How Can I Stay Afloat While Waiting for Social Security Disability Benefits?

I am not very good at putting mouth to word and/or expressing my feelings on how people feel. But i do want to say, I am sorry for all of your misfortunes. I have read some very sad and disheartening life stories here on this page, and can honestly say it makes me sick to my stomach how the government can throw us away as if we DO not exist. It's like David and Goliath, other than that was straight up look each other in the eye battle. WE are not in that period, but David still stood up for what he thought was right and made a choice. We don't need to knock the giant down as he did, only open the eyes. Lets group together and form our community of impoverished Americans. Lets bring in family names, culture, history and what our ancestors before us have contributed to this country and what the tyrants would consider a handout now. These tyrants did not consider lives, families or the homes that our family have fought and died for (or even lived without on return from battle for their country) in the name of their SO called country. I say "Cash me out from all I HAVE PAID for the rich to get richer. Taxes originated to bring us together as far as making our country strong and to protect in the name of ALL, But it is screwed up how many loop holes have been implemented for the top corporations and the rich to create more jobs. Nobody put exclamation mark on where and who would be doing these jobs, or if they even could do these jobs. I am not gonna go into the stats of shipping our jobs and companies across borders/oceans because I want you to read the rest of this without seeing through your tears. The definition of one means "a person of a specified kind"..We have not been chosen that kind, only been born or to have been handed the liability that has been chosen for us, for which our government does not seem to care for even half full. Let us build our own TRUE united in truth and SOUL. Be together for those of us who need the inner peace and solace of family we no longer have, government we can not trust. Push the government for what they owe and what they have made us pay in our losses, poverty and their genuine face masking of what is suppose to be the best of the best country in the world. Lets push. Lets become a community. I can live with you, love you and support you. God Bless.

I'm disability pending, been waiting since end of November 2016, have been on disability once before n had to appeal twice n I have had nothing other than working to stay afloat, my condition is a rare genetic disorder called Fabry disease, I have a missing enzyme from a mutated chromosome that I received from my mother who is a carrier of the disorder, it can build fatty tissues around major organs and joint to the point of shut down, any ailment is also affect more so than the average person, with that said it also affects not only physical but mental and emotional as well, I am also diagnosed with rage control issues and anger problems which before medication, which I can hardly afford while pending and not working since that could interfere with my elligilability for the claim to begin with, and also been diagnosed with bi polar disorder and a few mood altering disorders as well which are also affected along with the natural chemical imbalances I have, and with the age the symptoms get worse without treatment, and enzyme replacement therapy and medication is extremely expensive, I've reapplied and awaiting an answer, social security has all medical records, hospitalizations, in patient treatment at a mental health facility and also therapy at a different mental health facility, other than an attorney, what can I do to make money without limited hours of a SGA or being denied as I am disabled and have been since a child, anything helps.

Hello, I was finally diagnosis with Lupus and frybromylgia severe IBS, oppceptial nurialgia, my body is eating my Vitamin D destroyed my teeth now i have to have them removed due to infections, my hip is bone on bone with bone spurs, I have a walker which is to heavy for me to lift, I have a walking stick but my hip locks up and I fall. I have a lawyer but I feel that their unless I'm going on my 3rd filing. I stress and than I'm sick. I'm on major pain pills and can't drive cause I don't want to hurt anyone.

Why does it take so long to get social security disability? They almost always deny people on the first try and now I have to wait for a hearing which is 18 months! Basically they are calling me a liar right off the bat. There dr I went to was a joke! Only yes and no questions which don't work because my spinal problem is variable! I have had 2 surgeries and and the last one made it worse. I tried to explain and she wouldn't let me. How can you find out how someone feels if U won't let them explain it?? I worked my but off averaging $50 an hr and paying $650 a monthchild support and had no write offs. I payed plent taxes and into SS as well. I will lose everything in 2 months. Welfare doesn't give much and takes time. What do we do? Turn into thiefs? Scam everyone? Kill ourself? Lie and con people? No im not going to do any of this but U get what I'm saying. Paid all those taxes and they aren't there for us. This system is a joke. No one cares. Everyone who works there is out to deny you not help U! Disgusting!

I tore 2 of my 4 hamstrings completely in two and a third one almost in two. When this happened it also ripped the vessels and nerves running through these muscles in two. I have a lot of problems with blood return in both legs and alot of numbness, parasthesia and pain in my legs. I also have a lot of back, pelvis and leg/knee pain because of the anatomical differences now for proper posture. My savings is gone. I don't know when I will get my hearing yet. I cashed out my 401k while waiting to get an attorney. I contacted my attorney and she told me I can donate plasma to have means to buy some food and pay a bill or two. You can make about $400 per month in this state donating plasma. I hope this helps.

I am a retired Service Member with over 24 years of active duty, I am 90% disabled according to the VA. I am currently working part time at the post office. I want to stop working as the work is not good for my disabilities, but every bit of money helps. My wife does not work due to her own disabilities and we are trying to get her on to SSDI as well. I am supporting our family by myself, and being out of work will hurt us financially. Can I continue to work the 8-16 hours per week while the claim is being processed. The only time I work longer hours (and I am down for almost a month after) is the holiday season when I work almost 60 hours a week. I will not make over the $1,170 a month just working the 8-16 hours a week. But like I said every bit helps.

I have been diagnosed with bi-polar depression with high anxiety, panic attacks, ulcer, HBP as well as other issues. I am also about to lose my property to go along with the insurance, money, and sanity I have lost. Countless doctor visits, experimentation of meds have left me with no choice but suicide after Disability denials and no help, time has run out on me. I am a failure. Research has been done biblicly and emotionally and I about to make it happened within a few weeks, enough time to give some more items aways. The only relief I get is knowing this pain will be gone for good soon, no more bill collecting threatening phone calls, letters in the mail etc. My purpose has evidently been served on this earth.

I am so sorry you are going through a horrid time and you are right "all our lives we work and now that we become disabled we get no help. I have osteo in my left knee and had maniscus removed,anyway find it so hard to walk or stand at long period of time. The disability lawyer said that I could not work while waiting for disability. Are these people for real?!! What do they expect you to live on.
I pray something good has come your way by now. God blessings to you..

I left a comment last time I was here but I can't find it now. So i'm reposting.
My husband had been fighting for his SSI for nearly 10yrs. Partially because the first 6 yrs the doctors had miss diagnosed him. Once he had the correct diagnosis it took another 4 yrs to get approved. He was finally approved for SSI in Oct 2016. We are still waiting for his benefits to start. They claim that it's taking so long because he was one of the last "paper cases" they did and they are changing it to a "digital case". At first they said it should be finished by the end of November, then they said at the end of December now they are not even giving us a time frame. In fact they said that all the caseworkers were booked with appointments and had no time to work on actual cases. So we asked if we could make and appt. to see his caseworker. They said that the caseworkers don't make appts to see people whose disability has been approved. So what do we do now? I myself got approved for my SSD/ SSI back in augest and was recieveing payments just from SSD because even though me and my husband were not legally married they consider us a couple and are combining our income. Is there any legal action we can take against that office for taking so long to just get his benefits started? He hasn't even recieved any back pay. He was seeing a therapist through the state for his mental disorder, but since he was approved and eligable for medicaid he didn't qualify for the state help. But he can't actually get medicaid until SS finishes up his case and begins his payments. So now he can't get the medical treatment he needs, nor is he getting any insurance coverage or any other SSI benefits that he has owed to him. They have literally made it to where he can not get treatment for his disability. So once again is there any legal action we can take? We have tried to work with them and they have actually said they don't have the time. That's not our problem but it is putting us in financial ruin and his condition has steadily gotten worse since he was forced to stop treatment.

I have 4 chronic illnesses. Ive been denied twice, now waiting for a court date.
Ive sat here and read some of these comments and it makes me sick to my stomach. Im 47 and ive worked since I was 15.
Ive been off work for a year and a half now, luckily I have help financially from my boyfriend.
But what bites my ass is that myself, all these people on here and millions of others have busted there asses paying taxes so they can have these benefits if needed someday. And they make people go thru the wringer and wait for years to get anything. But by god if you owe them something they want it right now.
Good luck to everyone on here.
Rant over.

I have been out of work for a year and a half Ben denied twice waiting two see the ALJ for a decision can get anything because my wife makes a little over for me to get anything I have both medical and mental illness going on right now I have been waiting for 11 months and have been told that I might have 18 to 24 to go I don't know what to do I have a attorney but it's hard to get into and I have to wait 10 days just to talk to her plus if I wait that long I going to have nothing don't know what to do And both my dr will not fill at my RFC forms they don't want to get involved so I guess I am stuck I have paid into ssa for years and this is what I get can't take anymore

These wait times are rediculous And something should be done. Im in pain and cannot work. Nor can I get unemployment. The burden has been place opon my family who really cannot afford it. No one should wait months or even years for benifits. I paid into my benifits for over twenty years. Goverment needs to step in an find out what the problem is and do something about it.

I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure AND Cardiomyopathy. I was put into the ICU with my heart pumping at 10% it has improved but only to 35% I'm home now but my cardiologist says I can't work. I was DENIED then filed an appeal with a lawyer and DENIED again. Now filed for a hearing in January but don't seem to be getting anywhere. I've never even met my lawyer he is horrible. What can I do? I have an 11, 9, 8, and 1 year old. I'm a single mother with no income. I really need need help.

I have been sick most my life but has gotten. Worse and worse to the point where I have everything I have filed over and over again and have had a lawyer for a few years now who keeps saying we are waiting it has been over two years since any response back from SS my lawyer keeps saying I have to wait I'm sorry u can't hear me crying but this is literally going to kill me I need this more then anything right now I have waited and been patient but I can't hang on much long please help I want allow myself to live another year unless I get the state to help me.

So sad to see there are so many others just like me. 2006 broke c-6 with spinal cord damage. Told i couldn't work again I file for disability. Denied about lost everything we worked for so I went back to work against Dr's orders. Broke my back in 2009 filed again cause now I'm in even worse shape. Denied got attorney waited forever lost most of what we had found out I needed another surgery on my neck because I had blown out more disc in my spinal cord when I went back to work against Dr's orders the first time. Started getting bad on pain pills cause I was having to work to keep my family f t on bein homeless. Attorney filed appeal waited 13 months and went back to wrk again. I can't let my kids have nothing I'll die working first. Injured neck again and need more surgery. I'm currently not working and have a disability hearing hopefully in next 6 mos. Has been 14 months since appeal. I worked long enough last time for wife to finish school. Barely making it now but think I'm screwed cause of returning to work no attorney for hearing can't find one in area yo help.

I've lost everything. I've been waiting since 2013 now we're taking it to federal court. I have Copd, PTSD, Seizures, manic depression ,anxiety, panic attacks, I've been denied now I'm on oxygen I was married 33yrs and my 2 grandkids living with us will my husband left me last year couldn't handle the stress of everything anymore the kids are now with there dad's . you talk about ask for help there is None I tried everything I could I had no children to go to a shelter they were for women with kids. and the ones who would was only for daily and I have my cat of 8 yrs old . I was forced to sell all my belongings to try to stay alive this past winter. as far as your family you really find out just how close you really are when u fall .I never inmage this would ever happen to me after I have worked my whole life waiting to get back what I put paid into . yes my husband & I took out my 401k we did it all . This is crazy. Yet I've talked to ppl who's gotten disability for being on drugs and only in their 20s and ppl who's never ever worked . This is not fair!!!!! Why are those who need it the most who can't work haveing so many problems getting disabilities getting their disability?? And why is it taken almost 5 yrs and you have a lawyer? ??And you lost everything

In Jan I got sick I east out of work do 6 months. More medical issues arose in me which made it clear I could by return to work. Since then I have applied for my disablity. With no I come except my wife's disability. I've been the down for food stamp Medicaid any other give assistance. I'm at at loose ends. Car have to sell out personol possession to stay afloat. We are still at loose ends

I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis in late 2015. I lost my job when the bosses found out I would need to be off a lot for frequent test needed. I tried to find employment but my boyfriend had to have a Triple Bypass surgery and had a stroke while pretesting. I had to spend several months getting him through his health crisis. By the time I was able to concentrate on me I was also diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylosis. Which pretty much meant I would never get better just progressively worse. I now have severe pain and swelling all over, disc space narrowing in all of my back except 6 vertebra with spinal cord compression. I have lost everything I worked so hard for. I'm 49 and have been working since I was 16. I put myself through school and worked to raise my son. I have lost my home, my car, pawned or sold everything I had of value. I have nothing left and living with my boyfriend but I feel like I'm weighting him down to the point of possibly losing him too. I filed for disability a year and four months ago but was denied. I have a lawyer, I saw him once. I gave him all my records plus three letters from doctors describing my disability. When I call to check all I get is "it takes 2 years to get court date" nothing else. I still have a year to wait because I didn't apply right away. I can't wait another year. I haven't paid any bills in eight months, have had three lawsuits filed against me. I don't even have the money to file for bankruptcy. I can't get food stamps or gov assistants because my boyfriend owns his own business, but he can't afford to feed me, cloth me and pay all the bills at home and then pay my bills as well. I am at the end of my rope, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

No need to reply to this But its taking so long to get help I will be long gone by the time I do . I thought I lived in a great country that took care of there own but I was wrong . I paid into a system my whole life and now I need that system to help me and they say "sir these things take time " lol time im short on I told her and she hung up on me said I was being rude . Go figure haha on me as I sit here in so much pain for disability that I havent slept in 2 days .

Im encountering the same but its my age also im 37 was in a car accident this year and it made my back worse. I had a car accident in 2014 had surgery didnt work but lived w/it. Now this year in feb i had another accident lost my job car Healthcare n afraid to lose my house my bills r through the roof. I got denied I need help soooo bad I got a disability attorney thank hod i didnt hv to pay. With my back getting worse n the company not willing to pay my claim i hv no idea when imma get anything if i do. Im just ready to gv up i do hv a part time job but its not enough my parents hv helped sooo much i cnt ask them i feel soooo embrassed n useless i cnt tk care of myself. My condition went from bad to extremely worse imma need a 3 level fusion. I try soooo hard to keep my head up but in reality i just can't with the pain and the stressim going crazy.. i just need to find a way to pay my house get a little food and my utilities because 200 a week is not doing it at all...

I have been waiting for over 2 years. I was denied the first time. I appealed and was denied again. It finally went before the ALJ in June and was approved. I took a job in 2016 and worked 6 months. I was fired because I was in the hospital 5 times during my employment. In 2017 I took another job and was there for 2 months but again was in the hospital 2 times in those 2 months. I have stage 4 kidney disease and have chronic and severe pain. I also have chronic and sometimes severe anemia. I had to agree to change my application date from 7/2015 to 3/2017. So I was only getting retroactive pay back to March of this year. I was under the impression that it took 1-2 months from the time of approval until I received my first payment. Today I found out they withhold 5 months (there goes the back pay that was going to help me catch up on my bills) and that I would not receive anything until October. October. I am packing up my belongings and hoping I can find a place to store them. I have to leave my house. My car will be repossessed. My credit cards are behind. I can't buy food. I have been a nurse for 31 years and all I wanted to do was work and pull my own weight. But I can't anymore. I get severe kidney infections and end up in the hospital for a week at a time. I was in the hospital 7 times in 2016 and 3 times thus far in 2017. I don't know what to do. I was told I could work as long as I don't make more than $1000 per month. But now I read it taking a risk doing any kind of work. I don't know what to do. With any luck at all I'll fall asleep and not wake up. I wonder if the Soc Sec Admin's plan is to cause so much stress that I'll die of a heart attack and then they don't have to pay. Brilliant!

I have high blood pressure.diabetic 2, bad back lower,had. 3 elbow surgerys15 yrs ago ,bad knee,still trying to work filed for disability 2003 turned down .like everybody else got bills to pay.my dr tells me to keep pushing myself to work and i go to pain mangement.please give me some.advise how to try to get help with disability claim ty

Concerning about 1,170 a month that you can earn each month while claiming for disability is that before or after taxes?

I've been waiting for SSI for 2010 appeal after an appeal after an appeal I had an attorney out of Santa Barbara California that only has a 24% acceptance rate but my appeal shows she did not do what was in the power of the law of the federal SSI assistance I'm in my last appeal gone to Virginia it's been 30 days I am so tired of being homeless and having to eat out of trash cans I work in the state of California for over 35 years and paid in my taxes and my social security benefits for me to have to live out of trash cans at the age of 56 and now my pancreas and liver or deteriorating I'm ashamed to say that I'm an American hopeless

I filed a case for social security a couple years back while in Florida. I recently moved to Michigan so I had to get another law firm to take my case. I was just notified by them that since I am working I should withdraw my claim and file again when I stop working. Only reason I am working now is because I have court appointed child support and of course unless you are getting SSI they are not going to stop enforcement on my case I learned that the hard way. So I have to work to avoid going to jail but I am in constant pain and my orthopedic surgeon is the person who recommended i should not be working. What should I do? Thanks!