Aspergers and Social Security Disabilty

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SodBreaker
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17 Jul 2010, 1:39 am

First thing's first.(being's this is my first post) I'm male, will be 23 the end of this. I live a in 28FT trailer on my father's place. Work cash jobs whenever someone will hire me. I mostly work for food, clothing or other needs. I do alot of dumpster diving or other savenging for things I can't work off. (like a meat smoker made from on old dishwasher)

Here's a little background on the situation.

I'm diagnosed with Asperger's Sysdrome and i also have a rare stigmatism that has cost me the sight in my one eye and the other is under control (for now) However the fix which consists of a special contact is not perfect and has it's "off" days when I can't drive or do much of anything. A friend of mine finaly talked me into applying for SS Disabilty. However I am pushing harder the AS simply becuase the situation with my eyes is not as verified in my medical records. I'm just wondering if anyone has been down this road before and how hard of a fight it will be?


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jmnixon95
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17 Jul 2010, 1:48 am

Reading through this thread may help: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt130813.html



Chronos
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17 Jul 2010, 2:13 am

I know being legally blind is a separate category and I think every legally blind person who's vision is not correctable within reason is qualified for certain benefits.

AS might be the more difficult route....



Apple_in_my_Eye
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17 Jul 2010, 3:23 am

A lawyer can be a good source of advice. I qualified for some SSDI, and they way things worked out I was due a lot of back payments. A lawyer agreed to take my case in exchange for IIRC 2/3 of those back payments (which would've put me over the SSI limit anyway).

My view is that SSA's attitudes mirrors society's, in that physical reasons for disability are seen as more credible. I remember seeing those special rules for vision impairment, also. There seems to be extra "sympathy" for that. Of course, you need documentation to prove it. SSA may pay for a doctor of their choice to examine your vision to document that. I'm not exactly sure how that works, though.



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17 Jul 2010, 6:18 am

Try to get in on the vision, first. If you are legally blind you will get more money plus special extra benefits that you will not get by qualifying under Asperger's or depression.


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violetchild
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17 Jul 2010, 7:15 am

I got on Disability for having various illnesses.. each single thing i had wasnt enough..but when they considered together it was. So i strongly suggest to get your eye issue documented and put in a claim for disability with both things on it.

Asperger's alone .. can be very hard. I have a friend who got on disability with Asperger's...but he ended up getting rejected, having to appeal etc



SodBreaker
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17 Jul 2010, 7:52 am

violetchild wrote:
I got on Disability for having various illnesses.. each single thing i had wasnt enough..but when they considered together it was. So i strongly suggest to get your eye issue documented and put in a claim for disability with both things on it.

Asperger's alone .. can be very hard. I have a friend who got on disability with Asperger's...but he ended up getting rejected, having to appeal etc


So how long did he end up having to fight for disability?



clumsybee
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17 Jul 2010, 1:01 pm

I'm going to try for SSD before the end of August because of the laundry list of diseases that I have. Violetchild is right, I've had people tell me if I had only AS I wouldn't get it, as it would've been if I only had fibromyalgia. But since I have both and other problems, I have a higher chance at getting SSD. It should be the same for you too.

Oh, and get somebody to help you do the paperwork and whatnot, whether it be a therapist, doctor, etc. That should help too, because I've heard horror stories of people trying on their own to get SSD, and they failed every time.



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17 Jul 2010, 9:34 pm

What are my chances of getting it. I have Aspergers and ADHD. I worked 2 low paying jobs for 9 years each. I do not drive, I have never moved out of my parents house, I hardly ever leave the house, and I have been without a job almost a year because I fail at my interviews. I am qualified to get it?

Other medical problems i have are enlarged heart, 80% kidney function, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and flat feet. :?:


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Sparrowrose
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17 Jul 2010, 9:48 pm

Todesking wrote:
What are my chances of getting it. I have Aspergers and ADHD. I worked 2 low paying jobs for 9 years each. I do not drive, I have never moved out of my parents house, I hardly ever leave the house, and I have been without a job almost a year because I fail at my interviews. I am qualified to get it?

Other medical problems i have are enlarged heart, 80% kidney function, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and flat feet. :?:


They don't actually go by diagnoses; they go by level of functioning. You will have to show that you are incapable of substantial gainful activity -- not due to failing at interviews (unless you can prove it's due to asperger's, but that will be weighted by the fact that you had two long-term jobs previously and asperger's is a life-long condition so your doctor will have to prove that the asperger's has worsened to the level of disability) -- but due to actual inability to work.


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Todesking
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17 Jul 2010, 9:53 pm

My first long term job I got through a friend. My second long term job I got because someone quit without warning and they threw me into the job. I worked for temp agency and I was fired from seven jobs. :roll:


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harlequinsenor
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17 Jul 2010, 11:40 pm

If you haven't worked enough in your life then you won't get SSDI as it's basically an insurance policy that you earn credit for while you are working.

As for SSI, you'd have to prove that your AS prohibits you from working... which is very difficult even if it has been documented throughout your life. The reason for this is because there are plenty of people with AS of varying severity (like other conditions) that work and in fact do quite well. You'd have to prove it keeps you from working... just having it, regardless of the severity, is not a legitimate reason.

To the OP though, if you are legally blind in one eye and have the potential to go blind in the other you will very likely receive some benefits. You probably won't get much of anything for AS though especially since you've still managed to work in spite of it.



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18 Jul 2010, 12:05 am

harlequinsenor wrote:
If you haven't worked enough in your life then you won't get SSDI as it's basically an insurance policy that you earn credit for while you are working.


Also, the award amount is based on the last eight quarters of work so someone out of work for a year isn't going to get much. Someone out of work for two years isn't going to get SSDI at all unless they're blind (blind people get different rules from the rest of us when it comes to disability payments.)

harlequinsenor wrote:
As for SSI, you'd have to prove that your AS prohibits you from working... which is very difficult even if it has been documented throughout your life. The reason for this is because there are plenty of people with AS of varying severity (like other conditions) that work and in fact do quite well. You'd have to prove it keeps you from working... just having it, regardless of the severity, is not a legitimate reason.


In my own case, my caseworker chose "depression" to put in the diagnosis box because, I'm assuming, it was easiest to move through the system. I'm told that it's nearly impossible to get disability based on depression nowadays, though, because too many people scammed on depression and bad back claims and social security cracked down on those two categories.

I was first awarded SSI in 1995 and got it within a month after applying, but for perspective: at the time I applied I was both homeless and pregnant (showing that I was in a desperate situation.) I had been homeless twice before in the past (showing that my struggles were severe.) I had a string of a couple dozen jobs (showing I was persistant and not a slacker or malingerer) but had lost every one within two weeks of being hired (showing that I was unable to maintain substantial gainful activity.) I also had a history of being in a mental hospital and over a decade of professional therapy dating back to age five (showing a life-long pattern of psychological difficulty.)

I don't know anyone who was able to get on disability while living with their parents, even as an adult, but that's not to say that it's impossible -- just probably not as likely as if one is living alone or homeless (or "couch crashing" which is considered homeless. Or living in one's car, which is also considered homeless.) If it appears that one's family is taking care of one, social security feels less urgency to award money.

harlequinsenor wrote:
To the OP though, if you are legally blind in one eye and have the potential to go blind in the other you will very likely receive some benefits. You probably won't get much of anything for AS though especially since you've still managed to work in spite of it.


Agreed. And if an eye doctor will sign off, saying that you are legally blind, you're a shoo-in. Blindness is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get social security and blind people get special treatment that is worth pursing if you qualify for it.


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18 Jul 2010, 1:20 am

And there's lots of special assistance to find jobs for blind people, too, so once you've got your food and a roof over your head, you can start figuring things out without the pressure of worrying where your next meal is coming from. It's really rather lucky for you; there are so many foundations to benefit people with that specific disability. You're probably going to be "low vision", but can get in on a lot of it all the same.


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18 Jul 2010, 1:26 am

Callista wrote:
And there's lots of special assistance to find jobs for blind people, too, so once you've got your food and a roof over your head, you can start figuring things out without the pressure of worrying where your next meal is coming from. It's really rather lucky for you; there are so many foundations to benefit people with that specific disability. You're probably going to be "low vision", but can get in on a lot of it all the same.


And you'd be surprised at what level of blind is considered "blind" by social security. I know one woman who gets social security for blindness who can read fast food restaurant menus and can read book without glasses (though she prefers to use a magnifying glass to make it easier.) I know a man who gets social security for blindness and went to schools for the blind growing up who has enough vision that he can legally drive a car during daylight hours. One doesn't have to be 100% blind to get social security and the other extra benefits for being blind.


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kwilky
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18 Jul 2010, 2:25 am

I've been on disability since I was 18. It wasn't hard at all. It took a while but I was approved because I had plenty of proof. Proof is the key to success.