Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Dickey, Malone Hear SSA Complaints

Stephen King is considered the master of horror.

While this is true in fiction, the prolific author has never written a word which could touch the horror people with severe disabilities who were attempting to get Social Security disability benefits.

More than 50 people gathered in the conference room at Malone Inc., offices of state Representative Percy Malone, to air out their problems to 4th Congressional District Rep. Jay Dickey, R-Ark.

Their stories were heart-rending, and in many cases tragic.

One woman had lost a lung to cancer but was turned down for disability benefits because $2,500 was still owed her from a home she had sold.

Glenda Peacock, with Dickey's office, told those on hand there are five steps involved in getting Social Security disability.

In stage 1, she said, applicants are almost always turned down unless they have a terminal illness.

The second step is a reconsideration of step one, only different people are looking at the situation.

For those turned down here, there is step three, where a case is heard before an administrative law judge, who makes a ruling on the claim.

In addition, it takes six to nine months to get a hearing before the administrative judge, and about a year to get an answer.

When applicants are denies at this level, the next two steps require the applicant to hire an attorney and sue for the benefits they paid in to the Social Security Administration (SSA) while they were able to work.

However, once a person is approved for disability benefits, they get the money retroactively to the time they first applied.

Dickey said one of the major problems is the backlog of cases to be addressed. Nationally, he said, a certain amount are eliminated at the first level -- which translates into a quota system arbitrarily imposed by the federal government.

Malone said Dickey was brought to Arkadelphia Saturday to hear the needs of the people so this problem can be addressed in Washington, D.C. and be better served.

Part of the problem those applying for the benefits have is they tend to feel they are asking for handouts, even though the money they are trying to get is rightfully theirs.

Malone said several people have told him they feel like they are asking for welfare because of the way they are treated by workers with the SSA.

Ann Warren told Dickey she had undergone open heart surgery and the doctors removed her sternum (breastbone). Now, she is unable to lift anything because her organs shift around.

While her personal physician says she is unable to work, the SSA's doctors feel otherwise. Her case is currently up to an administrative judge.

One woman suffers from arthritis so bad she can hardly get out of bed without help. But, she, too, has been denied disability benefits.

In another case, a woman with severe diabetes was sent to an eye doctor by the SSA, who reported she was fine. Because of an eye doctor's report, the woman's benefits were denied.

A man who has been diabetic for 25 years and has heart troubles also has a commercial driver's license. He has had to lie to keep his job because of being denied benefits.

Another man was injured on the job and can't work. He and his family are about to lose everything they have, but are still being denied disability benefits because of the bureaucracy.

To a person, all said they feel lost in the shuffle; like beggars or cheats because of how they are treated because they are seeking assistance from the Social Security Administration.

"This is what I've been hearing," Malone told Dickey. "People with serious disabilities are being denied. It shouldn't be this hard (for them to get disability benefits)."

Because of the denials, time constraints and red tape, some of those present told Dickey they had literally lost everything they owned.

And, because of their current medical problems, they can't get insurance because of the pre-existing condition clause most carriers have.

Dickey asked if those on hand would be willing to turn others in who are trying to fraudulently get the benefits if there was a 15 percent bounty involved.

"It's coming," Dickey said of the bounty. "In the next two years, it's coming up for a vote. We can't set up another bureaucracy to find fraud, we'll have to use the vigilante system."

He also asked people if those applying for disability should be forced to give up all their assets before applying or receiving any benefits.

The crowd disagreed with this, saying they have worked all their lives for what they have and are being penalized because of their possessions and assets.

They agreed if they had the financial ability to pay their medical bills and keep their homes going, they wouldn't be applying for disability benefits in the first place.

"It's incredible," Dickey said. "I've known about these problems going on, but this makes me more aware of what we need to do as a country.

"We need to balance the budget so the scales can lean more heavily in favor of the people with claims, who have worked hard and paid in. The government needs to be more responsive.

"We're getting closer to a national health insurance, but we need to move slowly." Dickey said the Clinton Health Plan, introduced shortly after Bill Clinton took office as President, was too much, too soon.

One of the biggest problems, Dickey said, is fraud and waste. He said this is the time to go after it.

Malone said this is what the people have been telling him: the system is not working, people with serious needs can't work yet can't get benefits from a program they were forced to pay into when they could work.

"They go through the system with their doctors, who say they can't work," he said. "Then, they're told they can and have to hire an attorney.

"I wanted Congressman Dickey to hear this; real people with real problems who are losing everything they've got, are distraught and have no insurance.

"The system has failed them miserably. It's not a partisan thing," Malone continued, "the system in place doesn't work."

Malone said Dickey needs to find out if money is the driving force behind most decisions to deny benefits. If it is, then it's wrong because those qualified should be receiving the benefits they qualify for.

"We don't want those not eligible getting them," he said, "but we don't need a quota system either."