The Daring Dufas wrote:

They paid more than their fair share of taxes into the system for
nearly 40 years. What'd the government say about collecting
disability? They basically told her to "EFF OFF!"


I work with several other disabled guys and we have all been turned away
by government when we asked for help. The one thing we have in common is
the fact that we are Caucasian American male citizens. O_o

Almost every disability claim is denied on the first application. You
have to hire a lawyer and fight the decision (made by some robot clerk).
Inevitably, you'll end up in a courtroom with a hearing to get your case
heard by a human being. If the claim is legitimate, with medical
evidence to back it up - you get approved.

I had to file for a claim once that kept me out of work for a little
over a year. I was not asking for lifetime benefits, just the time I
was unable to work. My initial claim was denied, so I hired a lawyer
and a few months later was sitting in a hearing to determine my status.
The hearing lasted less than one hour, there were expert witnesses on
the State's side (social worker, a medical doctor, and an employment
counselor). I only had my medical records for evidence. All of the
experts agreed my case was valid, and I walked away with a judgment on
my side. My lawyer got 30% of the back payments, and I got a windfall
check for about $10K, plus ongoing monthly payments. Once I was able to
work again, I notified them and asked that the payments be stopped. That
was a slow process, and I think they overpaid me for a month or two.
Had I said something they probably would have fu¢ked up and paid me even
more while they sorted it out. Then I would have owed them.

Of course, you can only qualify if you have put money into the system. I
have no idea how some of these crooks get SSD that have not worked long
enough (or at all) to get benefits. Hell, I got more than I expected.
The expert that determines what kind of work you do, and how it's
categorized said my work is "skilled labor". The paperwork had me down
as 'general labor'. That was good for an extra $4K or so. I just told
them the truth, and sure enough the system worked in my favor. I told
them I didn't want to be on SSD forever (an option they gave me). I just
wanted the money that was absent while I was "laid up" (unable to work).

I was working when I had the hearing (had to take 1/2 of the day off).
They knew I wasn't trying to "game" the system like so many do. I think
being a Caucasian male actually helped my case. They didn't give me the
"3rd degree" or treat me as if I was some scam artist. They just asked
for the facts. It was actually a somewhat pleasant experience, I surely
did not expect that.

Yeah, I felt a little weird about the whole thing... I don't consider
myself a moocher, sucking off the government's teat. But, I had a
legitimate claim - and I used my right to file for the 'downtime' I
suffered. That's what it's there for - and God knows I paid my fair
share for eligibility.

How the creeps that cheat the system and get away with it is beyond me.
I would have had to lie (and produce fake medical evidence from
unscrupulous MD's) if I was a cheater. I guess to some that isn't a
problem (insert your favorite ethnic slur here).

It's those asshole's that make it impossible for legit claims to sail
through without the now literal "requirement" of filing an appeal (or
two or three) and getting lawyers involved. I probably didn't *need*
the lawyer to win the appeal - but it was so much easier with one to do
the legwork for me. It's a maze of complicated procedures to get a
hearing, to me it was worth giving up 30% of the back-pay. They work on
a contingency basis, so if you lose the appeal you don't owe the lawyer
any money.

There is just too much room for error for a common 'Joe six-pack' to get
all the paperwork correct and filed on-time. Plus, with a lawyer you
don't have to answer any pre-hearing questions - you get to say: "please
talk to my attorney". ;-)