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Disability Benefits

Justin Scarpulla said:
I am not exactly sure where this forum is based , but if anybody is in the United States maybe you can help me answer this question. I have tried and failed countless times to get a job for the past 8 months , and I have basically already given up on finding another one. I tried to do my own research, but every website I go to just makes it more confusing. Some sites say that I should apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) , while others say that I shouldn't because Autism isn't specifically listed in the official List of Impairments , and visiting the official website made it even more confusing. I am just wondering , I don't think I'm even capable of keeping let alone getting a job , is there any type of benefit I can receive or any way that I can put money in my pocket ?
Click to expand...

First, You’d be better off talking to an attorney versed in disability law. You’d be better off hiring an attorney that specialized in disability law locally, rather than a nation advocate, as a local attorney has a better knowledge of the judges that work in the courts, as well as the physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists in the local area.

Second, I would hire that attorney to handle the entire application process, since the social security administration has at LEAST a 3 year backlog of cases.

Second,in order to file for SSDI, you must have at least 40 calendar quarters of work credits, which works out to 10 years of any kind of taxable wages.

Third, as for attorney’s fees, that is regulated by law. SSA allows an attorney to charge 20% of your back pay, up to a maximum of $6000.00. If that 20% comes up to greater than $6000.00, they can only collect $6000.00.

Attorneys may also charge fees for collecting and copying records, which is also regulated by SSA. I don’t recall the rate they are allowed to charge, as it has been almost 10 years since I filed for disability.

Finally, while autism may not be on the list of disabilities, if you have comorbids, such as bipolar disorder, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, etc., you stand a better chance of being awarded your claim, if you go in front of an administrative law judge in an SSA hearing. In addition, if you are over 55 years of age, you stand a better chance of being awarded your claim if you go before an administrative law judge.

If, after filing your appeal of your initial application, you are still denied, your attorney will advise you to find another attorney, and file a case in Federal court, which is a whole different kettle of fish.

Good luck (yer gonna need it)!
 
I'm connected to networks that look for companies for jobs all over the US based on autism diagnosis, but I won't refer unless you're willing to have a video chat with me so that we both get to know each other a little (PM me).
Part of being able to get a job like this is being okay with talking/networking with people like myself, because you would be working on a team. Granted, it would be on a team of people potentially like yourself mostly, but people that you might be able to relate to and vice versa. But you'd have to be willing to take those steps too. . .

Some of these jobs are full time with benefits or if you're okay moving in with roommates for a part time job, then your possibilities increase 100 fold. There are essentials jobs that seem to be hiring too. Understandable if you don't want to take those- but if you're really, truly desperate, it may be worth the risk.
 
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Meistersinger said:
First, You’d be better off talking to an attorney versed in disability law. You’d be better off hiring an attorney that specialized in disability law locally, rather than a nation advocate, as a local attorney has a better knowledge of the judges that work in the courts, as well as the physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists in the local area.

Second, I would hire that attorney to handle the entire application process, since the social security administration has at LEAST a 3 year backlog of cases.

Second,in order to file for SSDI, you must have at least 40 calendar quarters of work credits, which works out to 10 years of any kind of taxable wages.

Third, as for attorney’s fees, that is regulated by law. SSA allows an attorney to charge 20% of your back pay, up to a maximum of $6000.00. If that 20% comes up to greater than $6000.00, they can only collect $6000.00.

Attorneys may also charge fees for collecting and copying records, which is also regulated by SSA. I don’t recall the rate they are allowed to charge, as it has been almost 10 years since I filed for disability.

Finally, while autism may not be on the list of disabilities, if you have comorbids, such as bipolar disorder, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, etc., you stand a better chance of being awarded your claim, if you go in front of an administrative law judge in an SSA hearing. In addition, if you are over 55 years of age, you stand a better chance of being awarded your claim if you go before an administrative law judge.

If, after filing your appeal of your initial application, you are still denied, your attorney will advise you to find another attorney, and file a case in Federal court, which is a whole different kettle of fish.

Good luck (yer gonna need it)!
Click to expand...

I don't know very much about the "3 year backlog". All I know is that they have been known to expedite cases based on poverty or having children at home. I got SSI very quickly, in less than a year. I only got like $7000 in backpay.

Also, I did the math. And if 20% of your backpay adds up to $6,000 in attorney's fees, that means that you will get $24,000 in your pocket, tax free. And that doesn't include the SSI/SSD benefits that'll start rolling in.
 
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Justin Scarpulla said:
I am not exactly sure where this forum is based , but if anybody is in the United States maybe you can help me answer this question. I have tried and failed countless times to get a job for the past 8 months , and I have basically already given up on finding another one. I tried to do my own research, but every website I go to just makes it more confusing. Some sites say that I should apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) , while others say that I shouldn't because Autism isn't specifically listed in the official List of Impairments , and visiting the official website made it even more confusing. I am just wondering , I don't think I'm even capable of keeping let alone getting a job , is there any type of benefit I can receive or any way that I can put money in my pocket ?
Click to expand...
This is where you should start:

Getting Disability Benefits for Autism

From there you contact attorneys specializing in disability law.
 
Justin Scarpulla said:
Yeah I might as well try , in the meantime I'll definitely end up broke and will probably lose my desire to live as well , so hopefully it doesn't take long.
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  1. Get on EBT & Medicaid while you are waiting.
  2. Get on vocational rehab. Your current diagnosis should accommodate that.
  3. Find a hobby that isn't too expensive. (I picked figure drawing. I have a secondary hobby of collecting figures, mostly from resale shops. ;))
 
Crossbreed said:
  1. Get on EBT & Medicaid while you are waiting.
  2. Get on vocational rehab. Your current diagnosis should accommodate that.
  3. Find a hobby that isn't too expensive. (I picked figure drawing. I have a secondary hobby of collecting figures, mostly from resale shops. ;))
Click to expand...
Figure drawing? Like in art class?
 
Crossbreed said:
Being dirt poor, I used library books, at first. I built up a small library of my own over time.

When I needed a live model, I had a mirror. Anatomy for artist books were helpful, too. Having face-blindness, my aforementioned figure collection helped me to draw more distinct faces. Drawing from imagination is a little different than drawing from life.
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It must be tough to learn that way!

I have always loved posing for art classes. I'm retired now but had a gig lined up with one local college and was referred to another college and a private art class as a figure model for a little extra money. Amazingly there seems to be a shortage of the willing??? But that all evaporated with COVID-19. :(

Have you ever worked with Poser? I could see that as a ready source for faces and figures.

Poser - 3D Rendering & Animation Software
 
Crossbreed said:
  1. Get on EBT & Medicaid while you are waiting.
  2. Get on vocational rehab. Your current diagnosis should accommodate that.
  3. Find a hobby that isn't too expensive. (I picked figure drawing. I have a secondary hobby of collecting figures, mostly from resale shops. ;))
Click to expand...
You gotta understand that this stuff takes too much effort for me , I'm only 22 , I have no idea what you're talking about. But anyways thanks for the suggestions.
 
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