About to apply for disability :( I can't believe its come to this..

[tomtom]

Is ADD a disibility? Should I self-identify at work for protection? Wondering if that would help me with the mess I'm in.

[Me Again]

Has anyone had any experience with applying for disability in Nebraska?

[crazycat1990]

I've done the same thing, though only because my job was seasonal and ended in November last year. I applied for Employment and Support Allowance, which is a benefit people with an illness or disbaility that affects their ability to work, can claim. There is also a Disability Allowance but that is for people that are severely diabled and require help and have a carer (without sounding rude). I applied because of my Asperger's. I got very settled in my job and didn't want to work anywhere else during the closed season. I can find new situations difficult and mainly socialising with new people. So getting a new job was a big no-no.
What annoyed me was one of my friends, who said that too many people are claiming benefits for stupid reasons or no apparent reason. I often tell him about problems my AS and possible ADHD cause and he just says I'll be fine and not to blame it on that. He doesn't understand! And yes you do unfortunately get benefit thieves, but a lot of illnesses and disabilities are not obvious, so he shouldn't assume or judge. Grr!

But yeah, I started a new job in March and was not enjoying it so I left on 10th April. Just been on the phone to the Department of Work and Pensions, and they have done a repeat claim for Employment and Support Allowance! Woop! Without sounding "yay they are giving me money!" but more "Hooray they have helped me out and I can relax knowing they are supporting me during this difficult time!"
I'm going back to my old job I've done for two years, in a few weeks hopefully.

[Retromancer]

There are two components here. There are whatever benefits Nebraska may provide for those who cannot work due to disability. Then there is Social Security disability benefits -- SSI and SSDI. These are available for all US citizens. Commonly state benefits are available -- when they exist -- to tide people over while their Social Security claim works its way through the system.

Not a Nebraska resident, sorry. I do have some experience with Social Security. I applied for SSI 20 years ago and have more recently have assisted friends with their claims.

Originally Posted by Me Again

Has anyone had any experience with applying for disability in Nebraska?

[m1trLG2]

Just know that usually you have to apply three or four times to get disability. Especially for mental health issues. I work as a social worker and see this a lot. It's because a lot of people out there abuse the system and it makes it harder for those who really need help to get it. It's one of the reasons I am looking for a career change. I can't stand to continue to see honestly disabled people struggle for disablitly while some people that get it aren't disabled at all. I wish you the best of luck and pray for speedy processing!

[oddjobace]

Originally Posted by adhdogwalker

Hi Nick! You could always walk dogs! I have been fired from or quit every single office job I have ever attempted to do. And, believe it or not, you can make a very decent living.

Sounds like a fun job. What do I need to do?

[doiadhd]

Originally Posted by movingshadow

Many of you know me from my posts about my job issue I had in 2006 - I lost my job Sep 19th and can't seem to get motivation again to get a job.

This job I had for 4.5 years was the best job I ever had and the one I held the longest. It was one I had been doing for a long time and needed a change, but since loosing it and seeing where I am - I wish I could have it back. I was fired and its a long story, but I haven't been able to feel motivated about getting a job anywhere and I sent off for disability forms to fill out - they have arrived - it will take 3-4 mo to see if I am approved - but right now things are tight and I have to try.

so sorry to read that....i,ve gone/going through something similar.about 8 months ago i broke my hand and being a plasterer obviously could,nt go to work for 2 months then the credit crunch hit in so no biuldings were being worked on and now i,m finding it hard to pick myself up again and am a bit scared of doing anything else apart from plastering and on the flip side i,ve been plastering for 12 years and am mega bored of it as a result i,m screwed........i know what we are supposed to do and thats to try and stay possitive ect but.........think i may well have to follow your route and hopefully maybe able to go on some form of an educational course anything..........change is good in the end
p.s-i,ve only been on here a short while but read a couple of your posts which were very very helpful all my wishes are with you good luck! i need to chat to someone and if you do it would be great i have lots of q's n a's

[navyblue]

OMG!!!

movingshadow,

I am in the same exact situation as well. I've been unemployed since June of 2008. I keep telling myself I don't need the disability. But maybe disability is now the reality I have to face. The motivation is just flat out gone. With so many people counting on me to provide, it really really hits hard.

[Regina Terrae]

I've just applied for disability, too (SSDI). Oh Lord, this is depressing -- the whole reassessment of myself. Absorbing the reality of my disability, how disabling it really is, feeling so incapable of coping with life as an independent grown-up.

I went to the state's Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), that helps people with disabilities to get employed. I didn't call them for a long time, because right on their website they say they have a waiting list for people with severe disabilities, and that they may not be able to help people with less severe disabilities at all. But when I decided to try this personal chef thing, I figured that their program for supporting self-employment might have its own separate bucket of money so it was worth applying. Well, the person who did my intake had absolutely no hesitation about accepting me into the program. She just had to send me for a "psychological assessment" first, which she said was basically an IQ test, not for diagnosis, since I had given her my diagnosis from my pdoc. I guess they want to see that you're smart enough to take advantage of the support.

I'm smart, all right. And I test well, I guess my competitive streak comes out and fires up the ADD-deficient neurotransmitters or whatever. The psychologist said I maxed out all the tests, and thought I was only very slightly disabled if at all ... I had to explain to her that she wasn't seeing the ADD, tell her how it affects me in real day-to-day life. I think in the end she got that I need the help, but I wish I could have read her report.

At one point she used the term "nervous breakdown", in trying to understand why I left my last job. I had not applied that word to it myself, because it was more an ongoing depression and dysfunction than an acute crisis. But it reminded me of the time in my life I do apply that word to, when I dropped out of college after freshman year and took two years to heal, not working, supported by an older man who started out as my lover but kept supporting me after I withdrew from that, too. Two years he supported me, until I was strong and whole enough to start temping.

I wish I had remembered all that in time to tell the psych. But it scares me ... it reminds me that I really may not be capable of supporting myself, I really may be too scattered, too emotionally fragile, too low in energy and self-confidence. I've been there.

Anyway. I applied for SSDI. Not counting on it, as even if it's approved eventually I know it's likely to be a very long time. Meanwhile, I don't know what to do. Maybe I need to up my anti-depressants. Maybe I just need some success in my business to give me a shot of confidence. Maybe I just ovulated, and I'll feel better again in a couple of weeks.... Maybe I need to get up out of this chair, go brush my teeth and take a shower, take a walk and get some fresh air, yeah, well, that's good for this mood right this minute, but it still doesn't make me believe I can catch up on my mortgage or find a place to land if I don't.

Bad day.

[Retromancer]

If you are a forum member, haven't worked in six months and over 40 then you should apply for Social Security, ASAP. Think of it as taking out an insurance policy.

Hope springs eternal. Some times we need splash of cold reality:

The Long Slog: Out of Work, Out of Hope | Wall Street Journal

[Crazygirl79]

What's fact that they are a forum member got to do with this???

[Retromancer]

If you are a forum member you are presumably AD(H)D which means statistically you are more likely to lose your job -- and you quite possibly have difficulty searching for work, in the best of times. (Like myself) There is also a significant probability that you have a co-morbid disorder such as depression. (Like myself.)

Originally Posted by Crazygirl79

What's fact that they are a forum member got to do with this???

[Crazygirl79]

Yeah that part is true about the job loss thing but the whole thing sounds gloomy.

Selena

[Retromancer]

So it is -- and based on cold, hard facts.

Originally Posted by Crazygirl79

Yeah that part is true about the job loss thing but the whole thing sounds gloomy.

Selena

[movingshadow]

I am humbled by the news that I have been approved for disability benefits.
I have so much to read and find out about what I can use this for.

I will get a monthly check and some back pay. This is going to help me so much right now. Even though a lot of it is going to probably go to save my mothers house whom I have been renting a room from.

I worked for about three months this passed summer. It was a low paying summer job until layoff - and yes I almost got fired for that one to! But otherwise its been very hard to stay busy. Not knowing where money is going to come from. This way I will at least and for once in my life be able to feel secure like other people do normally. And know what it is like to be able to have money to pay your bills and then finally get on with my life. Hopefully when I am at a stage where I have confidence to feel "recovered" that I will be able to find some way to 'fit' into society.

The plan was only to be on the disability for one year but I am thinking I may need about a year and a half or more - just have to wait and see. My first check will come on November 10th.

I have issues with my teeth, issues with my medication. I need all kinds of things fixed so that I can finally start to recover. I hope this will get me there.