Do any of you know someone I can talk to about an urgent issue with Social Security?
Pertinent facts:
DS was in the hospital for 70 days (December 7 through February 14). I notified SS, as required, when he had been there 30 days. I also notified them when he was discharged.
He works four hours a week - makes under $50 a week.
He has money in an ABLE account, but that is shielded from his “assets” (Congress created the accounts a couple of years ago).
I thought SS would not pay benefits just for the time DS was in the hospital. But they are saying they shouldn’t have paid him January through July and he owes them over $5,000. How can I find out if that’s correct? I’m so upset. Calling SS is a nightmare - I’d rather talk to someone who knows how the system works.
Call your local US Representative. His/her local offices is there to provide constituent service, especially for issues like Social Security. Have all your paperwork when you call. Good luck!
Is there someone at your local NAMI office that is considered an expert with Social Security and SSI type of issues? If so, see if they can help.
Also, I saw your post on the get it off your chest thread. Are you his legal guardian or “just” a person authorized to act on his behalf? You probably need to be his guardian in order to get this type of thing mailed to you.
Thanks for the posts. @bajamm, I’m not his guardian at this point. His doctor doesn’t feel he is ill enough to justify that. I’m starting to disagree. Stress over talking to Social Security (routine interview) is what caused him to go catatonic in December and end up in the hospital.
I actually got through to a real person at SS. I don’t think the information I provided them on July 10 is in the system yet, although the person I hand-delivered the documentation to assured me it would be entered immediately. The person overseeing DS’s case is out of the office today and tomorrow. I’m going to talk to her first, and if that gets me nowhere I will call my representative.
Since I’m on the Board of Directors of NAMI Maine, I can also call the Executive Director and see what thoughts she has. So I need to just breathe deeply for the next 42 hours and hope I talk to a competent employee, ha.
I agree that sometimes having your US Representative and/or Senator’s office can really make a HUGE difference. I was having a major issue with my medical equipment provider on 7/20. Reached out to my elected US officials and they worked with me to get a letter that they signed and sent out 7/29/2019. We will see what happens next, but agree that US Reps & US Senators can really help!
@HImom, that’s good to hear. A staff member in the office of my Congresswoman, Chellie Pingree, is on the case! It has been discouraging to hear from several online and “in real life” friends that this is not unusual when you deal with Social Security.
@Bromfield2 thanks for telling me to call the Rep’s office. I wouldn’t have thought of that.
I worked for SSA a few decades ago in a claims processing center and congressional inquiries literally became red folders and top priority. I imagine that priority still exists.
Good luck to you, Maine Longhorn. I have given the advice here to contact your Congressperson to a friend who is having issues with her D’s SSD. Her D has a congenital illness that renders her unable to work but she is intellectually capable of managing her own money, etc. and is a college graduate. They have been having trouble recertifying her for benefits and will try their rep next.
Our loved one has a chronic condition which hasn’t allowed her to hold a full-time job yet but she is intellectually fully capable. She is a medical dependent (had to fight for a ruling for nearly a year). We did reach out to our insurer and our US Senator. That plus my constant phone calls and they finally agreed she is a disabled dependent and able to stay on our family plan. I believe having the other parties on the case was helpful.
It’s just so frustrating! DS’s case is not complicated. He was in the hospital for 70 days but continued to pay rent during that time. There should be a rule as to exactly how long SS does not pay benefits in that case and also how much they WILL pay for rent. For a Congressional staff member to have to waste time on this is annoying.
So sorry! Seems like it should only be impacted when he is in hospital since it was less than 90 days. And even then he should get his SS benefit to maintain his living situation by paying rent at least according to this:
Thanks, @mom2and. That’s what I thought, but it’s good to have it confirmed. Why is this so hard?? I just heard from yet another friend that they’re having similar issues with their adult son’s benefits. I’m going to file a complaint with my Congresswoman’s office when my son’s case is resolved.
We had issues roughly 6 months after my daughter qualified, because they counted her lump-sum payment in her assets when they shouldn’t have. Because they didn’t make me the designated payee, I had to take her to the local office to clear it up - similar issues to your son, she was anxious to go. Her doctor had specifically noted that she should have a payee, but they neglected to do so, and the person I spoke to suggested it would be difficult to remove me as payee once she’s ready to manage on her own (she was 19 at the time, and as responsible as she is with her money when stable, I’m note sure she’ll ever be ready). It was easy enough to clear up because I took copies of bank statements to show that was the source of the money. But we shouldn’t have had to do it in the first place. It’s a good think you’re the payee, it would be awful if he had to deal directly with them! We’re still working on getting her on Medicaid - I can live with paying our insurance deductible for her, but I want the transportation benefits, as those costs (and time) add up quickly. God luck, and hope you get it cleared up quickly!
Having a congressional inquiry should not change the outcome of a decision at any agency (not saying it doesn’t, but it shouldn’t), it just changes the timing. It can speed the process up or slow it down. In the agency I worked for, we’d often have properties ready for sale and if a congressional inquiry was received, everything came to a halt. Usually the sale was rescheduled and everything ended up the same, but a good delay tactic was to file a complaint with a congressman.
I understand why there is confusion in the SSA. So many different situations.
^But this is pretty black and white. In the hospital 70 days. Earns $50/week, approximately. That’s it. I don’t understand why that’s so complicated. Thank God SSA doesn’t have to design buildings.
Update: Chellie Pingree’s aide called me at 2:02 pm Friday - I know exactly what time it was because DH and I intended to get out the door at 2:00 sharp to get up to our cabin. She told me she’d faxed SSA all my documentation along with a cover letter. She said I could expect to hear back in a week or so.
DH took a little longer to get ready than expected. At 2:20, the phone rang, and it was a man from SSA! He was very polite and nice. I bit my tongue, literally, and was very polite back.
Long story short, DS will lose only ONE month’s benefits instead of EIGHT! That is definitely the best case scenario. It turns out you lose a month’s benefits only if you are in the hospital the full calendar month. He was in from December 7 until February 14. Whew!!
Then the employee went ahead and interviewed me and got the paperwork started for me to be DS’s Representative Payee. DS will never have to get another horrible letter from SSA again!!
After everything was resolved, I politely asked the man what had happened. “We switched from a Cobalt system to a web-based one, and there were some computer glitches. The hospital documentation didn’t get entered. Also, your son never should have gotten that letter.” I did tell him it was a serious issue since it stressed my son so badly. He didn’t apologize, but at least he gave me his direct phone number and said I could call him if there are any issues in the future.
So we got off to our cabin over an hour late, but it was so nice to go up there and not worry about this situation all weekend!
I’m still worrying about all the other people who have probably been affected by the computer glitches.
So Congressionals are still hot button items! I know we used to hand walk the red folders through the process. Good to hear there are still a few competent Federal employees.
