Still Swimming Upstream

All week I've been playing phone tag with a nice sounding lady named Dee (not really but her name does begin with a 'D") from the local Social Security Office. When we eventually hooked up the conversation went something like this...

Dee: The Teenager has been approved for presumptive social security disability.
Me: What is presumptive Social Security disability?
Dee: She will receive SSI checks for 6 months until the medical committee decides to approve her or deny her.
Me: It takes 6 months to do that?
Dee: No. It never takes that long to decide.
Me: Huh?
Dee: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Me: I can't imagine her not qualifying with an IQ of 46, epilepsy, glaucoma and cerebral palsy...
Dee: Which is why she is gong to receive presumptive social security disability for 6 months. I need to review the information with you now and make sure nothing has changed since September.


What the heck? Did I accidentally write "nomad" instead of whitey under the race space?

(nomad (nō`măd'), one of a group of people without fixed habitation, especially pastoralists.)

What could have changed in a few weeks? Obviously we have a very boring stable lifestyle.

When I recently attended the Sparc2011 conference the guardian advocacy lady and I really hit it off and spent a great deal of time after her lecture swapping war stories. Our conversation eventually veered towards the social security fiasco parents encounter when applying for their special needs 18 year olds. I told her briefly about my encounter with Johnny.

"I have 6 different friends who have recently applied for SSI for their disabled child and all 6 have different, horrifying stories. If you didn't know better you would think all 6 were applying at 6 different, unrelated agencies." she stated.

True dat.

Dee: When The teenager turns 18...
Me: She is already 18. I have clearly indicated this on the original application that was not an application and when I was face to face with J-O-H-N-N-Y. She is already 18.
Dee: She is! Why she was 18 when you were in the office in September!
Me: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Dee: So this has nothing to do with your income then.
Me: Exactly, which is what I tried to explain to J-O-H-N-N-Y in September.

Johnny who asked me if I had a savings account and how much was in it and if i had a safe at home and how much was in it and did i have money stored in non-traditional places like under my mattress?

The Sparc2011 lady totally flipped out at this question. "Do not answer that! He has no legal right to ask you this!" Boy was she mad.

But too late at that point. Already answered.

Like I would actually put paper money under a mattresses with the dog who loves to pee on furniture? And converting to coin would seem like way too much trouble. I think if I had any money I would just use a bank...

Dee: So....she's already 18. Then this will be simple.
Me: uh-oh.
Dee: Does The Teenager own her own home?
Me: No.
Dee: Does she have a car, if so what is the value? Does she have any stocks, bonds, savings worth over $2,000?
Me: No.
Dee: Ok. So let's talk about the amount she will be receiving. She will be receiving $400 a month.
Me: Ok.
Dee: She is receiving $400.00 because she lives with you and you are supplying her needs so we deduct food and shelter from the amount she would normally get.
Me: Huh? So if she had her own apartment she would receive almost $700.00?
Dee: Yes.
Me: But since she is not able to be employed and I am supporting her that doesn't make sense.
Dee: When you start receiving her checks you can go to the Social Security office and bring proof of mortgage, food expenses, etc and they will consider giving her the full amount. But you have to have already begun receiving the presumptive disability checks to apply for her full amount. Your presumptive disability check should arrive in 5 days. If she is approved in 6 months by the medical committee then you will receive an additional check for the month of September but only if she is approved.
Me: Thank you for clarifying that.

Ever feel like you're sinking because the life boat has a big hole in it?
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