Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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I know three people personally who get disability payments from the government even though they all get around just fine. Sure they have had injuries, one had fusion surgery on his back. But so did Tiger Woods and he doesn't look that disabled to me. Does anyone know how "disabled" you have to be to get disability? And is there any checkup to see if you have gotten better and don't need the payments anymore? Does anyone have insight on this?
Really disabled to the point that you can't work.
It's a process. They deny it about 3 times. You have to have an attorney and appeal it. They aren't trying to let people in. Even so it then takes a couple of years for medicaid to kick in.
It sucks to holy hell if the person in question is schizophrenic or is mentally disabled because they don't understand the process or refuse to admit they need help. They can't manage the paperwork.
The state I live in outsources their paperwork to either Colorado or Nevada. So, when they say respond in 10 days what they really mean is here is 24 hours to get that paperwork back.
So for the mentally ill there are programs and disability analysts who work for the STATE who can help them navigate the disability process, and help them get benefits until such time as they actually are able to receive their disability. In Oregon, it's called the "General Assistance" program. Foodstamp, child welfare, or other human services providers will refer people to the program who appear to be disabled but aren't able to get through the disability application process, and are in danger or (or actually are) homeless. They set up an appointment with a state disability analyst, and then they determine the likelihood of the client being eligible for ssi/ssd.
They then help them get their documents together and write reports and facilitate engagement with the social security administration...and they can also provide some funding for housing and stuff like that.
Now with the mentally ill it can be really difficult because a lot of them are also drug/alcohol addicted, and/or have extensive criminal rapsheets that make it really difficult to get them into housing...but there are options for that, too.
But if the disability analyst thinks the disability either is caused by drug addiction or if they think that social security will see it that way, those people are just shit out of luck.
I have referred a lot of people...I see a lot of people who were raised by the state (foster care) and should have been getting ssi from CHILDHOOD, who hit 18 and child welfare says "smell ya later". They end up confused, abused, and on the street, with absolutely no clue how to care for themselves or figure out what to do.
When I get these poor pathetic souls, I immediately contact the GA program. One guy I referred received a massive settlement for SSI that he should have received as a child, and then another one for the ssi he should have received as an adult up to the time he was finally determined disabled. He had extensive child welfare involvement all his life..yet it never occurred to any of them to get him ssi. When he turned 18 they just cut him loose, and he spent the next few years living in the bushes of his hometown, being abused by the local transient population.
So, in our state you go to the SSA office and apply for SSI and it is routed to the State program. The State outsourced the paperwork to Nevada or Utah but there was just no way to get it back within the 10 days from when it was sent. The State program has 7,000 on it's waiting list. Oh, yeah. They aren't trying to get people in---they are screening them out.
I know nothing about Oregon. I have a vision of everyone running around in flannel shirts, singing grunge music with large cups of coffee or beer. So,
State of Oregon: Independent Living Program - Eligibility and Services
There are services.
Even so, Oregon looks like a hot mess. What the hell are they doing up there?
You apply for social security through social security. But for those people who are homeless or in danger of homelessness the state provides disability analysts who will sort of act as a liaison and help them navigate the system to obtain their disability.
Many people who are disabled are incapable of figuring out how to apply, they can't get their stuff together, they aren't good about making or keeping appointments. Social security doesn't give a shit about those people..if they can't do it, they don't get any assistance from the SSA.
Oregon has a really diverse population. The grungy mentally ill twits are located in Eugene and Portland. Eastern Oregon is conservative. The communities are agricultural the terrain consists of deserts, mountains. Western is primarily liberal, quite green and wet.
Our culture on the west side used to be vibrant logging and fishing communities. Leftists destroyed it.
Our state provides homeless liaisons for school children.