Has anyone ever received Social security for Asperger's/NLD?

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Felinity
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06 May 2008, 5:27 pm

Has anyone here ever received Social Security for Asperger's or NLD or other Autistic Spectrum disorder possibly combined with physical problems or depression, etc.?

If so, were you required to see a psychiatrist or were any of your rights taken away (i.e. voting rights or rights to carry a fire arm, etc?) Did you ever experience any stigma or problems from local law enforcement, etc.. Was your condition kept confidential or were certain agencies given the information, such as local law enforcement, educational or hospitals? Is this information contained in any background checks or other agencies?

I know someone that is considering applying but is hesitant because of possible unknown ramifications and he's wondering who might be made aware of the diagnosis (es). Could this information also be contained in passport information or made available to overseas immigration offices, etc? Does anyone out there know this? With over 18,000 members and almost 2,000 of you online right now, I'm hoping someone might have a definitive answer on this.

We thank you for any info. you have on Social Security confidentiality and ramifications of receiving S.S. for a "mental"?? disability?? or would it go down as a "neurological disability"?? If you know any other info, we'd appreciate it.. thanks.



06 May 2008, 5:32 pm

I don't have NLD but I do have an AS diagnoses. I am on SSI and got money from them for a few years. They had to do a phone interview with me and with my mother, they sent me to a psychologist or something and she did tests with me. they also contacted my old hospitals and doctors like my old shrink and she had to call my mother I think for permission and I had to give my shrink permission to release information to them on me.

Nothing was never taken away from me, I still have normal rights as everyone else. Your diagnoses is kept private, no one is allowed to release your medical information without your permission. So you should be able to get a job, right to vote, rent a car, etc. It will not be in your passport information either.



DukeGallison
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06 May 2008, 5:36 pm

After getting some evaluation in my senior year of high school, I became eligible to receive SS, which I've been receiving ever since and have largely used to pay my way through college.



EvilKimEvil
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06 May 2008, 5:44 pm

I had a friend who was on SSI for Bipolar Disorder. She was legally required to take meds. Technically, she could get arrested for cashing her SSI checks and not taking her meds. I didn't just hear this from her; I also heard it from a social worker who was called in when she had a bad manic episode.

She was also legally bound to disclose to employers that she was on SSI. She had to let them know during the application phase - before they agreed to hire her. I don't remember if she had to say what her diagnosis was, though.

I don't know how easy it is for an SSI recipient to become required by the government to take certain drugs. This girl had been in and out of the hospital a lot. She had a long history of suicide attempts and dangerous behavior.

With AS, it might be different.



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06 May 2008, 6:42 pm

In the US, you can only lose your voting rights if you're a convicted felon. In some states, the suspension of voting rights can be cleared after a certain amount of time has passed, assuming you've also paid any monetary damages. Whatever firearms rights are granted in your locality remain unless you are a convicted felon (again), or have been diagnosed with a violent psychological disorder (depression, for instance, will generally only lead to you committing violence on yourself, so it's not a reason to prohibit firearm ownership).

You'd need a pretty severe case of AS to get any money from SSI/SSA, though. They only want to pay if there is no possibility of your getting any job, no matter how poorly it pays.


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06 May 2008, 6:44 pm

I get SSI payments and Section 8 housing assistance because my AS causes me to have trouble working in low-pay service industry jobs while I go to college (I'm hoping I get a good job at a biotech company, lab work fits with my AS very well, Lab Pet and I would make good coworkers! :D ). I lost no rights, I just have a yearly meeting with a county social worker. My mother is my Conservator of the Estate, but that is something I requested myself because I have some trouble keeping my finances in order and so she has access to my checking account just in case.

On the forms I am simply labeled with diagnoses of Asperger's Syndrome, ADD-I, and Atypical Depression. It's kept totally private unless I sign a release form saying someone can know my Dx.


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equinn
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06 May 2008, 8:07 pm

I think it's wonderful that you're given some help.

Many homeless people wandering with bags, sleeping under bridges, on benches--makes you wonder.

Be thankful.



Felinity
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06 May 2008, 8:16 pm

Equinn, I haven't gotten any monthly Social Security checks myself.. I think most people who get them are thankful though.. anyway.. even if there are certain stigmas that may have to go along with it... or rules/consequences.. I was just kind of wondering what they might be? I'd feel lucky to get it too, but I'm not applying right now.

And I agree, there ARE alot of people that are homeless that have all sorts of problems and really should be getting more assistance with their lives... whether it be because of mental illness and they need medication, neurological issues where they need understanding and guidance, or even drug addicts could be put in rehabs... It makes me sad to see homeless people that are clearly in need of genuine help.. Right now, in the U.S.A., I think there are more homeless families than ever before because of the housing crisis.. except possibility for the exception of the Great Depression...



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06 May 2008, 10:09 pm

No, I have a learning disability for sure and have not had any rights taken away from me. But I am not diagnosed with AS yet.



Sora
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07 May 2008, 6:16 am

I could (still student). I receive money from the government for therapy right now. In my country, having a diagnosis is a requirement. And if you're unfit to work, you would also need to see a professional who confirms it (if it isn't included in the diagnosis).

No right taken away, nothing. Now that would be scary...

I'm also just diagnosed with AS.


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07 May 2008, 1:43 pm

In the Netherlands you can get budget for help or materials. That is easiest to get. I got some typewriters and notebooks that way, to compensate my lousy writing and get some work done in the allotted time. Also my employer has the right to pay less social premiums, but I have not invoked that bit.

I can not get money, since I have the ability to earn enough money with simple jobs. (not disabled enough). When I would have a more severe disability I would get money to supplement any income to a certain level and tax advantages.

But luckily I earn enough money anyway (next month my pay is going to the upper side of the Dutch average when my boss approves)



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07 May 2008, 6:16 pm

I get SSI, and I just have an AS diagnosis. I didn't get any rights taken away from me because I don't have any felony convictions. The only thing that did happen was that I got denied and had to appeal my case with the help of an attorney in order to get it.

The only rules I really have are to report any income to Social Security, and to keep my accounts below a certain number when combined.


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CrystalM
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13 Jul 2009, 9:42 am

EvilKimEvil wrote:
I had a friend who was on SSI for Bipolar Disorder. She was legally required to take meds. Technically, she could get arrested for cashing her SSI checks and not taking her meds. I didn't just hear this from her; I also heard it from a social worker who was called in when she had a bad manic episode.

She was also legally bound to disclose to employers that she was on SSI. She had to let them know during the application phase - before they agreed to hire her. I don't remember if she had to say what her diagnosis was, though.

I don't know how easy it is for an SSI recipient to become required by the government to take certain drugs. This girl had been in and out of the hospital a lot. She had a long history of suicide attempts and dangerous behavior.

With AS, it might be different.



I am sorry, I dont know how old these posts are or how long they go on. I am new here. I was diagnosed with Bipolar and I was never legally required to tell anyone about it. I was required to continue treatment but not required to tell anyone, certainly not an employer. You ARE required to tell Social Security if you get a job though. Because SSI is a need based benefit. You only get it if your income is low enough to qualify for it. There was a whole year that I was off treatment because I was out of the country and could not get treatment. I was never taken to jail but had to pay back the benefits i received for that year. It was not very much though because my SSI payments are less than $70/month because I also get disability. Also just recently I was rediagnosed as having anxiety disorder rather than bipolar. Social security was not interested in my diagnosis. Only that I was still disabled. I have had no interruptions in benefits at all. Anyone threatening you with jail for not telling an employer is tryin to scare you. Employers do not have the right to know your medical information. The only time you need to tell an employer of a disability is if they need to modify the work environment to accomodate you. like a wheel chair ramp. Large font computer software etc.



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13 Jul 2009, 9:51 am

I don't know if it's applicable, but when I chose the individual courses for the second year of high school, they wrote 'ASPERGER' on top of the paper and explained that it means I would be more likely to get the courses I want.


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13 Jul 2009, 1:31 pm

I'm on SSI for AS and depression. They interview you, you fill out a lot of forms, you get a psych evaluation, then they interview your friends... I only got it after I had tried and failed at working a lot. It opened some doors for me, though; I know I can become employable, with accommodations, and right now I'm going through training to make that happen. If you're autistic on SSI, don't assume it means you can never work. It just means you can't work right now, in your current circumstances.

It doesn't even mean you can't try to work. If you get a part time or temporary work or supported employment of some kind, most of the time your SSI will simply go down by the amount of the money you get from working, and you'll stay on the books as an SSI recipient. If you've been supporting yourself for a few months, yeah, it'll go; but your income has to be above poverty level from your own work, and in that case you'll be better off not on SSI. In most locations, you keep Medicaid, if you were eligible, for quite a while after your SSI quits.


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13 Jul 2009, 3:26 pm

Spokane_Girl wrote:
I don't have NLD but I do have an AS diagnoses. I am on SSI and got money from them for a few years. They had to do a phone interview with me and with my mother, they sent me to a psychologist or something and she did tests with me. they also contacted my old hospitals and doctors like my old shrink and she had to call my mother I think for permission and I had to give my shrink permission to release information to them on me.

Nothing was never taken away from me, I still have normal rights as everyone else. Your diagnoses is kept private, no one is allowed to release your medical information without your permission. So you should be able to get a job, right to vote, rent a car, etc. It will not be in your passport information either.
ditto i get money for supplies and bills and therapy (mostly doing stuff like going to swim etc)


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