Don't Let the Name Fool You, Social Security is Anything But

I used to think that Social Security was something good; I felt good seeing it come out of my paychecks. The statements I received saying how much I would get when I retired or became disabled were comforting. I thought it was a safety net that could be counted on. After all - it is portrayed as security insurance for the elderly and the infirm.

That was before I became disabled.

When I filed for Social Security Disability I soon discovered that being honestly too sick to work has nothing to do with collecting Social Security Disability. Social Security Disability is all about legal definitions which have little to do with your ability to work.

I stopped being able to work almost two years ago. Mind you, I kept trying. I just kept getting "let go" - for too many sick days, for going to the ER the first week of a new job, concern over employer liability due to loss of consciousness on the job, and employer concerns about the number of pills I had to take to bear the pain of standing for hours among many others.

I have seizures, likely from the large number of head injuries I have suffered. But seizures are not my major problem; I've worked with occasional seizures for almost 20 years. I also have fibromyalgia, a benign brain tumor, autoimmune hypothyroid disease, and fevers of unknown origin which at times reach higher than 105. When I get feverish, I feel like I've been hit by a train - I also feel drunk and sometimes pass out or have a seizure. Some doctors think it might be lupus or another autoimmune disease, others that it might be a neurological issue. I won't go into an explanation of fibromyalgia, but let's just say it doesn't make things any easier. All of these problems have been documented by physicians who collectively agree that I need to not have these problems before I'll be able to get back to work.

So it sounds like I'd have a shoe in for collecting Social Security Disability Insurance - at least until some of these issues get fixed, right? Not at all.

The Social Security Administration arranged for me to have a psychiatric evaluation. This was because one or more of my doctors had written that I had PTSD in my records. The evaluation showed that I can still function socially if in an impaired manner and that I am not mentally retarded. I also can still bend and move around despite my fibromyalgia. Thus my application for Social Security Disability was denied.

No physical examination, no consideration for the actual problem - the disabling fevers and accompanying weakness and loss of consciousness - just a mental evaluation. Because the fibromyalgia and my mental state don't prevent work, I must be able to work. Apparently this is because my fevers don't have a name that meets some criteria for collecting SSDI.

This is not unusual. Two-thirds of people who apply for Social Security Disability get denied one or more times. The average wait time for a Social Security Disability appeal is around 500 days. Some die first. Others become homeless in the process, drowning under hospital bills and living costs while unable to work. Since the first denial usually takes about six months, this brings it to about two years from when the person was last able to work to the date of their appeal hearing. Not many people have two years worth of savings to live on.

Then the catch 22 comes in. You will automatically be denied Social Security Disability if you have no new information at the time of your appeal. You must continue to be under a doctor's care. Without money or medical insurance, with no way to pay for a doctor you must somehow be under a doctor's care to successfully appeal a Social Security Disability denial.

I don't really want to be on Social Security Disability, I just want some assistance so I can afford to see a doctor and get well enough to go back to work as a florist. Well, since being unable to consistently remain standing, stay lucid, or dependably remain conscious aren't considered disabilities, I must be employable, right? Most employers do not agree.

So you see why I've been trying to survive on a freelance writing income.

Social Security, my ass.