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I wasn't going to comment anymore to this thread, because the whole thing just disturbs me, but I do want to explain something about SSI.
SSI is the welfare form of Disability. It's for individuals who DID NOT work enough to pay into and collect Disability benefits should they not be able to work. This would include children and adults.
To qualify to recieve SSI you cannot have more than $1000 in resources - this includes your vehicle and your home. If you have more than $1000 in resources, you are automatically denied. You cannot own a home, you must be renting or be homeless.
IF they are trying to get SSI for their child, then they may very well had to give up their home to qualify for it. Sucks, believe me, I know. I know because my husband is at level 3 trying to get his disability, and he was denied for SSI because we own a car and our home. Our home is a 1975 trailer, and not valued at much. Their opinion is if we need the money that badly, we'll sell our home. I'd rather not have the money and own my home. Wouldn't you?
I have an 11 year old sister who has milomenengocele and spinabifida - she was born with both. At age 9, she became an amputee...she does not qualify for SSI, either, no matter that she will never be able to fully potty train, has to wear adult diapers her entire life, has an artificial leg, and a shunt, and $600,000+ in medical bills. My mom is her care giver, and my Step Dad lost his job due to company cuts and his unemployment has almost run out. My sister cannot get SSI because my parents own a nice home.
Now granted, there are people who know how to work the system. There's a local family we know who are collecting SSI on all 3 of their kids because the kids have ADD or ADHD. Mom and Dad could BOTH work, but they don't - they live off the kids' SSI money.
Another thing about SSI, it's income based. The monthly payment amount is configured by how much they think YOU will need to care for yourself or how ever much the person it's being paid for will need in the month. If it's for a minor child, you have to show proof that the money was used and spent for needs of the minor child. You are not allowed to bank or save any of the money, either. They expect it all to be spent in the month that they paid it. If you are on SSI (not Disability - SSI, the two are different) and you have say $50 left over each month at the end of the month, then they will reduce your payment because "you are being over paid the amount you need if you're not spending it all in 30 days."
It goes with that not allowed to have more than $1000 in resources.
As for having a garden with rotted vegetables, the OP said the mom cannot walk, and the baby is only 18 months old, and Dad was gone from Dawn to Dusk scrapping to make ends meet. So who do you expect to tend the garden? The mom can't even walk and the baby would have no clue what to pick. My concern is if Dad was gone all day, who's there to take care of mom and baby?
I am sorry that you and your hubby could not qualify SSI or even SSD....that's whats wrong with the system nowadays!
However, for my state, you CAN own a home and cars, they will not count that against you and it is important that you have a roof over your head and some mode of transportation for the family to get around. I have SSI for my daughter until she is 18. We have no assets except for hubby's 401K at his previous work place. We can save some of her SSI money but all of it goes toward her care and private schooling.
In order to qualify for SSD, you had to work for more than ten years even to get it. I was fortunate to work for that long until my disability prevented me from getting jobs and I will not get better. It is permanent and no amount of surgery will correct it, been born with it and I shall die with it.
As for your sister, she NEEDS to be on SSD, it is permanent and never could ever work in jobs catering to her needs nor fully functioning as a taxpayer. I would appeal every way I can for her, doctor's reports and so forth saying she will not EVER be better or made whole once again.
Right now SS is very bogged down, filings for SSI and SSD are at all time high. Some will take six months and some will take two to three years before they get anything from SS. It took me about four months for them to determined my disability as permanent before the payments started in. It was the caseworker at Public Aid told me about applying for my daughter's SSI to suppplement my income with hers because we barely made ends meet. Now my hubby has a full time work week, we save our DD;s money for public school, nice clothes and anything she would want or wish for within reasons and needs. Now we can focus on improving our house and in turn, we are returning the favors to our food pantries by donating canned goods and money to them...thanking them for helping US when we needed it. If it was not for them, we would not have made it and food stamps were denied because we made over $50 dollars too much in the last three years. Thanks to our food banks!
I hope the OP's neighbors will get better and back on their feet and hope their daughter gets the help she needs for her disability...yes she would need SSI to support her when she is growing up and some Down syndrome kids do work but jobs are so scarce for them.
Good luck and hopefully a good ending for everyone! Kudos to the OP for taking in the birds!
