Disability vs SSI vs Welfare

[she2003]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? PA

Hello, my 50 yr. old brother has been dependent upon my mother for his entire life. This is due to undiagnosed ADD from childhood, health issues, and he is functionally illiterate. He does not have a driver's license. My mother passed away last week. I am trying to figure out what type of benefits he may be able to receive for his survival. He will continue living in the family home by himself. He does not have enough work history for disability. I understand that SSI, Welfare, or PA state benefits may be available for him, but don't know where to start. My hope is that he can receive income assistance and health benefits. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[TheGeekess]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? PA

Hello, my 50 yr. old brother has been dependent upon my mother for his entire life. This is due to undiagnosed ADD from childhood, health issues, and he is functionally illiterate. He does not have a driver's license. My mother passed away last week. I am trying to figure out what type of benefits he may be able to receive for his survival. He will continue living in the family home by himself. He does not have enough work history for disability. I understand that SSI, Welfare, or PA state benefits may be available for him, but don't know where to start. My hope is that he can receive income assistance and health benefits. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you

www.ssa.gov

 

[commentator]

Get your brother to the doctor for a diagnosis of something. He won't be able to get SSI unless he has some kind of documented disability. If he's just a lay-about, he will be urged into training programs and all sorts of hoops to jump through before he can get much assistance from the state, and nothing from the feds.

Being functionally illiterate isn't a handicap in the SSI sense. Was he in special education as a child? Has he ever had any sort of documented problems or issues such as treatment for mental illness or substance abuse? Even if you have to pay for it for him, he needs assessment if he wants to continue to lay around and not work due to his "undiagnosed" issues. In today's critical society, it might appear just to be an allergy to working and supporting himself.

 

[LdiJ]

Get your brother to the doctor for a diagnosis of something. He won't be able to get SSI unless he has some kind of documented disability. If he's just a lay-about, he will be urged into training programs and all sorts of hoops to jump through before he can get much assistance from the state, and nothing from the feds.

Being functionally illiterate isn't a handicap in the SSI sense. Was he in special education as a child? Has he ever had any sort of documented problems or issues such as treatment for mental illness or substance abuse? Even if you have to pay for it for him, he needs assessment if he wants to continue to lay around and not work due to his "undiagnosed" issues. In today's critical society, it might appear just to be an allergy to working and supporting himself.

She did say that he also had health issues. Those are more likely to be documented if he is 50 years old. However I do agree. He needs a doctor's diagnosis of any and all problems that he has if he is to have any hope of receiving SSI.

In the meantime, most likely he would qualify for some food stamps, but probably not much else.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Get him a job at a car wash.

 

[ecmst12]

I think it's kind of a shame that mom allowed him to be dependent on her for his entire life but still made no arrangements for his continuing support after her death, and neither did any of his other family members.

 

[commentator]

I agree wholeheartedly. In social services, these clients are some of the most difficult to deal with. Their parents and family members have pretended there's nothing really wrong with them, have enabled and mainstreamed until the people are functioning at some sort of level with assistance, but then when the enablers move on, you have a basically helpless and useless individual with no documented history of disability. If he had serious health issues, they should have tried to get him on SSI before. He could possibly have qualified, even while his mother was living.

And there are also those passive individuals who are not really disabled, just were really lazy and happy to have someone else do everything for them. Being functionally illiterate is one of the problems of many many individuals on public assistance. If they weren't they'd have a much easier time dealing with life and finding a job.

Voc Rehab may be a source of assistance for this brother. When he applies for general assistance and Food Stamps, IF he qualifies, allowing for what he may have inherited from mom's estate, (Quote: "He will continue living in the family home by himself" )they'll be referring him to a lot of other agencies, having him apply for work if they determine he's able.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

In 15 years he can get SSI with no problem.