Social Security Administration

WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BENEFITS YOU APPLY FOR AFTER BECOMING DISABLED:

1) That your application for disability might sit and collect dust for a year or more at the DDS office without even being assigned a caseworker, which is the first step in the medical review process (my personal experience)

2) That SSA may decide to change the date that you became disabled, likely to avoid having to pay you several thousands in back pay, thus not being held accountable for their excessively long review process (and in my case, their date is a full year from the date I applied, regardless of the fact that I was physically unable to do my job anymore on the date that I stated that I became disabled and stopped working, and regardless of the fact that their incompetence is the sole reason for my current state of homelessness, as if that's not enough undue punishment for something that wasn't my fault)

3) That the wait time to speak to an agent at SSA is typically more than 120 minutes - yes, over 2 hours - and that they all aren't happy to help you or able or willing to answer your questions or listen to what you're trying to tell them (last week I was argued with and then hung up on by one lady about not receiving a check mailed in July; then I talked to a rude, sarcastic man who had the missing check resent to me to the post office that I had just told him stopped accepting General Delivery mail, which means I won't receive it a second time; and the third woman I talked to, who I had hoped would be able to explain my benefit awards letter, said it was impossible to try to explain to me over the phone!?)

4) That you have the right to dispute the date SSA determined that you became disabled, BUT you will risk losing your ALREADY APPROVED benefits in doing so (a form of intimidation and persuasion to resist appealing their decision)

5) That, unless you have stashed away somewhere 18 months worth of living expenses, or you have someone to support you for 18 months, you will be forced into homelessness, having no income while awaiting a decision in your case; and don't make the mistake of relying on or planning your life around the timeframe SSA shows in your online account, because you will not have a decision by that date, or even anytime soon after it (my account stated that a decision would be made in my case by February 2024, and I received it mid-July 2024)

6) That you won't qualify for SNAP benefits if you're homeless and have no "shelter" expense, according to the government's definition of it, even if your car is your shelter and it costs you $15/day in gas for you and your emotional support animal to live in it (which equates to what my shelter expense approximately would be if government-assisted housing was actually available to me and i had a shelter, as defined by the government, in which to live)

7) That you may qualify for low-income, public or HUD housing, but that those programs and types of housing have years-long waiting lists - IF they're even open to add your name to; lists in Houston and surrounding areas have been closed and will remain closed for at least another 12-18 months (so realistically, the car that i've already been living in for 6 months will remain to be my home for the foreseeable future)

8) That receiving $1,565/month in disability benefits puts you in the extremely low income bracket, earning under $19,000/yr., which qualifies you to pay 30% of the standard rent, BUT that the units set aside for this bracket are the fewest in number and have continuous zero availability due to the disproportionately large number of people needing them (I've been told by several apartment managers that wait times for these units are at least 2-5 years)

9) That your extremely low income may be considered to be too high to qualify for other benefits, depending on the agency from which you are seeking assistance, i.e., Medicaid and SNAP benefits (receiving SNAP benefits has been a fight every step of the way for me, and after becoming homeless, my benefits went from $297/month to $23/month; and the reason they don't cover hot food is ?)

10) That Texas ranks 49 out of 50 states for affordable and available housing for those with extremely low incomes, having only 7 million units for the 11 million that are in need (which means the foreseeable future as mentioned above means permanently)

11) That auto insurance, mobile phone, car-living, laundromat, and food expenses each month will definitely exceed your monthly benefit amount (so good luck with that)

12) That because you do live in your car, you will no longer be able to go to doctor's appointments or receive medical care, even for the short time you're enrolled in Medicaid, which will also be taken away from you soon after you start receiving disability payments, and that means no more prescription medications (a potentially fatal risk I am personally forced to take)

13) That no one really cares about you, your homelessness, your inability to receive benefits that you were once able to receive when you were less indigent, or your disabling health condition and inability to obtain medical care or prescription medications

I never once thought that living in my car was a real possibility when applying for disability, and certainly not after being approved for it, or that I would be reduced to using sinks in public park restrooms, instead of a shower, to bathe, an embarrassing and humiliating experience every time. I am just one short step away from joining the other homeless people living on the streets and under the bridges in Houston.

Because I have a disabling health condition. In the United States.

The system has failed me and continues to fail me, even after finally being approved for disability, and I and people like me are supposedly the reason it exists.

The experience of becoming disabled, the benefits you might be able to receive, and the long wait time it takes to make your way through the system's approval process are all disappointing; and to be faced with the reality of no available housing options at the end of it all is a sad reality and unacceptable. I would think that this country could and would do much better for its own.

I had to call the Social Security Administration to verify that my mother's death was reported by the funeral director. Additionally, I needed to ask an agent about my mother's last social security check and how that process works, as I've received conflicting information from several sources.

Firstly, I waited an hour for my call to be answered, and I could tell the female agent had an attitude right from the start. Her tone of voice seemed annoyed that I had even called. She showed no empathy whatsoever regarding the reason I was calling. She rebuked me and spoke to me as if I was ignorant, even when I was just trying to affirm that I correctly understood the extremely scant information she gave about a complex issue using terminology with which I wasn't familiar.

She did not seem to care about communicating in a manner that was clear, professional, or helpful. There were also long pauses between my questions that made me wonder if she was even still on the line. I sincerely believe she was provoking me to say 'hello?' just so she could use that as a pretext to be rude. I got the impression throughout the brief call that her goal was to find a way to be antagonistic.

She obviously lacks integrity, doesn't care about her job performance, and seems to despise talking to people. I seriously can't believe the SSA allows employees that work in customer service to behave this way and to be so disrespectful, especially when dealing with someone who has just lost their mother and is merely trying to understand how everything works. She spoke to me as if I should know what she knows, and then acted agitated when I asked for clarity in response to her sparse answers in between excessively long pauses. This is inexcusable.

If I knew all the answers already, I wouldn't be calling.

I regret making the call and I vowed never to call again, even if it's a matter of life or death. The SSA needs to seriously consider evaluating its employees.

I filed for disability in July of 2023, but it fell through the cracks, and they are saying there is nothing they can do about this. Well, why do I have to suffer while it was their mistake?

I was told I should have received a call in October of 2023. I feel so helpless.

On 9/25/24 at Approximately 12:30. I called the SSI office in Indiana and spoke with Mrs.

Williams, who made me cry after the phone call ended. PS, I have an autistic child who has one of the worst symptoms there, and dealing with her is challenging based on my lack of experience being a young mother. I called to inform her that I was unable to submit my paystubs due to the delay in my hiring process; I dont know how difficult that was to comprehend she became very aggressive and rude stating that I was not making any sense not alone her tone of voice sounded (harsh) like she was speaking to a kid. I hope the SSI administrator of Indiana will see this message and remove her from that post because shes very unprofessional.

I didnt choose to have a child with a disability, God gave me this child for the reason unknown. Please be kind to parents with special needs children, thanks ( Sia Porter)