In theory, the federal and state government are very supportive of people with disabilities returning to work. While the practice leaves something to be desired, you definitely can get help with expanding your training or education after becoming disabled, as long as the goal is to become more employable and return to work. Some programs…
One of those huge changes in life is moving from one home to another. When you’re living with a disability, the need for accommodations may require you to move for your own safety, or changes in your financial situation may require you to move to different(often less expensive) housing. Sometimes, some of us may even…
This post is about why it’s so important to keep pushing doctors in order to find out just what the medical problem is, and how to solve it. The following is what Al and I went through(mainly from a medical perspective), and the lessons we learned from it. Despite mostly finding very good doctors, going…
Like many people on disability, I have had points where I applied for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program(SNAP) benefits, often referred to as food stamps. SNAP benefits are one of those programs that often get mentioned in politics, and is a vital program to help increase food security among the most in-need populations in the country….
I’m searching for a new primary care physician(PCP) now, and I wanted to bring you along on the journey. The importance, value, and need for a primary care physician does vary based upon what sort of insurance you have, but in general everybody should have a doctor they know and trust to see whenever they…
It is possible to get both Supplementary Security Income(SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI), but you probably do not want to be in the position of needing to be eligible for both. The reason I say this is because while SSDI is based upon disability and work history, SSI is a program specifically for people who…
I have a condition known as Functional Neurological Disorder(FND). I was diagnosed in 2003, when people were even less aware of the condition than they are now. It had a different name(Conversion Disorder) and was labeled as a form of mental illness, rather than as a neurological condition. In my case, Conversion Disorder remains…
SSDI stands for Social Security Disability Insurance(It is also sometimes shortened to SSD), which is one of two programs to support people who are too disabled to work. SSDI is specifically for people who have enough of a work history that they would be eligible for social security benefits when they retire. This program is…
If your condition is complicated, you will likely need to see a variety of experts. Somewhere on that journey, a doctor, most often a specialist of some sort, will recognize your symptoms and give you a diagnosis. Is that diagnosis enough? Are you set now? Or do you need to go deeper down the rabbit…
I’m not trying to be discouraging or to tell you not to apply. I have been supported by SSDI(social security disability insurance) for well over 15 years, and I know that my quality of life would be much worse if I were not on this program. What I do want to do is…