The Social Security Disability Coalition was created because we are concerned about what transpires when a claimant files for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)/SSI benefits, from the first point of contact with the Social Security Administration, through all stages of the benefit claims process, including their final claim resolution. If you visit the Social Security Disability Coalition, or the Social Security Disability Reform petition websites, you will read many years worth of documented horror stories, and see thousands of signatures of disabled Americans whose lives have been harmed by the Social Security Disability program. You cannot help but see the excruciating pain and suffering that these people have been put through, just because they happened to become disabled, and went to their government to file a claim for disability insurance that they worked so very hard to pay for.
The Social Security Disability Coalition fills a void that is greatly lacking in the SSDI/SSI claims process. We are a national grass roots organization and our membership (numbering in the thousands nationwide), consists of many disabled individuals, like myself, whose own lives have been devastated by a system that was set up to help them. My group and their experiences, are a very accurate reflection and microcosm of what is happening to millions of Social Security Disability applicants every day. They are using what very little time and energy they can muster due to their own disabilities, to try and help other disabled Americans survive the nightmare of applying for Social Security Disability benefits. There is no better example of the American spirit than these extraordinary people! There are also social services representatives/organizations, and others who are deeply concerned about the way fragile populations in this country are suffering under the SSDI/SSI application process. While we never represent claimants in their individual cases, we are still able to provide claimants with much needed support and resources to guide them through the nebulous maze that is put in front of them when applying for SSDI/SSI benefits. In spite of the fact that the current system is not conducive to case worker, client interaction other than the initial claims intake, we continue to encourage claimants to communicate as much as possible with the SSA in order to speed up the claims process, making it easier on both the SSA caseworkers and the claimants themselves. As a result we are seeing claimants getting their cases approved on their own without the need for paid attorneys, and when additional assistance is needed we connect them with FREE resources to represent them should their cases advance to the hearing phase. We also provide them with information on how to access available assistance to help them cope with every aspect of their lives, that may be affected by the enormous wait time that it currently takes to process an SSDI/SSI claim. This includes how to get Medicaid and other State/Federal programs such as Medicare, free/low cost healthcare, medicine, food, housing, financial assistance and too many other things to mention. We educate them in the policies and regulations which govern the SSDI/SSI process, and connect them to the answers for the many questions they have about how to access their disability benefits in a timely manner, relying heavily on the SSA website to provide this help. If we as disabled Americans, who are not able to work because we are so sick ourselves, can come together, using absolutely no money and very little time or effort to accomplish these things, how is it that the Federal Government using our taxpayer dollars fails so miserably at this task? This proves that even though we cannot earn a “paycheck†we are still very valuable members of society, and should never be ignored, cast aside, or viewed as “damaged goods.†We hope to one day achieve our main goal of complete reform of this outdated abusive system. A major step towards reaching that goal is that the SSD Coalition, now provides constant feedback directly to the Social Security Administration and Congress.
Please join the Social Security Disability Coalition – offering FREE information and support with a focus on SSDI reform:
Social Security Disability Coalition
Contact the Social Security Disability Coalition directly at:
[email protected]
Please sign the Social Security Disability Reform Petition – read the horror stories from all over the nation:
Social Security Reform Petition
Ask your elected officials to introduce/support - Fullerton - Edwards Social Security Disability Reform Act:
Fullerton - Edwards Social Security Disability Reform Act
Social Security Disability Nightmare - It Could Happen To You!
Learn about our President/Co-Founder - LJ Fullerton at her website "A Bump On The Head" - Read the unusual harrowing story of her brush with death and continuing struggle for survival - be forewarned this story is not for the faint of heart...
A Bump On The Head
CBS Evening News With Katie Couric – Disabled And Waiting - 2/14/08
Dying Before Disability Benefits - R-News - Time Warner
City Newspaper - Health Care: Dying For Help - 2/6/08
Sick Of Waiting – AARP Bulletin – November 2007
AARP Radio – Prime Time Focus – Applying For Social Security Disability Benefits – 12/18/07 - Some advice from the President/Co-founder of The Social Security Disability Coalition
Applying For Social Security Disability Benefits
American Nightmare - It Can Happen To You!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZTnjwy7U14
