SHOULD I CLAIM DISABILITY?

Tags:early retirement, Social Security benefits, disability benefits, home health help,

Some seven years after being diagnosed, Miyoshi Myopathy (Muscular Dystrophy), had definitely changed my lifestyle.  I could no longer do the work my full time jobs required but since I had to pay for half of our mortgage payments I was working part time. I worked practically until I had to give up driving.

 

My husband and I talked about my options. To apply for disability benefits, we understood that one of the requirements was not been able to work for at least six months previous to the application. I did not feel secure not receiving a monthly income for that long, plus when I compared myself to other disabled people I had seen, I felt my impediments were not that terrible. I was afraid that if I claimed disability I would be taking away the opportunity from someone more needy than me.  And again the thoughts that 'I had lived my life and it might even be that some of my problems are plain and simple due to aging,' made me set aside the idea of doing more research about disability benefits or consulting a lawyer about it.

 

I have not been exactly 'financially savvy' but I think I am a responsible person. Since I divorce my first husband I managed to keep a modest sum of money that I use only on special occasions; I was paying 50% of the mortgage of the house we were buying, so I had 50% of the equity we were accruing, and through my 20 years of work I had earned the needed credits to get Social Security.  So I decided to apply for early retirement.

 

The truth is that 10 years later my condition prostrated me. I could not get out of bed by myself, sit on the toilette, take a shower, do my bed, much less cook or keep the house clean.

People were telling me that Social Security would send a person to help me with all those chores. Someone had said they knew this sick person and that other one getting home health aid twice a week or even everyday in their house all paid by the Government.

I did some research and discover that the program they were talking about is Medicaid. I understood that a person needs to be near destitute to get Medicaid.

 

 

ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ:

https://www.ssa.gov/planners/disability/qualify.html

https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/retired-draw-disability.htmlhttps://www.disabilitysecrets.com/page5-13.html

LOOKING BACK

I wish I had consulted a lawyer before deciding to apply for early retirement.