Disabled Recipients of Social Security Fund Face Hefty Benefits Cut

[SheilaT]

28. About eight or nine years ago I worked part time

for an attorney who did SSDI appeals cases. I learned a lot about SSDI. One that the benefit is far less than most people realize, because most people who go on disability are relatively young, haven't paid in a whole heck of a lot, and so don't have a big benefit built up. Another is that the vast majority of them really would rather be working.

My attorney had one client who was her own worst enemy, because she really couldn't work consistently. But she'd get a job, do okay for maybe a couple of months, then things would go bad and she couldn't work. But it looked more (to someone who didn't really look closely at her actual medical history) like someone who was trying to game the system by working, then not working and trying to get disability.

Other people had truly tragic stories, and more than one was homeless.

Someone who has never had any health issues (and I'm one of those) can find it far too easy to think someone else is faking, or gaming the system, or not really that bad off. I remind myself how incredibly fortunate I am to be healthy.

I can also add that some people do think it's pretty easy to go on disability. I had a co-worker at my last job who does have various health issues, but she is able to work. She's about 52, and sometimes she'd tell me that sometimes she thought she'd just go on disability. I could never quite get her to understand that it's not going to happen unless she really, really can't work, and even then there will be a period of time to get it approved, and she'd be taking home significantly less money than she does now. And because she's so young, she'd have two years before Medicare kicks in. No, if you really can work it's usually better to do so.