Question:
I am wondering about the likelihood of a friend's getting SSI based
on being Mentally Disabled due to borderline schizophrenia
with various anxiety disorders. Superficially, he appears functional, but hasnt worked in 20 years or
so, was fired from several jobs prior to that for erratic behavior,
was hospitalized twice for psychiatric treatment in his
early 20's for a breakdown brought on by LSD. He hasnt had
any regular therapy or medication since then, as he has
somehow coped by living a reclusive type life, and getting money
from relatives.
I know for a fact he could never keep a 'normal' job due to
anxiety and behavioral issues. And his work history shows this.
Yet, he is able to shop for himself, keep house, and drive.
But put him in a work-setting involving a group and he wouldnt
last a day due to his inability to relate to others.
Given all that, it would seem to fit the criteria for being
mentally disabled, yet I wonder about the likelihood of the
application succeeding, since he can put up a good front for
a few hours at a time, to where one would think there is nothing
unusual save a slight amount of eccentricity.
So, I am debating looking for an attorney specializing in disability
cases to start an application perhaps. (having found a referral page
on the nosscr.org website)
Just wondering if anyone knows of similar type individuals who
have applied and how they have fared?
Answer:
I would suggest that you contact SSA right away. There are no
retroactive payments for SSI. It's a public assistance program. What
that means is that they can only protect your friend from the time that
he contacts SSA with an intent to file for benefits. So, if you contact
SSA after the end of November, he could very well lose some money if
approved. In order to qualify for SSI you have to do three things: be
blind, disabled or over 65; be in financial need; AND sign an
application.
In general, SSI requires that one meet certain financial criteria for
eligibility. They will attempt to screen a bit for this when you call
the 800 number to set up the apppointment, but it's at the appointment
that they will get some details and really try to figure out whether the
financial limits are met. If your friend is not working and has
unearned income of less than about $550, he might be eligible (this
amount would be borderline depending on which State you live in).
Resources of over $2000 would also make him ineligible. This would
include things like stocks, bonds, pension funds, cash, bank accounts,
property, houses (that he's not living in), etc.
Medically, the best thing to do is get as much information together that
you can... not necessarily all of his medical records. Make a list of
all of the doctors that he's seen, their addresses and phone numbers.
Make sure that you know their first name or initial, approximately when
you saw this doctor, for how long and what that doctor did. Also, make
sure that you are prepared to answer questions about ALL work that he's
done in the last 15years. Be prepared to answer what his disability is
AND why his disability prevents him from working. They will provide a
form for your friend to complete that asks all of this information. He
should attempt to fill it out himself as completely as possible. IF he
has trouble, and you or another person would like to help, that's
totally okay, but you should make a note in remarks that you helped and
why. Don't leave questions blank or write in "don't remember" or "I
don't know". If it doesn't apply to him, say so. The above comments
are only going to hurt his case.
