When it comes to the financial component of living with a disability things can be complicated and frustrating. I have been on government disability benefits since I was a little over a year old. These benefits are less than $1,000 per month and eligibility related medical insurance. My disability is a lifelong condition so one may think that with the assistance, plus any income that I make, I should be financially secure, if not lush. This, however, is far from the case due to what my monthly government check pays for, the eligibility requirements for receiving benefits, and why I cannot afford to lose them.
I mentioned in previous blogs that my mom is my primary caregiver. It follows that we live together. In order to maintain a two person household, the entirety of my disability check goes towards paying half of our utility bills. Please note that this means that without my checks my mom and I would not be able to afford necessities such as water and electricity. In addition, the requirements for being eligible for benefits make it next to impossible to financially plan for the future.
In the U.S. eligibility for government disability benefits is based on extremely low income limits, not on diagnoses. While the limits vary slightly from state to state, where I live the limit is less than $2,000 per month. On top of that, I can’t have more than $2,000 in a regular savings account at any time in case of an emergency. That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Able Accounts were introduced to counter the issue of income limits. Still, my overall financial circumstances means that it will take years of deposits before an Able Account can do me any good. Plus, my circumstances mean that my health would be in jeopardy if I were to loose my disability benefits.
Due to my disability, I require a visit from an RN for a simple but costly waking procedure about twice a year. Thanks to notices from my medical insurance company, I know that just one of these visits costs over $9,000. In addition to that, I have to have a vital in-patient surgery about every eight years, and this is, of course, much more costly than the RN visits. I cannot stress enough that the RN visits and surgeries are not elective procedures. They are necessary in order to maintain my health. In short, disability benefits do not allow for making a livable income, but without them, my health would be at serious risk.
All of the factors of disability benefits amounts, eligibility requirements and the fact that they can relate to maintaining one’s health can easily lead to the feeling of frustration that I mentioned at the beginning of this blog. Still, there are alternatives which will be addressed in a future blog.