Posted by softheprairie on September 19, 2008, at 21:31:29
In reply to Re: Disability benefits? » softheprairie, posted by Maria01 on September 19, 2008, at 10:40:15
> Thank you so much for your reply...very helpful information!
Aww thanks. I hope others may chime in if knowledgeable...
> I'm presently employed part-time, but barely. My boss blew up at me for a simple oversight, and I blew up in kind. I would love to resign, but I'm single with no other household income source, so if I were to resign, I would literally be homeless in weeks. =(
>I was (and am) also single and living by myself/no other income. The financial nighmare while waiting for disability benefits was also very negatively impacting my mental health. I also feared having to give up my modest home (which I was able to get while I had a normal job, thru a home-ownership program of my city's for people who didn't make a lot). My Mom had offered that I could move back in with her, so at least that was something, but she ended up giving me money to get thru, and I cashed out IRAs and my modest deferred compensation, which I really couldn't have afforded to have in the first place, but mostly put away during the time when I was incurring debt that led to my bankruptcy, even tho I was living modestly, my income was below that. I was psychiatrically hospitalized during that waiting period, but they were disappointing and just a few days at a time.
> I called County Mental Health and got, well, the County Run-Around. Theoretically, you go to the office nearest your home. In my case, the nearest office is way out in the boondocks relative to my home. Sooo...I asked if I could be seen at the office closest to my employer and school; it's literally blocks away from both. Very close. That threw them into a bureaucratic tizzy that they are still trying to resolve. I'm supposedly going to get an answer today. I have no insurance, so I'm stuck with going thru the County. I haven't heard a lot of positive things about mental health services in my county, so I'm not fully convinced it's the most effective route.
>
My county's program isn't very good either. I've tried them a little bit. The only reason I don't have to go there is that my mother is currently paying for my insurance to continue with my former employer's plan under COBRA provisions. To view the county program charitably, tho, they aren't funded enough to do all that they're called upon to do.
> My T is a MFT(CA and some other states have this license for Master's level providers) so she can't authorize either short-term or long-term disability. She can recommend it, but another practitioner will actually have to do the paperwork...*sigh*
>I don't think our providers can authorize any benefit themselves, but the govt. (or private company's) disability determiners take the provider's reports seriously.
> At any rate, I'm hoping to be seen today and to get some direction as to the next step. I also have a T appointment this afternoon as well.
>If you want, tell us how the appt(s) went!
> I really want to thank you for your response; I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into it and I really appreciate it. I will try to get a copy of the Nolo publication you have...those Nolo guides are great!
>
> Thanks again! =):) Yes, I relied heavily on the Nolo series of books for both the Soc. Sec. Disability and for my bankruptcy.
poster:softheprairie
thread:852760
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080906/msgs/853016.html