Over the summer, we were hit with a triple whammy. Over the course of just a couple of days, we got three letters, one after another. Each one was a punch in the gut, increasing in intensity each time. First, the SSI benefit Sam had been receiving that was our only available option to pay for therapy was being taken away effective the following month. This, just after receiving a letter a couple of weeks before that saying that he had been approved. Then, a second letter informing us that since Sam’s Medicaid insurance had been tied to his SSI, and because he lost SSI, he now also lost his health insurance, effective the following month as well. Still reeling in shock from those first two letters, the final blow that landed me in the fetal position was a third letter from SSI informing us that after their research, they had determined that they overpaid us – by 100% – for the previous nearly two and a half years; oh, and by the way, now we had to pay them back a 5-digit amount. It’s hard to get back up after getting knocked down as hard as that. But it’s so much harder to muster the strength to fight back.
I could tell you all about the myriad phone calls I made to literally every lawyer in town and that not ONE of them was either able and/or willing to help. Lots of lawyers dealt with helping people get benefits. But when it came to appealing a decision that lost benefits, specifically for a minor, no one would touch our case with a 10-foot pole. I could tell you about the many, many conversations I had with friends and family about what exactly was happening, and how it was just so wrong, and how we all felt so angry, yet so completely helpless. And I could tell you about how I broke down and cried and agonized and pleaded with the people in the Social Security office.
But this post isn’t about any of those things. It’s not about justice. It’s not about the facts. It’s not even about emotions. Even incredibly strong emotions. It’s about two things: peace and perseverance. Both are necessary in order to fight.
Read the entire post at Key Ministry for Families today …
Sarah
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