My dad was denied his disability. I can't believe it. He hasn't worked in over a year. He has another surgery coming up. He just had his jaw, tounge removed (2/3), and nodes in the neck- a muscle taken from his shoulder, radiation, chemo, lost like 25 pounds. He has a feeding tube and needs someone to drive him and escort him because no one can understand what he is saying. But I guess he is still employable. I mean it's great to hear that- him being almost 60. I guess he will just get on up after his next surgery and get a job. WTF! is wrong with this system? He is also a veteran (with Agent Orange). You would think he would get a better deal than this. You know how dissappointed I am? It really is a shame when people who have never done a thing for anyone even themselves can sit on their butt and collect. Well I don't know what to do. Re-file? Sorry for the rant.

That is awful! Is there any way you can re-apply or appeal or find someone to personally talk to at EDD?
http://www.edd.ca.gov/is he in CA or GA? Maybe a lawyer could be of help? The army or a verterens organization? seems like if he served his country in a major war he would absolutely qualify for some kind of financial assistance. I don't knwo exactly how disability works but I recently applied for it and it is a pain. Did his doctors fill everything out?

I just got a letter back from EDD myself and they calculated my compensation according to the last year i worked. I was freelance until September of this year so I had paid into state disability from September to present and that is how they calculated what I would get. I wonder if that ha something to do with it? They might just be looking at this past calandar year.. But if he has been working all these years he's been paying into the system so he should qualify for something. Has he ben with the same employer for awhile. I would talk to his HR department and see if they can help.

Good luck with everything! I know the red tape and buracracy of all this crap can be SO frustrating. You Dad is lucky to have you looking out for him. Hang in there- thinking of you and your Dad during this difficult time.

Hi thanks.He is in Georgia now with his sister, but worked at the post office in West Palm Beach for years. He also did some contracting before all of the hurricanes, but hasn't worked since. I will look ito this more. It is red tape. I will also talk to his doctors. Thanks again.

Karen -
Please keep us informed on your progress. I think you should send a copy of this letter you wrote to your senator and representative! It ISN'T fair how your Dad is being treated! And please feel free to rant in here - that's one of the reasons we are here. Good luck.
JaneP

Karen - there are some good ideas in this forum (Insurance and Financial Forum) under the thread "Any advice on dealing with Social Services - topic starter Robin). I sure can understand your exasperation with the system! It is a rotten shame that someone so deserving, served his country and contributed to the system can be treated this way. My son was also denied disability insurance but I was encouraged by a some posters here to go ahead and ask for a hearing. You don't need a lawyer, you can just go yourself and represent your Dad and tell them like it is! I know that there are some very nice people at the SS offices but my son and I did run into some that were absolutely heartless! I could have just spit at them!! When he was denied he was really discouraged and just did not want to pursue it but soon after got a job so we never did request a hearing. I really think you should pursue this. Rant and rave all you want! It will help get you fired up to get in touch with the people concerned and let them know how serious this is and how much your Dad deserves to have some compensation serving his country and contributing all those years to the system. There's bound to be someone that is able to see the light and use some common sense! Hang in there. Let us know what happens.

Hi, Karen, We, too, had to fight like hell to get John's disability approved. It took several months of continuous phone calls, forms, letters from his Docs, etc. but I got it done. You have to be #1. persistant, #2. get to the top person making the decisions, #3. educated that person as to what your Dad is going through. There were times I was very graphic with our contact about John's physical condition and I finally got her attention. {plus the Doc's letters were a great help] Good luck and keep pushing- I think you can get it done. Amy in the Oz

Hello Karen
I know exactly how you feel!
Is Disability, and Social Security the same? I'm not sure. But I know a few people who are getting early social security, due to a disability. Whether the two are the same I do not know.
But you have to be almost not breathing to get it.
Good Luck!

Karen,

The links below are to the VA and then a Vet Benefit Board. If your Father was exposed to Agent Orange and it's documented then he may qualify for VA Disabilty which would be in addition to anything you get from SSDI. I hope they help a little.

http://www.va.gov/

http://p203.ezboard.com/bvetbenefits

Tim

Yes Karen- I truly think that it is just about talking to the right person. He's gotten some form letter based on the fact that he was a contractor over the past calandar year-- They kind of make it hard to collect on purpose-- you know?

I've listed the numbers in the email below...

Try contacting social Security and Medicare directly to figure out what he qualifies for and also to find a local branch in Georgia. You Dad was in the army and worked for the post office so he definitely qualifies for something.

I was a contract employee only in 2004 and 2005 and part of 2006 and went full time with a company as of Sept 1 this year. I had just switched to my company insurance and just barely qualified for short term disability thsnk god due to the fact I had worked there six months. So EDD looked at what I had contributed so far and based it on that I think .

This is a crazy coincidence but today I just got my social security tax and disability info-- it listed how much I had paid into social security medicare and how I can qualify for benefits. Here is some hopefully helpful info I will copy into this post for you
------------------------------------------------

It is the Social Security Administration socialsecurity.gov phone is 1 800 772 1213.

This is where you can request social security publications that document what your Dad has earned.

You can call and figure out his benefits. It showed how much I had paid into social security and medicare and also calculated how much I would receive for disability based on my total earnings I believe since I have ever been working. Your Dad was definitely paying into all of these things so he must qualify for something. I think they are just going back to the pat year and because he has't been working in the last calandar year it somehow automatically denied him at first.

Here's what it says about social security and medicare and disability

"ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE"

Social security pays retirement, disability familu and survivors benefits. Medicare a separate program run by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services helps pay for inpatient hospital care, nursing care doctors fees and other medical services and supplies to people 65 and over

OR to people who have been receiving
Social Security Benefits for two years or more. your social security covered earnings qulaify you for both programs. For more info on medicare visit medicare.gov or call 1800-6334227

"RETIREMENT" if you were born before 1938 your full retirement age is 65 for people born in 1960 and later the retirement age will gradually increase to 67

Some people retire before thier full retirement age - you can retire as early as 62 and take your benefits at a reduced rate- if you continue working after your full retirement age you can receive higher benefits because of additional earnings and special credits for delayed retirement.

DISABILITY- this pertains to your Dad

xxxx IF you become disabled before full retirement age you can receive disability benefits after six months if you have

--enough credits from earnings (depending on your age you must have earned 6-20 of your credits in the 3-10 years before you became disabled), and a physical or mental impairment that's expected to prevent your from doing 'substantial' work for a year or more OR result in death.

I think the above definitely includes your father. He's been paying into all that social security and medicare coffers for years and now he is sick and needs help. Its just a matter of filling out the right form and putting it into the right hands of the right governmental agent.

Just explore every avenue- there are funds there that will help offset the payment for treatments and his time out of work but you are going to have to make some calls and requests.

Good luck to you- praying for you and your Dad to find some answers and workable solutions.

Miss Kate

He should easily qualify for SSDI. Contact the local SS office for an appointment. You MUST bring in copies of his medical records and Dx reports. There is a 5 month eligibility period which is retroactive to the date of disability (they start paying one month later). After 2 years he will automatically have Medicare as well. he will need a certified copy of his birth certificate also when you go to the SS office.

It only took me a couple of weeks to have my claim approved. It was based mainly on cancer fatigue.

Of course I am not sure about the post office thing. Some gov't employees are members of PERS (Public Employees Retirement System)or other retirement systems and don't pay into SSI so he may not be eligible. You'll need to find out whether he has been paying into social security. Check this out:

http://www.postalworkersonline.com/benefits.htm

Hey Karen.
I responded yesterday. And was reading the thread again today. What a shame!
Follow all the given advise, and I'm sure you will succeed.
It's a travesty of justice! A Vietnam Vet, and (didn't they prove agent orange was harmless?)
a United States of America postal worker.
I did have a good laugh though when I re-read your post. I was tired last night, and did not catch your humor.."I quess he will just get up after surgery and get a job".
You need that to survive "our system".
I went out to get a Rx this morning, only to find my truck "stolen". Turned out that although I filed a Chapter 13, and the truck was included in my payments, they repo'ed it. My first reaction was WTF! My second was, oh well, just another bump in the road.
I went inside, got a second cup of coffee and read the paper as if nothing had happened. WTF!

Petey, the movie Groundhog Day was on over the weekend....I could not help but think of you! You are so funny! I hope you are getting things going with your health care....Take Care, Carol

I sent karen a PM but I do have a cousin who works for SS and she says most cases are denied 1st time around ..SUX but true ..so for any of you trying to get it ..ask for an appeal and reapply and have your hearing ..Be persistant and good documentation and more then likely you will get it ..unfortunaltley you have to fight for it ...Alot of people will give up after 1st denial ........so maybe gov does that to deter the ones who take advantage of the system...But if you are going to give it to a family of a child with ADHD then god dam it some one with cancer deserves it ! I will try to answer or get specific answers to questions if I can if you ask me I can ask her ...NOT CASE SPECIFIC ...but maybe general questions would be better wording .... Like who to appeal to and all that I can ask her those kinds of questions , she was trying to get me to apply and give me info....but you have to be considered diasbled for up to a year or more , so at this point I dont qualify. However if you are like 6 months out or so and your dr is sayin you cant go back to work for a long time ( so that it would make over a year ) start the application !!!!!!!

Karen,

There has to be some kind of mistake or a miscommunication. I sent you a private message and I will do what I can to help you resolve this for your father.

Ed

Hey all, You guys are the best support a girl could hope for. Thank you all for the info. I found out that he has recently (within a few weeks) gotten his Social Security, but was denied disability from the government. His doctor is writing-wrote him a letter-just this week, and is sending it to whoever they send it to.
He told my dad that the patient before him had the same situation. He had been denied, and that he'd written the guy a letter,and it was reviewed and the guy got his disability. I guess they don't get it the first time around or something. Maybe if "they" all got cancer "they" would get it. All I can do is cross my fingers and get in line right? Thanks everyone.

PS By the way PeteyB if I every get around to making "WTF" shirts I'll send you one!

Yes but you are all forgetting that many government workers, civil employees, teachers, etc., don't pay into SS and hence are not eligible for benefits (unless the beneficiary paid a minimum into it through previous employment). It's a tradeoff for what is usually a better, higher paying retirement system.

Petey,
I believe that the VA has changed its position on Agent Orange. I know of some veterans groups I can put you in touch with (PM me). I don't believe that oral cancer is on the list of Agent Orange side effects in any case.

From the social security disability site under the Do You Qualify for benefits section:

Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions?

For each of the major body systems, we maintain a list of medical conditions that are so severe they automatically mean that you are disabled. If your condition is not on the list, we have to decide if it is of equal severity to a medical condition that is on the list. If it is, we will find that you are disabled. If it is not, we then go to Step 4.

See the link below:

http://ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/listing-impairments.htm

This is the link to the specific head and neck cancers:

http://ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/13.00-NeoplasticDiseases-Malignant-Adult.htm#13.02

Here is an excerpt for heand and neck cancers:

*******************************
13.02 Soft tissue tumors of the head and neck (except salivary glands

Just our 2 cents worth in regard to the Social Security Disability benefit. We were surpised and disappointed when our claim was denied. But we went through the appeal process and, even before my husband could make his case (he was finally able to), the presiding judge said that he had reviewed the documents and it was one of the most clear cases he had seen - benefits granted.

Sometimes the process does require appeals.

Anita

Anita,

So glad to hear the good news. I have been reading this thread and wondering how in the world they could deny your claim. Glad to see the Judge new what was right.

Take care.
Diane