Social Security Disability

[Major Tom]

My wife worked for 30+ years then retired. Twelve years later she suffered a terrible accident and had both knees replaced, right hip replaced, three serious infections in those surgeries and cannot walk more than 50 yards without a walker and cannot stand for any length of time. So, she went to get S.S. disability. She was told "absolutely no"! Why? Because she hadn't worked in the last 5 years. A neighbor's spouse, who had never worked, got S.S. disability. Something is terribly wrong with this!? Like people on welfare who have never worked live better than people who do work!

[k arga]

Have you talked to a lawyer seem like everyone gets turned down the first time, you have to keep trying.

[shadycon]

Yes, get a lawyer. 2nd time worked for use.

[dryheat]

I will never forget meeting a friends friend whose daughter did so much drugs that she was "disabled". She bought and sold expensive antiques. Her house was fabulous.

[Vern Humphrey]

My wife worked for 30+ years then retired. Twelve years later she suffered a terrible accident and had both knees replaced, right hip replaced, three serious infections in those surgeries and cannot walk more than 50 yards without a walker and cannot stand for any length of time. So, she went to get S.S. disability. She was told "absolutely no"! Why? Because she hadn't worked in the last 5 years. A neighbor's spouse, who had never worked, got S.S. disability. Something is terribly wrong with this!? Like people on welfare who have never worked live better than people who do work!

Social Security was meant to create a slush fund for the Government, not to serve the people.

[Gun Smoke]

Social Security was meant to create a slush fund for the Government, not to serve the people.

I thought that was what property taxes, gasoline taxes, tobacco taxes, liquor taxes, the global warming farce, and "the general fund" was for.

[Vern Humphrey]

I thought that was what property taxes, gasoline taxes, tobacco taxes, liquor taxes, the global warming farce, and "the general fund" was for.

But Social Security is different in that it was SUPPOSED to be held in a trust fund, where the government couldn't get at it.

[togor]

Social Security was meant to create a slush fund for the Government, not to serve the people.

"...meant to...." wrong.

When the fund had positive cash inflow, what to do with it? Buy stocks? Government picking winners and losers in the market? SS trust fund being at risk every time the market crashes? No. Clearly a bad idea.

So....safe boring investment....US Treasury Bonds.

When the government runs a budget deficit, the fact that SS taxes are being used to buy treasuries, amounts to that money getting spent on other things, in exchange for IOUs.

Is it a problem or just the way things are?

BTW, now the flow is in the other direction. Net outflow, with cash coming from the Federal Reserve, Quantitative Easing, which is fancy language for: The Fed buys government bonds with money it just created for that purpose, bookkeeping a debt from the government back to the Fed.

If someone ever figures out a scheme, plausible enough to try, whereby the US government can default on its obligations to the Fed without anyone supposedly noticing, then look out! All bets off then.

[S.A. Boggs]

My wife worked for 30+ years then retired. Twelve years later she suffered a terrible accident and had both knees replaced, right hip replaced, three serious infections in those surgeries and cannot walk more than 50 yards without a walker and cannot stand for any length of time. So, she went to get S.S. disability. She was told "absolutely no"! Why? Because she hadn't worked in the last 5 years. A neighbor's spouse, who had never worked, got S.S. disability. Something is terribly wrong with this!? Like people on welfare who have never worked live better than people who do work!

Having worked with clients who eventually got the SSDI you will need a lawyer who will charge 40% off of the settlement. I NEVER had a client who got it straight off and I attended a load of hearings with them. The goal of the "judge" is to find legal ways not to pay out.
Sam

[togor]

Disability is welfare in some areas.

[Vern Humphrey]

Having worked with clients who eventually got the SSDI you will need a lawyer who will charge 40% off of the settlement. I NEVER had a client who got it straight off and I attended a load of hearings with them. The goal of the "judge" is to find legal ways not to pay out.
Sam

So you always need a lawyer -- who takes a whopping cut. And the judge is a lawyer.

I wonder if there's a connection?

[Sandpebble]

My wife worked for 30+ years then retired. Twelve years later she suffered a terrible accident and had both knees replaced, right hip replaced, three serious infections in those surgeries and cannot walk more than 50 yards without a walker and cannot stand for any length of time. So, she went to get S.S. disability. She was told "absolutely no"! Why? Because she hadn't worked in the last 5 years. A neighbor's spouse, who had never worked, got S.S. disability. Something is terribly wrong with this!? Like people on welfare who have never worked live better than people who do work!

Tom I'm a little confused ...wife retired after 30+ years you say .

Retired on Social Security ? That's not clear in your post .

Disability is what you get if you can no longer work before reaching retirement age . If you collect disability you can't collect social security, and vice versa .

If your wife can't collect disability then she can collect Social Security right? .... there is no double dipping on this one

[RED]

My wife worked for 30+ years then retired. Twelve years later she suffered a terrible accident and had both knees replaced, right hip replaced, three serious infections in those surgeries and cannot walk more than 50 yards without a walker and cannot stand for any length of time. So, she went to get S.S. disability. She was told "absolutely no"! Why? Because she hadn't worked in the last 5 years. A neighbor's spouse, who had never worked, got S.S. disability. Something is terribly wrong with this!? Like people on welfare who have never worked live better than people who do work!

A lawyer is a MUST if you want the benefits. Here is an example: My mother in law was ordered into the LA insane asylum by a judge when she was 59 years old, and yes, she was as crazy as a bat. We felt sorry for her and and made a deal where we would move her to MO and signed an agreement that she would never return to LA. The first thing we did was apply for her SS disability. She was denied and the SS admin said she should get a job... Hello she had already been declared insane in a court. So we appealed and lost. Nobody ever told us to get a lawyer and she was denied and died from dementia at 62 in a nursing home and never drew a single dollar of SS although she paid nto the system for 25 years.

Folks that is how Socialism works.

[Major Tom]

Sam, sent yu a message but your box is full.

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Tom I'm a little confused ...wife retired after 30+ years you say .

Retired on Social Security ? That's not clear in your post .

Disability is what you get if you can no longer work before reaching retirement age . If you collect disability you can't collect social security, and vice versa .

If your wife can't collect disability then she can collect Social Security right? .... there is no double dipping on this one

She is well under the age for appying for S.S. She should be able to get disability until she applies for S.S. Right?

[twh]

The system was originally set up so most people would die before they ever reached retirement age and that’s why the eligibility age was set at 65 to start with. If you retire early and draw Social Security at less than your full retirement amount and then you can qualify for disability that caused you to retire early, the practical effect is that you then draw your full amount as if you had retired at the correct age. After you reach retirement age and if you are drawing your full benefit that’s all you get you don’t get both. SSDI is different from regular SS retirement in that you effectively pay for coverage as part of the amount that’s cut out of your income for SS taxes. It is effectively an insurance premium and you have to have paid into it for so many quarters within the last, I think it’s five years but don’t quote me, or else your “coverage” lapses and you are ineligible. SSI is the welfare part of the SS system in that it’s a gimme. If you are disabled and never worked enough to qualify for SSDI, and fit within certain asset guidelines you can get a check. No matter what you draw once you reach retirement age it’s all classified as SS retirement which is part of a shell game to pretend it all comes out of regular SS retirement and not draw attention to the fact of how much is paid out to those who never paid into the system.

This is grossly oversimplified but the gyst is that the system punishes those that work and become disabled, rewards those that are generally sorry and never worked and is designed with the hope that you die without ever drawing a dime.