r/schizoaffective • u/sekh60 bipolar subtype • Mar 21 '15

Check-in Saturday (March 21, 2015)

Check-in Saturday is a weekly topic encouraging community members to check in with how they are doing in a judgment free environment. Anyone can start a Check-in Saturday, just please put the date in the title and try to include a link to the previous week's thread.

Previous week's check-in

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u/katihathor bipolar subtype Mar 24 '15

there's only one process...if you qualify for SSDI then you get that first (usually based on some % of your previous income) and if not then you can get on SSI. I'm bummed that I didn't get on SSDI since that was like $1000/mo more income than SSI.

I also hate feeling like a mooch, but I figure it's kind of like having an insurance settlement...you've been paying in to the insurance for awhile so you shouldn't feel guilty about filing a claim on it.

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u/koutavi depressive subtype Mar 24 '15

May I ask if they told you why you were given SSI instead of SSDI? Or what your work history was like? I have ten years of on/off work, I'm hoping that's enough...

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u/katihathor bipolar subtype Mar 24 '15

I was self-employed for a long time and apparently incorrectly filed my taxes so the only records they had of me paying social security tax was when I was running payroll services for my business for a few months in 2008. I couldn't prove that I had been disabled early enough for them to give me SSDI. Originally it looked like they were going to give me SSDI but because of the tax issue I ended up on SSI.

At least now I'm on section 8 so all my SSI money isn't going to rent and I can save up for things and buy stuff again. But $1700/mo would have been a whole lot better than $700/mo.

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u/koutavi depressive subtype Mar 25 '15

Thank you for sharing. That sounds very tight, I'm sorry about the tax mix-up. :(