filed. While I would have taken in stride being denied SSD due to them determining my condition was not severe enough to qualify, what really angers me to no end is the letter from them telling me that based on my medical records it would not remain severe enough for 12 months in a row to qualify. The real surprising part is they managed to make this determination without ever looking at my MEDICAL RECORDS! The had me come in to sign the forms so they could request them but never even requested copies and just denied me without looking. Then had the audacity to say my condition was not as limiting as I had indicated. When in fact I have a hard time expressing how limiting it is and tend to down play it! Our system is broken. Im not asking for welfare. I worked and paid in to social security. But as usual when you need it, it isnt there. But dont LIE to me and tell me you have made a medical determination based on my records when you never bothered to look at them!

Sincerely,
Erin

[marcier1]

I applaud CBS for this important focus, and for compiling some good resources for viewers to address their own issues.

Missing from the story is a focus on the critical issue of employment for people with disabilities. Not only does the system need to do better to get people the benefits they need when they are unable to work, there needs to be far more focus on getting people the training and health care support they need to get back to work. Many people with disabilities want to work. They just need the supports and services that enable them to maintain their health and obtain the equipment, supplies and tools they need to stay healthy and get their work done.

While advocates and policy makers work on reducing the disincentives to employment for people with disabilities, people who have been successful in navigating the system and are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can get great assistance through the Ticket to Work program to explore their options for returning to work. Please direct your viewers to http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10060.html and www.yourtickettowork.com for more information. And, please add www.spinalcord.org to your resource list as well for those who need assistance with spinal cord injury and disease related assistance.

Sincerely,
Marcie Roth
CEO
National Spinal Cord Injury Association

[sara303]

I think only half of the story is being told. I work for an MD who does SSD exams and maybe 1 out of 50 claimants are legitimately disabled. Let%u2019s see--- there was the %u201Cblind%u201D woman who filled out her own paper work and drove herself to the clinic, the person who couldn%u2019t work due to being left handed, the person who had %u201Clost their dreams,%u201D people who claim chronic pain but are happy to tell you about how hunting season is going for them. Applicants who file false claims are responsible for crippling and depleting the system of necessary funds to support the program. This is what makes honest claims fall through the cracks. Instead of constantly pointing the finger at the government programs that are intended to help legitimate claims please place some responsibility and shame on those applicants who are looking to get a free check.

[el57lvnj]

If the government gives a tax rebate what happens to those of us receiving S.S.disability, are we left out in the cold? Also can anyone tell me why when you finally get on disability you have to wait 2 years to get on Medicare. I have not6 gone to the doctor in almost 2 years because I can''t pay him. I was run over by drunk driver had 26 broken bones the worst concussion the doctors at trauma center has ever seen on a live person, I need thearpy and I do need psychatric help. Unless I write down everything I can''t remember from one hour to the next. So if anyone can answer thses questions please do.

[mdock22]

DISABILITY99,
T/U for your support, After reading the comments posted here. i''m lucky, as i was able to retire,and before anyone starts bashing me, by the time my insurance is taken out I lose 75% the check. I have a 12 month DI policy that has helped me to adjust. it''s about to expire. I was able to pay off a number of bills, with the meger amount left & my wifes pay will allow us to live with less stress then others. I hid my illness for years, including 3 wrecks (1 on a motorcylce)(those *** deer in the road). I had a attack a in front of UPPER management. He allowed me to contune to work so long as I didn''t have incidents on the job. I hid a number of them, but when i had a observed incident i/s of a secure area, with no outside access, that could not be hid. that was all it took. i was placed on leave & instructed to get medical clearence from my dr. my dr refused, as he had been treating me for a years & was aware of the illness, and i had cont''d working against his instructions, and those of other dr''s treating me. At that point the writting was on the wall, so i retired, a lawyer & began the SSD process, I knew it would be a long battle. do i want this "HELL NO". I enjoyed my job, and would give my right arm to return. Is it safe "NO", not for me or anyone else, but if i lied about my condition and when (not if) I had a attack, I would lose it with in 15 minutes. So yes i''m lucky, because of planning.

[maidensolo]

those of you who are waiting for that day when you will be receiving enough to live on... dream on. The check I receive is just enough to humiliate me and remind me that even though I was once a hard working contributing member of society, that I am now a worthless burden and a drain on the system...

[purrbeat]

I AM BORROWING MONEY FROM MY ELDERLY MOTHER TO KEEP MY HOUSE. I HAVE WORKED SINCE I WAS 17. I HAVE MULTIPLE PROBLEMS. MOST OF THE TIME, I HAVE HELD A FULL TIME JOB, PLUS AT LEAST ONE PART TIME JOB, OR WAS ATTENDING COLLEGE. MY GOAL WAS TO WORK 40 YEARS AT THE HOSPITAL, WHERE I DID COMPLETE 20 OF THOSE YEARS. NOW THAT I AM UNABLE TO WORK, I FEEL LIKE EXCESS BAGGAGE, JUST WAITING TO DIE. I HOPE I DON''T END UP ANOTHER STATISTIC BEFORE THEY DECIDE TO GIVE ME SOMETHING TO LIVE ON.

[sostressed]

Dear Dan

No kidding...and forget the back pay of anything people, I just want my lawyer to at least get the money they are supposed to....the LT people claim if we get SS, we owe them all their money back andddddddd they already reduced my money to least than $50.00 clear month to offset what they deam what SS might pay.

No one cares...I wish my company had never had this and that we had the money they took to cover it in a savings somewhere to help with living...

Judge whatever her name, is probably great at her job for what she has control, but walk a mile in my shoes too before you quote the bad laws that are in place, please...times have changed...money has been misspent somewhere else on other generations and now this generation and all others are to suffer.

[tcardillo1]

Dear judgejoyce:
I wish that all of the three hours of filming I and my client did for CBS could have been shown; you can''t condense that to a four-minute segment without losing a substantial amount of information.

Everything that you stated, I said in my interview--much of which was cut. The disparity between the lower levels and the hearing level was made, and while it was not as clear in the final cut, I believe that message did come through. ALJs follow the law; adjudicators follow POMS, which often does not comport with the law, leading to the reversal rate at the hearing level. The repeated poor appropriations from Congress is HUGE; I was most disappointed that my statements about that didn''t make the final cut.

While I agree that the story needs more time and depth, Congress is already taking notice--the whole point of doing the story in the first place. More coverage is planned by CBS. Thank you for the work that you do.

Trisha Cardillo
Buford, GA

[sostressed]

It is so bad to feel so scared to post anything, as waiting for disability hearing and afraid to say anything....but ...didn''t see this broadcast and daughter called to tell me about it next day...5 minutes after I read scanned this article, my long term rep called me to tell me that they spoke w/ my doc and they released me to go to work...I told him basically I wanted my doctor to tell me this and he said didn''t matter what my doc or docs said, that they have their standards and if they say I can work a job somewhere in USA then they are the ones that decide...this company has kept me so stressed and upset for 2 years, I wish my company had never had them...they bully and talk down to you and make you so weak...and require to keep your benefits that you talk to them or go to their docs(which you know how that works,....same as SS docs...they don''t care). God knows, that I do understand we have thousands of people w/disabilities waiting, and dying...and worse even than my health problems,but that doesn''t make it any easier or my problems any less....Please someone stop Long term people from being able to legally harrass those of us that are fighting to exist....other than dying off, that''s my option as far as they care.

P.S. My doctor office did not tell them they released me, just the opposite and she would not release me to go to work and doesn''t feel there is any job discription out there that I can work.

[mjmouser]

I think that it is incredible that CBS''s report has gained some political attention. I forwarded the link to my congressional representatives along with my personal story---I HOPE EVERYONE ELSE WILL DO THE SAME!!!! Turn the pressure up and perhaps the system will change!!

[iluvgod7]

I am afraid to post how doctors and others have harmed me. I am also afraid to describe everything that is happening to me because I am afraid Social Security will deny me benefits in my reconsideration phase as every past time I have reported everything that is happening to me, people I report to make things harder on me and my family cannot handle the stress my family is being put through. I am also afraid to discuss because I have reported to many people and no one will provide me with any protective services.

Please anybody out there, please reply to my post and identify that you are responding back to me by saying "YOU ARE REPLYING TO: " iluvgod7 " " and provide me with protective services or direct me to someone so I will be safe and get help with everything that is happening to me.

I also need medical care and I am suffering with life threatening conditions.

I also need help in getting my social security disablility benefits as I am disabled and cannot work and haven''t for years now and I have a wife and a young child.

Everyone, please respond to my " iluvgod7 " post and when I am made safe and protected to report things, I will inform you of everthing that is happening to me which can happen to you. If I can get more voices along with mine, maybe people will listen to and act and protect you, me, and everyone.

Please respond back to me. I want everything that is happening to me to stop and I don''t want anything that is happening to me to happen to you.

[sirduke1957]

Why is it that people who really need the Disability Can''t get it but when some people who are claiming They have a hard time remembering sometimes their own Name can get the Disability and then go and get a Masters degree from College and Disability pays for It? Or some people get the Disability their spouses Make really good money and the couple can buy a House worth about (three hundred thousand dollars) It Sickens me to hear that nothing is done to prevent This from happening. I have a heart condition twice In the hospital having surgery and was turned down after the hospital in which I was at filed for me The Disability. This last August of 2007 I had a minor Stroke. In Septemember I once again filed for the Disability hopeing this time I can get it. I am Waiting for a reply.

[diane911]

As a follow up to this story check out how many children receive SSI for a learning disability. School cost nothing yet these kids get a check every month for the parents to live on

[bessie1952]

I AM GOING BLIND ALREADY LOST ALL BUT 4% VISION IN MY RIGHT EYE NOW ALL I HAVE IS BLURRY VISION I APPLIED LAST OCT,3 2006 THEY TOLD ME THERE WERE JOBS THAT I STILL CAN APPLY FOR I I COULDNOT DO THE JOB I WORKED FOR 7 YRS AT WHAT MAKES THEM THINK I CAN STILL WORK A JOB AND SEE WHAT I AM DOING I TURNED MY DRIVERS LIC IN BECAUSE I CANNOT SEE TO DRIVE SO I REAPPLIED 3 WKS AGO NOW THEY SAY IT HAS TO BE EVAUATED ON MY JOB HISTORY 3 DAYS AGO I HAD TO WRITE A 15 PAGE WORK HISTORY ON THE JOBS I HAD IN THE LAST 15 YRS I HAVE WKED SINCE AGE 15 AND ALWAYS PAID SS TAXES WHERE DID IT GO TO WHO GOT IT I KNOW SOMEONE IN FL THAT GOT FOR HAVING DIARRIEA THEY PD HER 6 YRS BACK I FELL EVERYONES PAIN THAT IS SICK WITH ILLNESS BLINDNESS BEING CRIPPLED I HAVE FELT IT SINCE THE DAY MY EYE DR TOLD ME THERES NOTHING ELSE TO BE DONE I CANNOT GET INSURANCE BECAUSE OF MY EYES SO YES ITS TIME WE GOT HELP ONE DAY THOSE WHO MISTREAT THE ONES WHO REALLY NEED IT OR DESERVES IT WILL FILL OUR PAIN GRIEF HURT HUMILITY GOD BLESS ALL THOSE WHO HAVE STEPPED UP FOR US THANK YOU SHARON FROM NC [e-mail]

[kitten1231-2009]

My brother has been very ill with diabetes for years now. He weighs around 90 pds. I have been advocating
for him to recieve his SSDI. It is really sad when a disability attorney cannot do anything to make the process go faster. These people are having to live on the streets, live with family, no money for medicines which their condition gets worse. Let''s look at the people recieving SSDI and living a normal life. Sitting in libraries on chat rooms while other people are deceased before they get thier SS. Now I see a problem with that.

[thomasann-2009]

I too was denied. I have arthritis in my neck and back and right hand, a ruptured disc in my back, degenerative disc disease and fibromyalgia. I appealed in Dec. 2006 and still have not been appointed to a judge. To the man that says fibro is a crock, I wish you could live with the debilitating pain for just one day to see what it is like. Combine it with the other health problems, including HBP and you would have one miserable life. I also have severe ddepression, but not until I started with the other sicknesses and could no longer work. This system needs to be changed.

[peaches1957-2009]

My husband worked as a firefighter and paramedic for 27 years. When he had his spine crushed and rebuilt with titanium and cadaver''s bones he went back to work. When he had his hip crushed and had to wait a year for surgery, he ended up in constant pain and on morphine three times a day with a nerve pain blocker at night. Three years later, neither SC Worker''s Comp nor SS can decide if he is disabled, in spite of six doctors who have declared him so. It is collusion, pure and simple between the business lobbyists, the Workers Comp, and Social Security to give our money away to drug addicts and alcoholics while letting decent hardworking people, who become crippled while working, suffer and die broke and in pain.

[clemsonmom58]

Just another reason to push the denial and retain a lawyer? The lawyer sent forms with questions.....all of the SAME questions that have been answered three times previously. Why is his word better than my own? It''s my medical history, who better to explain it than myself? Well, they say that I can communicate with others so I''m NOT disabled. If I communicate so well, where did they get that I was a waitress? I will probably die waiting as the stress of the fight is cause for yet more medication and doctor''s visits that I cannot continue to pay.

[clemsonmom58]

I was a very successful, on the "fast track" sales representative with a very large corporation known to everyone. I have breast cancer and as a result of this condition, and many other aspects of my life, I now suffer from mental disorders. I was denied company disability and terminated as a result of attempting to "tap in" to their resources. They made my life a living hell and did everything to make me quit before "retro-actively" firing me. I fought the decision, had to hire a lawyer who took more in administrative fees, 33 1/3rd of the settlement, and the taxes ate the rest of what I gained in the fight. I have been denied twice for Social Security benefits in the past two years, have now retained yet another lawyer at 25% or $5,300.00 to fight my case. I have hundreds of documented "episodes", surgeries, etc. but was told that "I could perform my previous job as A WAITRESS as is described by others performing a waitress position". I am NOT a waitress but, in defense of the profession, I know that I could not be a waitress either! Where did they come up with WAITRESS when they have all of my records of employment for the past 35 years?