Current Events > So I got approved for disability

(+) Yeah! (+)

I get 841 before deductions. I can't have more than 2k in the bank account or I get suspended and cut off. Man 2k is chump change.

What is your disability?

R1masher posted...

What is your disability?

aspergers

So is my uncle. They don't check credit cards. If you dare, put your money on a Chime Visa Credit Card. It just acts like a credit card when used but you throw money into it like a secured card. It's secured so your spending power is not calculated by a line of credit, but instead by how much you put onto the card.

The bank account rule is fucking stupid.

Which is stupid because how do save up for an emergency?

MedeaLysistrata posted...

The bank account rule is fucking stupid.

The amount is stupid, plus its not adjusted by inflation I imagine.

JuanCarlos1 posted...

The amount is stupid, plus its not adjusted by inflation I imagine.

Any amount is stupid, I'm on disability too and that rule does not exist here

It's also stupid that they give you less if you're working. If you work too much they basically take all of it away.

I have SSI because of my agoraphobia, but I think it functions similarly, I just check a different box on forms and stuff.

Basically enough for you to scrape by, but not enough to live comfortably. Have any surplus in your account? That's not allowed. Saving for a rainy day? That's not American. Obviously they're giving you too much money if you have more than $50 and a half a tank of gas.

I mean, it is stupid, but you can always save cash. Obviously not ideal, but it's still a functional workaround.

America really hates disabled people. I blame the "if you don't work, you don't eat" mentality. Also the GOP, I blame them too.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

For what? I have aspergers and I don't like being treated like it's a disability. But I did mention other diagnoses because it can be debilitating if in tandem with other things.

I am not knocking autism.

If it gets in the way of someone's normal functioning then it is grounds for disability.

2k max in the bank would be a perpetual state of anxiety for me

Alucard188 posted...

Basically enough for you to scrape by, but not enough to live comfortably. Have any surplus in your account? That's not allowed. Saving for a rainy day? That's not American. Obviously they're giving you too much money if you have more than $50 and a half a tank of gas.

Why should someone reliant on disability have a higher income than someone that is working? It isn't compensation for something its just a safety net to help the disabled person survive. This is especially true of people that basically never worked and therefore paid practically nothing into the system.

Atralis posted...

Why should someone reliant on disability have a higher income than someone that is working? It isn't compensation for something its just a safety net to help the disabled person survive.

What are you even arguing? The guy gets $841 (before deductions) and can't have more than $2,000 in his account at any one time. That's not a higher income - that's him not being allowed to save his money. Why should we force people living with disabilities into a lower quality of life because they can't provide for it themselves? Disability is not a safety net if it's literally what they use to survive. A safety net is having savings put away in case of emergency.

Atralis posted...

Why should someone reliant on disability have a higher income than someone that is working? It isn't compensation for something its just a safety net to help the disabled person survive. This is especially true of people that basically never worked and therefore paid practically nothing into the system.

it's not a matter of if they ought to have more money than someone who works, it's just a matter of disabled people needing to have a reasonable amount of money. i think it's pretty easy to confuse these two ideas. if it incidentally happened that a disabled person ended up making more it wouldn't be the end of the world. they also have to, you know, live with a disability.

Atralis posted...

Why should someone reliant on disability have a higher income than someone that is working? It isn't compensation for something its just a safety net to help the disabled person survive. This is especially true of people that basically never worked and therefore paid practically nothing into the system.

I represent people trying to get on disability and $841 monthly is hardly anything. This is even more ridiculous on states that have higher cost of living.

It isn't about "having more than someone who is working," it's about not being forced into poverty for conditions outside of your control.

it's also not the fault of disabled people that minimum wage is so fucking low relative to CoL

and yes, lol. I get like 10k a year. think of how much more they could give me before I even start to make the 15/hr minimum wage yearly amount. not to say that I'm entitled to that much, but there are disabled people who are in worse situations than I am who really do need that amount.

Alucard188 posted...

What are you even arguing? The guy gets $841 (before deductions) and can't have more than $2,000 in his account at any one time. That's not a higher income - that's him not being allowed to save his money. Why should we force people living with disabilities into a lower quality of life because they can't provide for it themselves? Disability is not a safety net if it's literally what they use to survive. A safety net is having savings put away in case of emergency.

I don't think people on disability that don't have a history of working should be able to have large amounts of savings. Maybe $2,000 is too small but I am of the mindset that someone should have to exhaust their assets before they draw on cash meant for people in truly desperate situations.

Additionally if they are able to save money using the amount they are given for disability then that means the cash exceeds their actual expenses which shouldn't be the case.

I feel like the phrase "tighten your belt" is coming...

Atralis posted...

I don't think people on disability that don't have a history of working should be able to have large amounts of savings.

care to say why?

Atralis posted...

I am of the mindset

oh

Atralis posted...

Additionally if they are able to save money using the amount they are given for disability then that means the cash exceeds their actual expenses which shouldn't be the case.

so people shouldn't be able to save for emergencies? and people should have zero dollars left over after having spent their money on necessities? but why do you think that other than thinking people should have to live in poverty

MedeaLysistrata posted...

care to say why?

oh

so people shouldn't be able to save for emergencies? and people should have zero dollars left over after having spent their money on necessities? but why do you think that other than thinking people should have to live in poverty

I don't think they should live in poverty but I don't think they should be able to have a significant amount of assets either. The formula for disability is based on someone's work history with the idea being that we all pay in to this system and if we become disabled there will be a pot of cash that we can draw on.

If someone has no work history it means they never paid in. They shouldn't be left to starve but they also shouldn't, for example, be able to inherit a significant amount of money or assets and still keep drawing on a fund of cash that is intended to cover people that would literally be homeless if they didn't have those dollars coming in.

Atralis posted...

Additionally if they are able to save money using the amount they are given for disability then that means the cash exceeds their actual expenses which shouldn't be the case.

You seem to not understand the point of disability support if you believe that people should have less income than what they have in expenses

To TC and everyone else who is getting disability:

Were you approved on the initial decision or did you need to go through the appeal process after being denied initially?

MarthGoomba posted...

You seem to not understand the point of disability support if you believe that people should have less income than what they have in expenses

It should exceed it but not by much. Obviously this is hard to pin down exactly which is why there should be a buffer of allowed savings.

Atralis posted...

The formula for disability is based on someone's work history

Not in this province

Atralis posted...

don't think they should live in poverty but I don't think they should be able to have a significant amount of assets either.

Believe me, I know you think that, but why?

Atralis posted...

if we become disabled there will be a pot of cash that we can draw on.

Some people are born disabled or become disabled before they start working

You're thinking of worker's comp I believe

TC where do you live?

And disability not paying into system is also a giant lie, they use the money for necessities which goes back into economy they have nothing for anything lavish or extravagant, I know someone on disability that I know looks forward to birthdays and Christmas they can enjoy extra things

My issue, Atralis, is you've basically concluded that someone born disabled and unable to work entirely is not entitled to homeownership, essentially

NeoShadowhen posted...

To TC and everyone else who is getting disability:

Were you approved on the initial decision or did you need to go through the appeal process after being denied initially?

I got denied multiple times over the course of a few years. I finally got approved by a judge at the hearing level.

NeoShadowhen posted...

To TC and everyone else who is getting disability:

Were you approved on the initial decision or did you need to go through the appeal process after being denied initially?

I had a doctor write a note for me basically. I wouldn't even have bothered if I didn't have the doctor supporting me.

Edit: I did apply once before that and was approved for the initial process but there was a technical glitch that made me give up. Plus I ended working at that time anyway.

MedeaLysistrata posted...

My issue, Atralis, is you've basically concluded that someone born disabled and unable to work entirely is not entitled to homeownership, essentially

The home a person lives in is excluded from the list of assets currently.

NeoShadowhen posted...

To TC and everyone else who is getting disability:

Were you approved on the initial decision or did you need to go through the appeal process after being denied initially?

I got denied at first had to appeal and managed to get it overturned.

JahanDotson1 posted...

TC where do you live?

NY

Atralis posted...

The home a person lives in is excluded from the list of assets currently.

But they are unable to save their money so they can afford to buy a home. You're basically relegating them into an extra layer of dependency. To be fair, most Americans can't afford to buy a home as it is. They're stuck in a debt cycle for 35 to 40 years. If somebody is completely dependent on disability payments, they need to have a lot of help to survive. Better hope your support structure doesn't die prematurely, or else you will be stuck with less than $2,000 in your bank account.

Atralis posted...

The home a person lives in is excluded from the list of assets currently.

I mean I just fail to see how someone putting away a couple hundred a month is at all a bad thing... But if you agree that there are some expensive assets that should be accessible then maybe we have some common ground.

$2000 in ANY account, or just the one the money is deposited into?

Tbh you could make more than $850 a month if you stream your favorite video games

MedeaLysistrata posted...

I mean I just fail to see how someone putting away a couple hundred a month is at all a bad thing... But if you agree that there are some expensive assets that should be accessible then maybe we have some common ground.

There should, and are, allowances made for essentials
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-resources.htm#:~:text=To%20get%20SSI%2C%20your%20countable,you%20own%20do%20not%20count.

You also get one vehicle that doesn't count along and there is a general exception for "household goods and personal effects" which I think is fair. This system, SSI, is separate from SSDI which is the disability insurance people get if they have 10 years of working history which has no asset limits.

I apologize if it seemed I was making light of TC, disability or aspergers. Wasn't my intention, but I didn't use nearly enough words to explain my point, so it seemed flippant. So I am sorry.

Atralis posted...

There should, and are, allowances made for essentials
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-resources.htm#:~:text=To%20get%20SSI%2C%20your%20countable,you%20own%20do%20not%20count.

You also get one vehicle that doesn't count along and there is a general exception for "household goods and personal effects" which I think is fair.

Except, they're not given those things and still have to buy them I imagine. Don't yoy see how that might be a challenge if they're not only making a pittance, but ALSO can't save their money? You're assuming people already own these things and don't need to buy them.

Ultimately to me it just boils down to whether you think people who don't work and are on disability should be treated like everyone else. Yes the money isn't coming from a job but people should be entitled to use it how they want to- and in fact if they are good with their money and save enough to acquire whatever asset they want, that's also a pretty good thing in my books.

bsp77 posted...

I apologize if it seemed I was making light of TC, disability or aspergers. Wasn't my intention, but I didn't use nearly enough words to explain my point, so it seemed flippant. So I am sorry.

I would say that I think that the requirement that people collecting disability cash not work hurts people with conditions like aspergers that use the program. It creates this trap where there is a massive disincentive to engaging in personal growth/

Atralis posted...

I would say that I think that the requirement that people collecting disability cash not work hurts people with conditions like aspergers that use the program. It creates this trap where there is a massive disincentive to engaging in personal growth/

Work and personal growth aren't the same thing at all. I was working as a janitor a few months ago, would you call that growing?

Anyway the subject of conversation seems to have changed...

Atralis posted...

I would say that I think that the requirement that people collecting disability cash not work hurts people with conditions like aspergers that use the program. It creates this trap where there is a massive disincentive to engaging in personal growth/

Yeah, it seems a part time job could go along with disability to help people get back on their feet. I have to be careful not to say too much because I will get modded again. I just simply don't think of what I have as a disability. Now I know people with various diagnoses aren't all the same as each other. But I put a lot into my personal growth and more than anything I want others to be happy. I don't want people to be like since I have a diagnosis of "x", I can't get what I want out of life. That might sometimes be true, but not always.