Each Day Already is a Challenge

It Won't Happen to Me

Most of us think we we're safe from harm. We don't think we'll be hurt in car accidents or at work. But sometimes it happens. That's when you realize that the world is not such a wonderful place.

I was injured on the job in Florida in 1997. It happened after I had worked about 3 1/2 months at my job. But you know what? Florida has this formula for computing what kind of benefits one receives. They went back 13 weeks from the day I was injured and computed my weekly pay on that. It was my first week on the job and I was in training and worked only 13 hours that week. So...my worker's compensation was computed as if 13 hours a week was my normal pay. I received 80% of 13 hours at my regular pay amount. There was no getting around this decision. That was the way things were computed. I don't know what would have happened if I had only been on the job for 2 or 3 weeks when I was injured.

Florida was pretty good about treating my back even when I moved to Texas. But they finally got tired of the whole thing and said that I could choose receiving treatment for my back for life or $10,000 so that I could get treatment when/where I chose. I would have opted for the treatment for life, but my attorney was having no part of that. He said it was because Florida was known for saying they would pay for lifetime treatments, then change their decision 2 or 3 years later. I'm pretty sure my attorney suggested I take the settlement so that he could get his 25% cut.

In 2002, I was injured on the job in Texas. I had only been there for abut 6 weeks and, thankfully, they didn't compute earnings like Florida. I received 80% of my normal pay for 11 months. Then, after having my knee checked out first by a foot doctor and then by a hand doctor, it was decided that I had reached "maximum medical improvement." As soon as that decision was given, the checks stopped. I could not go back to work, but since the docs said I would not improve, the checks stopped. I never did understand that. .

That's when I started the process of trying to get Social Security Disability. Since then, I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Still, like most folks who apply for SSD, I have been denied twice. That's just the way the system normally works. It isn't fair. It isn't right. But that's the way things work.

And that's why I'm reminding you of this. Because the system is unfair and you or someone you love may need it someday.

I belong to an MSN Group called Social Security Disability Coalition. Here is a link to a petition to change Social Seciruty Disability. I hope you'll take a look and sign it.
http://www.petitiononline.com/SSDC/petition.html

And here's a link to a free online book called America's War On The Disabled: 1975-1992: (A History of the Social Security Disability Reviews of the 1980's) by Tennise Broeck Morse. http://members.tripod.com/~TBMorse/freebook.html The author says, "If you feel this book has value PLEASE: tell at least one other person about it and how to find it. Mention it on your homepage, link to it, put it on your forum as a topic for discussion, post it on a bulletin board, or write a letter or e-mail about it to an individual or a group." So be sure to pass on this link. It took Ms. Morse longer than most to receive here disability benefits. And she has multiple sclerosis.

Every time I think about the struggles that everyone has with getting Social Security Disabilty, I think Life's not fair, but God is good.

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