My wife and I have been battling SSI for a long time now. Maybe someone on here can give us a straight answer. My wife has Stargardt disease and was diagnosed at the age of 7. She has never worked because fine print and detailed qualifications are hard for her. It is hard for her to recognize anyone from 8 feet away. She is now 25 and every time we apply we get rejected due to my income. I currently make $48,000 but I pay all the bills, which the majority I had before we got married. I carry insurance for both of us which only keeps going up. In addition to that, I am going to have to start paying my school loan back in the beginning of the year and we have a baby due in March. Is there anything we can do to get support, especially since she was diagnosed as being blind before she even turned 10?
Hi there, I am sorry, but due to your high income, your wife will not be able to receive SSI benefits. SSI benefits are need-based, and since she lives in a higher-income household, she is not seen as needy by the SSA. The current maximum income to qualify for SSI is $1,082 per month for a couple. Best of luck.
My husband diagnosed with stargardt disease about 14 years ago but the years go by his vision is getting worse. Can he collect ssd benefits and still be working what he does over 20 years of experience.
In reply to My husband diagnosed with by Griselda (not verified)
Hi Griselda,
He cannot work and earn more than around $1800 per month if he is approved for blindness.
He will be approved for SSDI benefits if his vision is 20/200 or worst in his best eye. Keep in mind that this is WITH contacts, glasses, etc. If his corrective lenses can improve his vision to better than 20/200, then he will not qualify.
In reply to Hi Griselda, by D (not verified)
We went to apply for my husband for ssd benefits. Because he has stargard eyes disease and his monthly gross is $1400 not enough for family of 4.he can't get onother job b/c of his vision is bad.doctor has him registered not able to work and his eyes are conic . And the person who did my paper work said he adumactly will be denied because he is still working. I told her he being working there over 15 years he knows his ruteen . We'll that what I got told she said. But anyways I am putting the application for both ssi and ssd.so I want to know if I was wondering if she gave me the wrong information she said her specialty was doing ssi application.
In reply to We went to apply for my by Griselda (not verified)
Hi there,
He could still qualify if he is legally blind and making $1400 per month. People with vision loss have more leniency when applying for disability benefits. He definitely will not qualify for SSI because he makes too much money, but he could potentially qualify for SSDI if his vision is worse than 20/200 in his better eye, after using corrective lenses or contacts.
If u get SSDI can u continue to drive
In reply to If u get SSDI can u continue by Anonymous (not verified)
Hi there,
In most cases, sure, but it will of course depend on your disability. If you were approved for back pain and stated that you cannot sit for more than 10 minutes, it would seem pretty suspicious to be driving all around town. On the other hand, if you were approved for depression, there would be no physical reason that would stop you from being able to drive. It just all depends on what your actual disability is.
My wife was diagnosed with stargarts at 12.... Now 33 I could not exchange her love for the world! Tell her that she needs to do what she can do......my wife is a LMT becouse she knows she is intuitive though her Lack of one cence, so touch is her gateway to be her self! FYI she has never fought for SSI. She is A stubborn ass all to hell! , But we are hurting. I feel like she should get some comp. know anything about back compensation?
In reply to My wife was diagnosed with by Anonymous (not verified)
Hi there,
She could medically qualify, but are you earning income? If you are making more than $1,130 per month, she will not qualify for SSI benefits.
I believe I do know the answer but I will ask anyway.I also have Starguardts disease and with corrective lenses my vision is still worse then 20/200 doctor says I shouldn't be working anymore I should any for disability benefits.Can I do this while I continue to work?Also is my husbands income going to come into consideration in determine if I qualify? If I cannot work while waiting for the decision I will fall behind and loose my home.What do I do?Thank you for any info.
In reply to I believe I do know the by Laura (not verified)
Hi Laura,
Yes, you can apply for disability benefits while still working. Also, your husband's income would only be considered if you are applying for needs based benefits (called SSI). Since you have a work history, you may want to apply for SSDI benefits, which are based off of your work history and payment of Social Security taxes. You may want to speak with a disability advocate or lawyer during the application process, as most applications are denied at the initial stage and having one on your side may help maximize your chances for success. If you fill out the form on the left hand side, we can have one reach out to you.
Reply to Brian Thank you for getting back to me.I don't see a former on the left hand side of this page,maybe I'm in the wrong spot?Also I did contact 2 different attorney and was told by 1 that I gross to much money so I won't qualify for SSD and they both told me I can't get help unless I have been denied first.Im just very concerned about destroying my credit and loosing my home something that my husband and I have worked very hard to get.Please direct me better for the form.I guess it doesn't hurt to ask right?One more question is the info I give them kept in confidence until a decision is made? Thankyou again.
In reply to Reply to Brian Thank you for by Laura (not verified)
Hi Laura,
You can also find the form here:
http://www.disability-benefits-help.org/form/free-disability-evaluation
My son is 17 and has Stargardts and can not drive, we are looking at colleges where he can live on campus. Can he receive SSI?
In reply to My son is 17 and has by Darleen (not verified)
Hi Darleen,
Depending on your income and resources, he may be eligible.
So my Fiance is 20yrs old. We found out that he has stargardts. He is too blind to drive in our state so we had to turn his license in. Neither one of us work. We have a 2 year old and a 1 month old. His eye doctor said he will not be able to work and every job he had they let him go because they said they found him to be a "liability." We just applied for SSD and SSI do you think he will be able to get approved?
In reply to So my Fiance is 20yrs old. We by Danielle (not verified)
Hi Danielle,
I really could not say as we are not affiliated with the SSA and as such cannot evaluate someone's likelihood of being awarded benefits.
Hi. I was diagnosed with Stargatdts about 20 years ago.
I'm 60 years old and work 40 hours a week in sales in a furniture store.
My Vision loss is starting to affect my driving and my work significantly.
I havn'nt been to the specialist in two years. I'm so afraid to go and get more bad news. I don't feel that I can drive much longer so transportation to and from work will be costly. I may still be able to continue working in the day time with the computer technology they have in place for me at work. I've worked full time for over 40 years...Is it possible to collect SSDI benifits?
In reply to Hi. I was diagnosed with by Debbie (not verified)
Hi Debbie,
It is possible that you are eligible to collect disability benefits, it may be a good idea to contact a disability advocate or attorney regarding your case, as they can help you through the application process and can fight for you if you need to appeal the SSA's decision. You can get in touch with one by filling out this form here:
http://www.disability-benefits-help.org/form/free-disability-evaluation
Hi I am 35 I was diagnose with stargardts my vision with glasses is 20/250 on mi right and 20/300 on my left working is very difficult can't drive anymore . My husband and I have four kids and he makes about 42.000 a year and I only make about 10.000 a year. working has been very difficult lately . If I don't work my kids don't eat. I was wondering if I qualify for any benefits?
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