I have been sending all requested documents and SS says they didn’t receive them. They did and everything sat in a PO box or office basket while hey had no caseworker to replace the one I had. In the middle of Covid and the shutdown and then our area hit with hurricane Ian caused a lot of undelivered mail. I did not know until my April check was not deposited and on that day I received a demand for payment of $60, 592. I immediately did what I was told to do, appeal that, I did. In the meantime I applied for provisional funds while they did the review and that took several months of them saying they paid me when I never got anything. I sat in the SS office 3 times for over 3 hours because they do not take appointments. When the DOH requested information from my Doctors they only asked for the ones I saw in 2023 which had nothing to do with my condition that makes me unable to work. They called me on Oct 12 and requested more information from a counselor that knew very little of my 14 surgeries and who I only saw for help with my anxiety, he is not a DR and does not prescribe medication and he does not have a treatment plan, it is basically cognitive talk therapy. The denial was made within 5 minutes of the call with no pertinent information obtained. When I received the denial letter it said I was no longer disabled as of Oct 12 and my benefits would end 12/31 including medicare so I will have no health insurance and I don’t qualify for ACA since I am unemployed. I immediately files the request for a hearing and sent it overnight signature required . They received it and signed and I have not heard anything since, no acknowledgement of any kind. In the meantime they applied the last two checks toward the overpayment due even though that is not supposed to happen wile it is under appeal. I called the SS office and was told it takes months for the paperwork to catch up. The system is so broken and people like myself are at their mercy and suffering with no relief in sight, just the prospect of no health care and just a matter of time before I need surgery again. There are no local doctors who manage what I have, a continent ostomy requiring catheterization every few hours, a very limited diet and no energy. No employers who can accommodate the demands of this and my current doctor is now in Tennessee. He is one of few in the country. I earned 8,000 in 2019 and 12,000 in 2021 and I was part of a bond project that ended and during covid the ball was dropped. I was always told I could earn money and ss would require repayment for every 2 dollars I earned 1$. That does not add up to 60,000 and I had surgery again in 2019 but the DOH dismissed that only asking about 2023. I was asked in the past to reimburse money and I always complied but they continue to blame being understaffed and covid for all the mistakes they made and lack of of communication with no caseworker to replace the one I had before covid and sent all my records to. I have been so sick over this since April and despondent and I contacted 18 attorneys none will represent a reinstatement case that could be litigated. My parents who I have no choice but to live with since I am not able to live on my own are both ill. My father has leukemia and my my mother also has the disease that caused all my surgeries, she has a laundry list of joint issues die to medication she was given over 20 years ago and she recently fell and broke her hip requiring total hip replacement. She cannot drive and my father and myself are tasked with her care. Everything has become so overwhelming and I have had to rely on them for all my expenses since April. They both live on social security. I also suffer from migraines and sensory neuropathy in my hands and fingers and recently had new testing for both. When I get migraines they are debilitating and I can’t drive. Most nights my sleep is interrupted by trips to the bathroom to intubate and falling back asleep is not easy. My daily routine is very structured around the bathroom and eating small amounts of food every few hours. I do the best I can. I don’t know what will happen when my parents are both gone, I have no one else. I want social security to see the mistakes they made and correct them and stop doing this to me and others so I can breathe.
Thank you for posting. Sharing your story helps others understand they are not alone. And it helps us pressure the Congress to fix these situations immediately. I don’t think anyone has ever gathered all these stories together in one place so people in power can see the impact of this cruel and inept Social Security bureaucracy.
Here’s what we are aiming for — as fast as possible!
Sharing YOUR story helps us help others! Thank you!