Tell your story: What did SSI benefits do for YOU?

Whether it was retirement 4, survivor's benefits, or Disability, it's saved many, many people & their families. If you have a story, please tell it.

SSI Survivir's bene's kept our family afloat when my Dad died at 42 in 1977, leaving 4 kids and a (then) stay-at-home Mom with no income.

Mom went to work, but we'd have lost the house, etc., without it.

So we were a greedy welfare family? Guess so!

I mean, allows her to live simply but independently.

I am now 42. I get my first disability check on July 3rd. If it wasn't for this check I would probably end up living under a bridge. I won't be living like a King, but at least I will be able to survive unless Bush does what Reagan did to all people on Disability in the 80's.

EDIT: SPELLING

Railroad Retirement. Tier one benefits are based on Social Security, and I paid an additional 4% in Tier 2, and my employer paid an additional 16%. I've been on occupational disability, for arthritis in my back for 4 years.

It allows me to survive, keep my house, and not have to do any further damage to my back by sitting on a vibrating locomotive for 12 hours a day.

I worked for 35 years in the printing trades. I was making decent money there at the end, having put 20 years in one company. When I was no longer able to keep up with the physical demands, I went to an office job elsewhere at a considerable decrease in income. I moved to another part of the country and from then on was essentially unemployable. I was over 50, severely curtailed by COPD and couldn't find any kind of meaningful, much less lucrative work. My girlfriend carried me for 2 years and here is where the self esteem comes in. One is not used to being provided for. I fenally applied for SS disability and was approved in 6 months time. That monthly check has set me free in mind and body. I no longer feel bad for "not contributing" (entirely self imposed, my Sweetheart is nothing but supportive). With the initial back pay we were able to put a down payment on our dream cabin in the woods and now Kathy does not have to work so hard to make ends meet. It has been nothing short of a life saver.

Woof

I was a floorcovering installer for 27 years. To get any work from a carpet store, I had to work as contract labor, on a IRS Form 1099 and sign a waiver to absolve the store from any workman's comp liability.
I had to buy all of my own instal;lation supplies and hire any helpers needed. After overhead, I cleared only about $15000 a year. I couldn't afford medical coverage. I always paid 13% SS self- employment taxes as well as IRS.
I first hurt my back in 1986 and it got progressively worse over the years. Without coverage and any way to pay for imaging (Xray, MRI, ect)
I couldn't get a doctor to do any more than tell me to lay on a heating pad and take aspirin.
The last 5 years I could no longer turn out enough work to really survive and was unable to file my taxes or pay into SS. I was too stubborn and too in debt to quit. I began drinking a lot as it was the only meds I had access to that worked at all for pain. I was also taking dangerous amounts of OTC pain meds.
I remarried in 1999 and got medical coverage through my wife. I got to an Ortopedic Surgeon who took one Xray, took one look and said," No wonder you hurt, your spine looks like a train wreck." He operated in early 2000 which only made it worse. Degenerative Disc Disease, 10 discs involved and Osteoarthritis in both knees.
I filed for disability in March 2001. I was told that I still qualified for regular ( Title 1 ) disability, although my coverage would end in a matter of weeks. I got in under the wire, I thought.
My claim was sent to the TN Dept of Disability Determination. Six months later, when they denied my claim, I was overmedicated with morphine and mismedicated with anti deppressants. I was a wreck who was not able to appeal the claim in the 60 days mandated.
Two months later, when they got my meds under control, I contracted a para legal, for help in filing a late appeal for good reason.
SS told her that I had to file a new claim and only was eligible for SSI now. We did that and the claim was denied because of my wife's income. That was the last straw for my marriage and my mortgage. I lost both house and wife.
I filed again in May 2002. DDS sat on the claim for one year and notified neither I or my attorney when they denied that claim. Two months later we asked and were informed. This time they let me file a late appeal as it was cleary their fault.
They then denied the appeal. Next step was a one and a half year wait for a hearing.
My attorney had always told me that we would try to get my original claim reinstated at that hearing.
My claim hit the ALJ's desk on Feb 25, 2005. He took one look and approved my claim as of 8/02. I never got a hearing.
Although I wanted to pursue the first claim, the ALJ and my attorney both said if it was sent to the SS appeals council that they could overule the ALJ's judgement and deny everything. It was best to settle for what I had.
I figured that sice the owed me over $18000 back pay ( 25% to lawyer) that I could live with that since I had been living on little but foodstamps for 3 years.
My lawyer said to create debt for back rent from my Mom or they would pay the back pay in 3 installments 6 months apart. So I did so.
SS iignored the rent debt calling it a gift of " Food and shelter" and deducted that amount from all back pay months.
They also deducted the gross reciepts 1099 from my 2004 pay and used it to reduce my 2005 SSi payments too. I actuaklly made $440 net from that buisness in 2004 but they chargewd me back for $2190 .
Bottom line: They reduced my back pay to $1200 and are now paying me $204 a month instead of the $579 I'm supposed to get. They also left two years payy off of my judgement.
I filed appeal and they found the two years as it was on my judgement directly above the ALJ signature. Awarded me another $4100 but won't tell me when they'll pay it. It does not change my monthly benifit of $204
They say further appeal wqill have to await a heaering by an ALJ, 18 months from now.
If they had granted my original claim in 2001 I would still be married and wouldn'tr have lost $80,000 in equity when my home was foreclosed.

Tell me again how helpfull SS is.
Right.

She had two young girls. She was mostly a stay at home mom but when the girls started school, she worked for a few years but then had to quit because she ended up with kidney failure. They basically had no income because her husband had already died of a sudden heart attack. She was able to receive a check for both kids from her late husband's social security but once they turned 18, that will be it. One of them is 18 now and just graduated high school. So she started receiving SSI to help out. It's not much but she is able to pay her rent and utilities. The rest of my family have to help out sometimes but her SSI really comes in handy.

I was alone, had been through a bitter divorce, and had no family to turn to at the time. Seriously, it was suicide or SSI. I refused food stamps, but did get the medical treatment I required.

The four years that I was on SSI allowed me to heal up completely, to have a place to live during that process, to return back to the business of living, to get a job, and to become a contributing and participating member of society again.

I personally know that there **are** people who fall through the cracks of society -- I was one of them, at the absolute end of the rope. I am eternally grateful that I lived in a country that cared enough (at that time, anyway) to keep me from going under, until I could get back on my feet.

I was incredibly fortunate, and I want my government to always extend that caring hand to all those who are genuinely in need. Would I pay a few extra bucks in taxes a year to accomplish this? Hell, yes.

My check goes to rent, medication, and doctor visits. If i am lucky once a month I can afford a movie, pepporoni pizza and a superman comic. Woah I am living high on the hog aint I? Side note, I really hope that stem cell research provides a cure because I hate living back at home and I want to have a job so I dont have to be dependent on other people. Oh my gosh pd has turned me into george constanza.
Oh and I just want to point out to that i am greatful for what I do get and that is why i try to tithe a small portion back to veterans of purple heart, save china tigers, and my church. Its not easy but I do feel a need to give something back.

tippin my hat to ya!

We got other money from the government (my father's death was service connected) & she went back to work when we were all in school. But the SS payments helped. They continued into our college years--I believe that's changed, now.

Growing up in the country, we did fine compared to the other kids. (There were some po' folks around!) In later years, I realized that things were tight from time to time.

As in we were so po we couldn't afford the other O and the other R.

to work on the side as can't make over $15,000. Makes it hard to hire elderly plumbers as they all plan to do cash work after turning 65. Who can live on $15K?

I was nearly beaten to death in 1993 by an ex-boyfriend. The left side of my face was shattered and my lower eye socket and left cheekbone was replaced by a metal implant.

I tried to continue to work until 1999. The damage to my brain made it impossible after this point. I suffer from post tramatic stress disorder, severe migraines, and am agoraphobic. I haven't left my home for 6 years.

In 2002 I was told I should try to apply for SSMD. I did and was approved in 3 months time. Things were getting very tight financially and without SS my teen son and I would most likely be homeless.

People think SS is just for the elderly. They are wrong. You never expect the worst to happen but unfortunately it does sometimes. SS is there for those times as well as a retirement suppliment.