BDN Profiles Brewer Couple on How Benefit Systems Keep Disabled Impoverished

The Bangor Daily News recently ran an excellent article profiling a Brewer couple who explain how state and federal policies affected disabled people and how many policies keep people impoverished. The article -- 'Social Security is not the way to live': Maine couple talks growing older, living with disability -- is part of an interesting new BDN article series:

In this monthly series, the authors will introduce you to people who are apt to be your neighbors, are struggling to make ends meet and have been affected by specific state policies.

In the August edition of this series, Sandy Butler interviews an Claire El-Hajj and Lonnie El-Hajj. Claire has MS. Lonnie is a stroke survivor. Both went on SSDI in the 40s. The article details how lots of seemingly small things -- medication co-pays, wheelchair repair, a malfunctioning freezer -- add up to keep them in a constant state of financial stress and unpredictability. And how getting married severely adversely affected their livelihood:

Claire and Lonnie’s marriage has led to some loss of services for Lonnie. His Social Security Disability Insurance check is just over $800 per month....
Prior to his marriage to Claire, he was eligible for Medicaid (MaineCare), Section 8 housing and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. He also received some personal care assistance and help with transportation.
Lonnie and Claire’s combined annual income puts them just over the income limit to receive any means-tested benefits or services. They live together in the Brewer apartment Claire has lived in since she left her house.

The article ends with a reminder to readers to consider what effect privatizing Social Security would have on people such as the El-Hajjs. Read the complete article.

Do You Know about Disability.gov?

Last year, disability.gov emailed Ability Maine to tell us about one of their highlighted series of articles. At that time, disability.gov had been around for 10 years, yet I think most people with disabilities online have never heard of it. If you're not familiar with the website, here's what they have to say about themselves:

Disability.gov (www.disability.gov) is the federal government website for comprehensive information on disability programs and services in communities nationwide. Individuals with disabilities, their families, caregivers and others are connected to thousands of resources from federal, state and local government agencies; academic institutions; and nonprofit organizations. New information is added daily across 10 main subject areas – Benefits; Civil Rights; Community Life; Education; Emergency Preparedness; Employment; Health; Housing; Technology and Transportation.

Maine Has Highest Rate of Workplace Injuries in US; Nursing Homes Are Riskiest Maine Jobs

By Sharon Wachsler

According to a recent report, the state of Maine has the highest rate of serious workplace injuries of any state in the US. The report, "Allsup Study of Workplace Injuries," examines workplace injury rates by location, by type of work/industry — including private sector versus public sector, and by state.

The study was conducted and issued by Allsup, a company that provides representation to people applying for Social Security disability and other forms of disability benefits. [PDF] Data was collected for the year 2011. The number of illness and injury cases at work that required job transfer or restriction in Maine in 2011 was 6200, while there were 14,400 SSDI claims made in the same year.

The measurement of the [PDF] most dangerous workplaces was determined by reports of rates of injuries that were "serious enough to involve days of job transfer or restriction," per 100 full-time workers. The most dangerous workplaces in Maine were singled out as: state- or government-owned nursing and residential-care facilities (with the state rate of 7.1 injuries per 100 workers as compared to the US average of 1.2 for that industry), warehousing and storage (5.2 versus the national average of 2.7), private nursing-care facilities (5.1 versus 2.6), building material and garden equipment and supplies retailers (4.9 versus 2.7).

The fact that "nursing home facilities" and "community care facilities for the elderly" were [PDF] two of the 10 most dangerous industries nationwide — and both of which Maine is among the highest rates of injury for workers — is a disturbing finding. This suggests that not only are the [PDF] residents of such facilities often in danger of serious physical harm, but so are their caretakers, facts which seen very likely to be related.

From ADAPT (adapt.org): "Our long term care system has a heavy institutional bias. Every state that receives Medicaid MUST provide nursing home services, but community based services are optional. Sixty seven (67%) percent of Medicaid long term care dollars pay for institutional services, while the remaining thirty three (33%) must cover all the community based waivers, optional programs, etc."

It seems to me that one of the best ways to support worker safety and the rights and safety of people with disabilities is to support more independent and community living, instead of relying on the nursing home industrial complex. Which would allow both people with disabilities and care workers more options for safe, sustainable, and enriching living and working opportunities.

Disability Lawyer Debunks SSDI/SSI Myths in Portland Press Herald Editorial

By Sharon Wachsler

In an op-ed piece in yestserday's Portland Press Herald, Yarmouth lawyer Daniel Emery debunks many of the popular myths about getting or staying on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

The title and subhead of the editorial points to one of the biggest falsehoods about living on disability: "Maine Voices: Disability benefits don’t allow recipients to lead lives of leisure. As elected officials focus on entitlement spending, it’s important to separate perception from reality."

Emery quotes eight former Social Security commissioners who explained in public statements that only severely disabled people who apply for disability are approved and that the applications process is long and rigorous. The Maine lawyer also describes the poverty, struggles, and terrible living conditions of many of his clients in their long, grueling battles to get on Social Security disability.

The next time you hear someone talking about how easy it is to get on disability, what a cushy lifestyle it is, or how most of the people on disability aren't really disabled, why not show them a copy of Emery's editorial.

Web Resources for Mainers with Disabilities

Here are two websites on applying for disability that provide some of the same basic info, but with other little extras: How to File for Disability in Maine is a WikiHow that takes you step-by-step through the process of applying for Social Security disability. Filing for Disability in Maine seems to be part of a law company's site and includes some interesting and relevant statistics and dollar amounts, such as this one:

Maine's CareerCenter System provides information on several topics related to disability and employment. These include a Disability Resource Library, information on Maine's Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), the Ticket to Work program, the Flexible Employment Fund, information on reasonable accommodations and access, and more.

Maine.gov has a page on Disability Resources for Residents. Topics include accessible recreation opportunities, benefits programs, employment and education resources, state programs, behavioral health, independent living, rights and advocacy, and technology and communication.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Disability Rights Center of Maine. DRC always has a lot going on, and now is no exception. At the DRC website you can learn about Homeward Bound, Maine's "Money follows the person" demonstration project, Disability Awareness Day, self-advocacy partnerships and more.