The Invisible Disability

"You don't look disabled."


There are many disabled persons who do not have obvious physical disabilities.  Those without crutches, wheelchairs, and other assistive devices are thought to be undeserving of receiving any assistance.  


Some of these disabilities are Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis in it's earlier stages, mild forms of Schizophrenia,  Fibromyalgia,  Narcolepsy, and other brain and nervous system disabilities.  Some are directly life threatening. Some disabilities are indirectly life threatening.  There are higher death rates for people who have disabilities.


For example: 

According to a 2011 CDC study:¹

Proportionately fewer women with a disability have mammograms as recommended than women without a disability.

And Another Example:
People with untreated narcoleptic symptoms are involved in automobile accidents roughly 10 times more frequently than the general population. http://sleep.emedtv.com/narcolepsy/statistics-on-narcolepsy-p2.html

The view of society for these disabled people often elicits shame in these individuals.  This simply adds to their already difficult circumstances.  As Americans, it seems that we have to decide about our own compassion, and if we are going to view our country's citizens in a humane manner.  We give a lot of money to other countries and their citizens, yet we have resentment in giving to our own.  

The Truth about Ticket To Work-Bad Deal

There is a lot of false hope and individual collateral damage with the Ticket To Work program touted by the Social Security Administration.  The collateral damage information that comes with Ticket To Work is not written anywhere until after your Review starts.  There is a disconnect between what Social Security states Ticket To Work does for you and what actually happens to you.  

What Social Security Site states:

Question: "How does work affect my check benefits?

Their Answer: "First, you should know that if you go back to work, you will NOT automatically lose your disability benefits. The Ticket to Work and special rules called "work incentives" allow you to keep your cash benefits and Medicare or Medicaid while you test your ability to work."

This is not true.  Working will Trigger a Review.  You may lose all of your benefits.  Follow this link to read about what happened to one person who used Ticket To Work: http://socsecnews.blogspot.com/2009/05/ticket-to-work-remains-sacred-cow.html.   


I learned from reading recently that Social Security does not even believe in their own program.  Also, less than 0.1% at the most with a Ticket To Work ever go to work.  It appears that Ticket To Work is another way to weed people out and off of Social Security Disability.  One person on another blog titled it "Tricked To Work".  


There is a myth that people on Disability do not want to work.  Naturally, everyone wants to try to better their situation and would rather make a good living than being dependent on SSD or SSI, so the Ticket To Work program is enticing.  However, in this case your best intentions can cause major setbacks in your health and financial stability.  Be cautious about believing that all the "information" provided to you is in your best interest.

These are my questions that are not sufficiently answered by Social Security:  
Somehow people are so much better than they were before, that they can now work without support?  Their disability no longer exists?   How can we expect people who were on disability to maintain their newly found good health when they lose healthcare coverage upon returning to work?   Without medicine and doctors anyone on disability is going to get worse.
Again,  be careful about accepting for face value what the agency writes on their pages.

Disability Reviews 2012

Everyone is getting reviewed.

I talked with an attorney on 1/3/12, who told me that Social Security is reviewing everyone in an effort to "weed out" people that should not longer be on disability because their health has improved.  It was implied that this is a cost saving measure in this time of incredible national debt. 

If you have used  "Ticket To Work" and are terminated during the Review Process from Disability, you should hire a Disability Attorney to assist you in getting your Disability back.  It may take several months to years, much like the initial application. 

Although Social Security states that your benefits will start immediately if you can no longer work, after "Ticket To Work", this does not happen automatically as Social Security states.  You have to go through a Review so that they can determine if you are still disabled under their guidelines.