Peg in the Machine

This has to be without a doubt the biggest complaint in my family right now.  It took my mother almost 5 years to finally get it despite her being unable to do any job — and the disability office’s attorney person (the guy who shows up to court to try and prevent you from getting it) saying in court “there’s nothing she can do, she should get it”.  The judge commented it was unique for the attorney trying to “prevent” you from getting it doing an excellent job arguing the other point — even though after looking at the details he agreed without hesitation.

But it’s not her case that makes me think that politicians really need to overhaul this system…

Imagine a guy who’s a diabetic and takes insulin.  Now picture that because of this is isn’t allowed to get a CDL (for one reason or another — but it’s a potential risk).  Now imagine that he had been working (*cough* illegally *cough*) at a place that knew it (he had a CDL, but the state didn’t know at the time or laws changed or something).  Now imagine he gets really sick and can’t work.  Driver’s license comes up for renewal and… oops…. guess what?  Can’t get a CDL anymore because the state found out!  Which means, he can’t do that job anymore (despite not working at it for a few years due to the sickness).  Calls up disability, know what they said?  “Go back to driving a truck!”  After a complete “huh” moment he said “I can’t get a CDL anymore, which means I can’t drive a truck”  — they more or less just repeated the same thing, said it wasn’t their fault then told him to go back to working at a shoe factory (that closed 20 years prior), then another place (that closed more recently, but still closed).  By then they’d reached his high school years.   Two years, multiple useless politicians, multiple court dates and two attorney’s later he finally got it.  Of course all his back pay went in paying all the loans worth up to fifty grand that they had to take out to live — so they weren’t living on the streets.

Then you have another man.  Can’t work because he requires oxygen, and his workplace (due to OSHA requirements, and just an overall hazard) isn’t able to even enter the factory.  Files for disability (2 years before retirement too) and has two diseases that are a life sentence — if he’s lucky he might live another 5 years.  Denied — he’s supposed to “go back to working at the factory”.  But like above, he can’t work at the factory due to state and federal regulations.

There’s something really wrong in the world when a state agency tells you that you won’t get something because you can do something that other agencies say you can’t do because of the reason you applied to get the something.  [Really, that made sense -- I hope at least].  And all it does is hurt the people!  When the person finally gets it, they go back to when you first applied — so it’s not like they’re getting that much more money.  Meanwhile you have probably thousands of families all across the United States just on the brink of homelessness because they can’t work, and can’t get disability!

Want to hear something really funny?  Politicians won’t help — but they still call for donations to get re-elected.  Granted they probably don’t know who the people are directly and all, but it’s still funny.