Being your own boss on disability: mastering your destiny
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Being your own boss on disability: mastering your destiny

As I’ve mentioned on previous posts, you can work while on SSI or SSDI. There are programs, like Ticket to Work and Vocational Rehab programs that can help with the process. However, the reality is that while they can give you information about working, they often are only prepared to help you with calculations related…

Navigating the Charity Care Labyrinth
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Navigating the Charity Care Labyrinth

As of July 27, 2020, I am elated to announce that I am no longer in debt to my local hospitals. I’m also very angry that it’s taken as long as it has. To give you some background: I have Functional Neurological Disorder(FND), which is a relatively common (but rarely properly diagnosed) neurological condition that…

How does Medicaid work and how do I get it?
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How does Medicaid work and how do I get it?

So Medicare and Medicaid are two terms that a lot of people seem to mix up on occasion. They are both important insurance programs, but they are run and managed through different levels of government. They also provide different types and degrees of coverage, and the process to get them is different, as is the…

How will moving affect my disability benefits?
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How will moving affect my disability benefits?

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…

Can you get SSI and SSDI?
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Can you get SSI and SSDI?

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…

Health insurance – what are my options?
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Health insurance – what are my options?

Health insurance is a large and complicated issue in the US.  I want to talk about the practical considerations of health insurance and health insurance choices. Choosing your health insurance program can have a dramatic effect on your monthly expenses and your quality of life – so doing a bit of research and work now…

Can you get disability if you have never worked?(What is SSI)
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Can you get disability if you have never worked?(What is SSI)

The short answer is: probably if you are “disabled enough”.   Supplemental Security Income(SSI) is a needs-based program specifically designed to help people who do not have a work history to apply for SSDI.  Generally, these are people who have been affected by their condition since birth or childhood, or who have spent long periods of…