Coping With Welfare Equals Losing 13 IQ Points

[daredtowork]

I can vouch for this personally. I have a graduate degree from a world class university. I spent a year at Oxford. I was a women's chess champion in my state, and I helped my small town's team win Virginia's first Intercity chess league. I once had a mensa IQ. When I was young I hid this information because it would have made me an intolerably arrogant nerd. Now I don't mention it because my IQ is 20-30 points lower, and I have noticeable cognitive deficits, such as skipping words when I type.

I lost these IQ points in the struggle to avoid homelessness while facing major medical problems without insurance or any sort of social support system. That struggle did grind me down until I was disabled and on welfare. While I read a lot and try to keep my mind active in various ways, I cringe at what an IQ test would show if I took one today. But I'm lucky because most of the time I function normally. That's ONLY the case because I had a huge advantage to start with.

The chart below explains why. Please read it. I'm not asking for money. Just a few minutes of your attention to this terrible problem, which has become a form of torture on US soil.

Ps. This is the first and only time I'm going to mention this personal information about myself on the Internet. Please make it worth it by giving the topic of breakdown in the welfare system the attention I'm pleading for.



CREDIT: http://www.socialworkdegreecenter.com/poverty/

[daleanime]

1. K&R....

[daredtowork]

20. Missed TY to this one

Thank you for kicking this up before it dropped below the page horizon of doom.

[daleanime]

22. No need to thank me......

can't stand how we don't deal with the problem of poverty in this nation.

[daredtowork]

27. I think if people really saw the causes, we'd deal with it

One of the biggest problems is the way our "political representatives" hide how welfare works so they can keep recycling their same old welfare "talking point" lies!

People are not inherently cruel in the U.S. We seem to be against torture in rendition. We seem to be against Guantanamo. We get on a high moral horse and lecture China and other nations about Human Rights abuses every single day. This nation wants to stand on the moral high ground.

Our political representatives don't want people to see these problems piling up in our own back yard because they rerouted resources to deal with problems their lobbyists and vocal donating contributors were yammering about. They wanted to address the problems the problems that the media covered to show that the "cared" about the middle class. But since what happens to people on welfare is not visible, their meager resources have become one big cookie jar while grandstanding politicians continue to sneer they should just "get a job".

I genuinely believe that all people have to do is buck up the courage to look at this, even though it's hard to look at. If Americans don't believe in torture on American soil, it will change.

[truedelphi]

38. Unfortunately, the big monied people own Congress

And also the Ovel Office.

Traditional methods of us citizens having the ability to participate in "free elections" are non-existant. (Here's one proof: the media already lets us know that Corporatist Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic contender for the Oval Office.)

Poverty is becoming a systemic situation. Big Money decides that we need more wars, more subsidies for the Fat Cats, like Monsanto, while telling the 95% of us who really do not benefit from endless wars and subsidies for companies, that we need to face facts and get used to austerity.

I live in a Calif. county with an 18% unemployment situation. We were starting to prosper, and then Eric Holder saw to it that our med marijuana dispesnaries were shut down. So if we had been left to our own devices, we would probably be coping with a 12% unemployment rate, but if you can no longer grow for a dispensary, man the counter at the dispensary etc, you have to be on welfare. (Most companies will not hire anyone admitting to using cannabis for a health ailemnt, and many companies also slam a job applicant with a drug test.)

The people in this nation do care about every single thing you mention, but we haven't got much power.

[daredtowork]

39. The disempowerment problem

I agree that's a major root of the problem. Everyone feels like they can't do anything.

It doesn't help that you can't even get your "political representatives" - or even their assistants - to respond to you. I couldn't even get County Supervisor Keith Carson - that's hardly the Busy and Important Leader of the Free World - to respond to me about the welfare-policy-punishing-work issue after repeated emails! Disempowerment is almost absolute!

Political activists are always saying "Vote!" and "Give money!" or "Attend this rally!" - but that's not making me feel any more empowered. What I need are routes and venues to solving my problems. Sometimes political activists go through the motions of connecting their big umbrella issue with my problems so I will vote or send money, but then the trickle down doesn't occur to actually addressing my problem. There really needs to be a lot more empowerment and infrastructure building at the LOCAL level, where people can actually get stuff handled and see results. Then perhaps those results will TRICKLE UP to build a great country!

[TexasTowelie]

2. A big K&R.

My IQ tests showed that I was in the top one percent when I was younger and my work concentrated on solving equations and writing complex computer programs. I've noticed that my cognitive skills declined within the past six months and with the contributing issues of being a diabetic, I accepted the fact that I am unemployable. There is no way that I could tackle the projects that I used to work on in the past due to lack of initiative and poor concentration skills. I also that I skip words when typing or writing and feel the pain of neuropathy, arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome if I engage in tasks that take a long time to complete.

I was laid off in 2010 and have exhausted nearly all of the resources available to me. My adventure this year includes an attempted suicide and spending a week in a homeless shelter in April along with three days in a crisis center earlier this month even though I was not having suicidal thoughts at that time. The psychiatrists, counselors and almost everyone else I've contacted believe that I should qualify for disability, but the process of asking for help from HHS, the Workforce Commission, MHMR and indigent care has been extremely frustrating over the past five months.

Today was a particularly difficult day. The neighbor who lives beneath us squealed and claimed that I was making a lot of noise and playing loud music (I'm not listening to any music and I rarely listen to anything on my computer without headphones). My brother received a lease violation notice since he was going month-to-month and he didn't update his lease when I moved into his apartment back in April. That sent my brother into a tizzy all evening and he made a number of comments that reminded me that I'm not wanted anywhere. I went out to eat about 5 p.m. to get away from him since his comments triggered some suicidal thoughts and tears.

On top of that, I went for a walk to the store about 7 p.m. and was harassed by the local cops since I was walking on the wrong side of the road (it is a semi-rural area). Fortunately, I remained rational and told the cop a condensed version of my story including that I'm trying to access social services so he let me ago without issuing a ticket.

Even though it was a rough day, I'm still rational enough that I'm going to try and let the social services process work. Tomorrow will probably also be difficult depending on what the apartment managers tell my brother. He will have to pay extra if I'm put on a new lease and I hope that I don't get kicked out of here and become homeless again. The reason I attempted suicide back in April was because the only things that I saw in my future were homeless shelters and psychiatric hospitals so it has certainly taxed my cognitive load as mentioned in the graphic. I'm bracing for another day of bitterness from my brother and hoping that will be the worst thing that I'll have to handle tomorrow.

[renate]

3. Good luck tomorrow

I'm really sorry about all the stress you're going through. It sounds like it is so, so hard. Good for you for keeping on going.

[TexasTowelie]

9. Thank you for your support.

Part of the issue is the guilt trip that I receive from my brother.

I know that he is also stressed out about both my situation and the uncertainty of his situation (he is a PRN employee at a hospital). He has received a pretty steady amount of work over the last month which wasn't expected, but he needs some psych care also and refuses to seek help. The worst part is he constantly states "I don't understand" when I've known that I was type-I diabetic back in 1997 while he just found out that he was type-II a couple of months ago. I was working 75-80 hour weeks and had absolutely no down time for most of 2009 and 2010 so I have a significant understanding of job pressures and also being unemployed

[daredtowork]

18. Are You Able to Do Volunteer Activities?

I don't want to phrase it as "volunteer work" because I know there are people who are going to keep pushing you toward volunteer work as a way to network your way into a new job, and they rarely understand how many appointments you have that tend to undermine regular commitments to anything. I know you have to be careful if you have a pending SSI application.

However some regular social activity would keep you out of your brother's hair. Some socializing would keep your mind active, and once you have SSI, this social positioning may enable you to pivot back to some part time work once your health situation has stabilized. Or you could engage in some sort of club or craft activity instead of "volunteering" for anything. For instance, perhaps you could start a kids computer club at your local library.

I'm laughing at myself saying this because I haven't managed to follow through with anyone's "join" or "do" advice over the last couple of years, though I'm tooling up to do something now. I know the chief problem is how much crap is always coming down on you. But I aso know the key to getting your dignity back is finding a niche in life and achieving something. Keep trying!

[TexasTowelie]

43. Pardon me for not getting back in touch with you earlier.

I went to the workforce commission and asked about volunteer work because if I volunteered for 20 hours or more then I could get my SNAP benefits reinstated. They couldn't find any suitable work within in the local area for me that is within my physical capabilities. The only things that I'm capable to work at are data entry or tutoring and neither of them would amount to substantial income. When I mentioned tutoring to the counselors at the crisis center earlier this month, they shook their heads and said that it wouldn't be a good idea which is something I already knew. My discharge papers from the crisis center say "unemployable" so I'm hoping that will help with my application With two hospital admissions and three psychiatrists (including the one from the SSA) stating that I'm unfit I'm hoping that it will move the process along further. They probably need to send me into a medical doctor for a physical exam including a stress test so they can see that my stamina is poor.

Fortunately for me, Friday did turn out to be a better day than I thought it would be. The apartment situation is resolved and we might move away from the neighbor who seems overly sensitive to noise, but at least I'm not going to be homeless yet. My brother is also getting some extra PRN hours tonight which is the reason why I'm awake now. My brother tends to over-react, projects for the worse case and lash out at me. I recognize that and try not to let his attacks affect me, but it is unavoidable at times.

[daredtowork]

46. Food Stamps are attached to work?

What State are you in? That's horrific if food stamps are linked to work but they can't automatically provide you with work you can do.

Also, social services should have a form that can be signed by a doctor or a psychologist (I'm assuming this "unemployable" stamp from the crisis center would relate to this) that you can bring in to clear the work requirement for food stamps. Again, since I know nothing about the rules in your State or county, I'm just guessing in regard to what would be logical. The system isn't known for its logic, though!

Do not trust any medical doctor or psychologist they send you to - that's just to deny you aid! And it will take a while to get that appointment, and for them to process it! If you are in a state with the Affordable Care Act, use that to enroll in a medical clinic, and get your own doctor and/or mental health care worker to fill out the paperwork. Even if it's embarrassing, this is better than going without food! Medical clinics also often have social workers on site that are real social workers, unlike the hacks that work for Social Services.

I'm very glad to hear your housing situation is resolving. It's best for adults to be living independently. The situation with your brother is adding stress for both of you. It's hard to get SSI just from having diabetes, though. Just think of how many people in the US now have diabetes! Many of the problems of diabetes count as "vague symptoms" in the eyes of doctors - and these are some of the hardest to prove in the eyes of SSI analysts: especially when you've mainly done "knowledge" work like programming in the past. This is the part that is really depressing: you need a doctor to "go to bat for you". But because the way the rules are written, I'd think most doctors are wary about "going to bat" unless the case is really clear cut, and most patients are sending mixed signals because of cultural prohibitions against being overly dramatic and attention-seeking. There is nothing more demoralizing than sitting in a doctor's office toughing out your legitimate pain and wondering how the doctor who holds your SSI fate in his/her hands will evaluate you, when the 10 patients before you are doing academy award winning performances complete with tears, convulsions, frothing at the mouth, etc.

The system now seems to be based on a lot of filtering and screening, and it's willing to filter out those who need help along with those who don't in the name of saving money. The priorities seem to be wrong there. Shouldn't we be okay with accidentally helping the wrong people as long as we make sure all the people who do need help get food first - then we can clean up any mistakes later?

[TexasTowelie]

52. Yes, there are work requirements in order for a single person to receive food stamps (SNAP).

Upon completing an application with the Health and Human Services Commission in Texas, a single recipient will receive $100 in emergency SNAP benefits. According to federal law, here is the monthly benefit thereafter:

Maximum Benefits Beginning Nov. 2013
Family of 1 - $189
Family of 2 - $347
Family of 3 - $497
Family of 4 - $632

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3899

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) limits the receipt of SNAP benefits to 3 months in a 3-year period for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) who are not working, participating in, and complying with the requirements of a work program for 20 hours or more each week, or a workfare program [font color=green](volunteer program)[/font]. Individuals are exempt from this provision if they are:

* Under 18 or 50 years of age or older,
* Responsible for the care of a child or incapacitated household member,
* Medically certified [font color=green](Form 1836-A)[/font] as physically or mentally unfit for employment, pregnant, or
* Already exempt from SNAP general work requirements [font color=green](will vary by state and locality)[/font].

States may request a waiver of this provision for people in areas with an unemployment rate above 10 percent or for those in an area with insufficient jobs. States also have authority to exempt individuals using the 15% exemption authorized by the Balanced Budget Act.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/able-bodied-adults-without-dependents-abawds

[daredtowork]

54. To help clarify this

I encouraged Texas to post the details of this because the work requirements for Food Stamps contradicted his need to establish he was disabled for Texas disability benefits, and of course SSI/SSDI.

There is a similar issue in California's welfare policy, at least in the Oakland area. Look at this situation:

1) You are on General Assistance Welfare. That means all the welfare "assistance" is going directly to your Landlord. The only additional resource you can get is SNAP (Food Stamps). You get no cash in pocket for any sort of necessities, or to make up the short fall if G.A. doesn't completely cover your rent.

2) The major reason for getting General Assistance on a year-round basis (as opposed to 3 months out of the year) is that you are disabled - i.e., unable to do substantial work.

3) You are in the process of applying for SSI/SSDI - a very stressful and risky process that takes years - which requires you to ESTABLISH you are unable to do substantial work.

4) If you have an advocate, they will advise you not to work.

5) You get regular notices from Social Services warning that if you do work and don't report it, you will be punished by fines, jail time etc. (but click the link in my sig to see what happens if you do report work).

6) If you try to stay work ready by enrolling with the Dept. of Rehabilitation, attending employment-related activities, or volunteering, you run the risk of this being interpreted as "ability to work". The pressure is on the side of doing these things, but the risk you are constantly taking causes stress.

7) All well-meaning people will advise you to "volunteer" to get back out in the world. I found myself offering that advice to Texas!

So these are the variables you are working with. But when push comes to shove, you need stuff like light bulbs and toilet paper and a way to pay the PG&E bill and a way to take the bus to the 1001 appointments you're required to show up at. So no matter how crappy you feel, you end up doing something that will get you those necessities. It might mean shacking up with the wrong person. It might mean doing things you'd never imagine you'd do back when you lived in the "real world" of mainstream work: mainly because that's the only way to get the stuff you need to survive.

I find it suspicious that welfare policies in both "hard ass" Texas and "liberal" California have this same contradiction that forces disabled people to either break their disability case by officially working or by getting their necessities "somehow" (probably a way beneath human dignity). The underlying assumption seems to be that disability is a "choice", and that people will "choose" to work instead of , say, prostituting themselves, sliding into homelessness, stealing, begging in the street, etc.

This tacit assumption needs to be brought into the open.

[TexasTowelie]

53. In addition, if a recipient tries to collect on SNAP benefits

it is possible that the 90 day allowable limit to receive benefits will be insufficient. If a recipient is in the process for filing for Social Security disability benefits and takes on a job or volunteer work to meet the minimum 20 hour per week requirement, then the state department that decides whether that individual is eligible for SSDI may deem that the recipient is still employable. If a medical doctor is reluctant to sign Form 1836-A to indicate that the applicant is disabled (either physically or psychologically), then the applicant can fall through the cracks so that they no longer receive SNAP benefits while still awaiting approval from the state department that determines eligibility requirements for disability income.

That situation is occurring to me now and it provides additional stress for the person asking to receive aid. Essentially the government cuts the person off and leaves them in limbo as unemployable and unable to access any social programs while they are disabled. This forces people to have to rely on charitable assistance, indigent care programs and the kindness of others. It is difficult for people to feel abandoned by a system when they have contributed to that system for decades.

[daredtowork]

55. The other big stressor in here

Notice a lot of this system rests on the support of the doctor.

There are penalties if the doctor supports a false disability claim, but no penalty if a doctor lets a patient suffer while they fail to diagnose "vague symptoms".

Doctors often let their politics and personal prejudice intervene in early diagnosis. Many studies have been done to show how doctors will be less likely to diagnose conditions in patients when they are black/women/overweight/etc.

Also, in my experience, doctors are programmed to focus on "lifestyle" issues first and to do "watchful waiting" rather than jump to conclusions. In recent years doctors also insist patients bring up only one symptom at a time since the appointment is short: that discourages a general overview of complex conditions. These factors mean the timeline is really long for a doctor to realize that "vague symptoms" like pain, stiffness, and fatigue may be indicators of something serious, and not just the patient exaggerating or malingering. If the patient is confronting them with government paperwork, that may automatically cause the doctor to assess them for malingering.

To get to the point: if the disease is not screamingly clear cut upfront, the doctor's timeline can be REALLY long, while the timeline for Social Services paperwork is short, and the patient's suffering is right now and ongoing.

This is so unfair.

Doctor's should be more willing to evaluate "vague symptoms" the same way an employer would. If the doctor wouldn't hire a person themselves - if they don't think a person would last a week in a job - then that person is not currently employable. Then the medical system can dawdle all it want in diagnosing the actual disease/disorder (though it would be nice if it would get around to providing a medication or some other idea to alleviate the patient's suffering sooner or later). But the situation as is leaves people who are unemployable WITHOUT FOOD because some doctors are getting away with indulging in their prejudices.

[TexasTowelie]

44. See post #43.

Friday turned out better than I expected.

[renate]

49. I'm so glad!!

Thank goodness! Good luck with moving and with the benefits and with your brother and everything! How scary it must have been to have so many things up in the air and what a relief it must be to now be moving towards getting everything settled.

[daredtowork]

4. Illustrates the point

It seems to me the closer you are to collapse - particularly when medical issues are involved - the more accessible social services should become. Instead, as your cognitive resources become stretched thinner, more and more demands are placed on them to cope with the broken system.

The system is broken because politicians can get away with not paying attention to it. No one who hasn't had to engage with the system can see it.

They can't see the ridiculous contradictory rules, the short deadlines, or all the traps that regularly auto cut off your only source for rent and food until the "glitch" is worked out. They can't see how the political system is siphoning the money from the poorest of the poor to shore up what their vocal contributors want to see done.

I'm just going to copy a comment I made elsewhere that someone said should be a post, because it's worth saying several times over:

The more financial strain you are under, the more you discover that there are necessities that everyone takes for granted - light bulbs, toilet paper, tampons, aspirin, basic cleaning supplies.

Also, many of the people giving you "advice" and "helping" you will be imposing costs on you and giving you the stink eye if you don't do exactly what they say if you don't have the money for it. Thus you are supposed to have work-ready clothing and proper hygiene supplies, get your hair dyed and professionally cut, "prioritize" to buy good walking shoes so you will get some exercise, return long distance calls from recruiters who assume everyone has a cell phone, get to places without bus money, sign and return documents without printer/envelope/stamps...well, the list goes on and on.

Recently I got the renewal notice for my California ID. This is required for everything from getting a job to securing Medi-Cal. Is it free for people on welfare with NO DIRECT CASH INCOME? No, it's offered "at a discount".

It's laughable how many things in California are offered "at a discount" to people who are DENIED DIRECT CASH INCOME. Gas for heat and cooking - discounted. Phone landline - discounted. Before the Affordable Care Act kicked in this January all medications - absolutely vital ones - were discounted! (They were free if you could get on Medi-Cal, but before the ACA kicked in, the bureaucracy did everything in its power to block people from getting on Medi-Cal). Whenever I tried to explain I had no cash income, I was told to "prioritize" and "save up". How do you save up NOTHING?!

I'll tell you what's going on here. Everyone knows that no one can survive on the welfare rules as written. So they expect you are begging or prostituting yourself or engaging in some criminal activity - that's what you're supposed to "save up". WHAT KIND OF SYSTEM EXPECTS YOU TO BE BEGGING AND STEALING ON THE SIDE JUST TO SURVIVE?

I'm doing everything but somersaults and setting myself on fire to try to get people to look at this problem. Yet even most progressives remain apathetic and silent. I don't get it. It's not like I'm another political shill trying to shake them down for money. I just want them to open their eyes and LOOK. I know once they look, once they really see how ridiculous the welfare situation is, they will feel conscience bound to put welfare policy on the table. It's a Human Rights issue, right here on US soil.

[Stargazer99]

6. thank you for posting this....maybe it will wake up some of the masses

who are being controlled by the media and lack of knowledge of how low income people are stressed beyond belief. I almost feel this nation needs a "French solution". 8 years of Bush have put the humanity of many asleep....those that have do not understand how crass the system is to low-income people. My only thought is Godless. The US is fast becoming what our forefathers tried to escape..the land of privilege and wealth for the few like in old England...
I see the masses being blinded by the media and money, The less educated and informed the masses are ...the easier it is to control them..schools privatized, health care depending on how much you can spend, God forbid! we should take care of our own!
With out and educated citizenry, with the basic human needs being met, this nation will destroy itself.

[daredtowork]

10. The Biggest Problem Is No One Can See It

And politicians routinely exploit this fact by telling any lie they want about "welfare". They don't WANT anything to change or they won't have their pathetic welfare scapegoat to kick around anymore.

There's an awesome article in the NY Times about the rise of "Poverty Capitalism", and how it extracts bureaucratic funding from the people who can least afford it, financially or psychologically:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/opinion/thomas-edsall-the-expanding-world-of-poverty-capitalism.html?_r=0

This article cited an even more important WaPo article about how everything costs more (and stresses you out more) when you're poor:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/17/AR2009051702053.html

Meanwhile the real "Welfare Queens" living high off the hog at the taxpayer expense (and sheltering the money in off-shore tax havens) are outed in this article:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-real-housewives-of-wall-street-look-whos-cashing-in-on-the-bailout-20110411

Combine with GOP rhetoric that seeks to identify welfare with blackness (even though the majority are white/hispanic/other), I have some suspicion that certain Powers That Be are actually trying to exacerbate this instinct:
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2014/06/scarcity-might-make-people-more-racist.html

While the little people try to justify their existence and get resources from the ridiculous Rube Goldberg Machine that is being passed off as a welfare "system", certain people are partying on their yacht off St. Tropez.

[daredtowork]

5. btw

If some of your problems are caused by peripheral neuropathy, gabapentin worked miracles for me. If your body feels normal, it also makes you feel competent and able to deal with the world.

[TexasTowelie]

8. I was on Lyrica between six to seven years.

I went to a private doctor at the end of June and he asked me about switching over to gabapentin. I agreed the change because it is significantly less expensive and because Lyrica is a schedule V prescription which meant that I would have to return for subsequent visits every three months. I've been taking gabapentin during this month and noticed some improvement, but some symptoms remains. I believe that both prescriptions do have warnings regarding effects on depression though and I've dealt with those issues for about a dozen years.

At least I had the competence to get away from my brother during the day since I couldn't deal with the guilt trip that he was laying on me. I'm trying to hold things together and maybe the gabapentin is helping, but it isn't difficult to envision me posting a "this is my last post" thread. Hopefully my brother will get the issue resolved before noon so I can contact my case manager if I can't remain in his apartment.

BTW, the doctor I saw is a Republican asshole who refused to sign a Form 1836-A which would indicate that I was disabled and so I could remain on SNAP. I only stayed eligible for three months before that assistance was terminated since I didn't meet the work/volunteer requirements that equate to $2.15 per hour.

[daredtowork]

12. That's another problem

Doctor's have their own political and personal beliefs that intervene in the diagnosis process and interfere with the paperwork of the "system" far too often.

The "system" requires a lot of strict diagnostic coding if you don't want to be continually hung up in appeals and reviews. If you have "vague symptoms" such as pain without a cause that shows up on any of the cheap test panels or fatigue, then prepare to be denied and delayed a lot. Being treated like a malingerer or a hypochondriac will just add to your stress. You need patience and luck to both get to the right specialist and one who is willing to make a diagnosis instead of just prescribing a medication and letting it work while leaving your medical record blank.

Another problem is PCPs who only work with "one symptom at a time" so it takes forever to diagnose complex conditions. In this situation you don't really have a chance unless you come to some crisis that forces the situation. Try to switch the PCP if you can, though, because this one will never recognize or diagnose you're underlying condition.

In the future the medical system and the social system need to be more tightly coupled so doctors fill out medical records in a way that is compatible with what the social system asks for - and so the patient can get to that information easily without having to request an emergency appointment just to get the doctor to fill out a pile of embarrassing paperwork!

A patient should not have to fight to get the diagnosis they need. If the doctor believes the patient is a malingerer, they should step away. If the patient isn't sick, they don't need to be treated. If the patient believes the doctor missed the diagnosis, they should get the immediate chance for a second opinion so they can get their paperwork filled out in a timely manner. That is the world and thinking of a patient who is also in the welfare system and also needs to consider how they are going to avoid becoming homeless while trying to get the medical system to understand their problem.

Just my two cents on that.

Ps. I've heard Gabapentin is actually better than Lyrica for neuropathy, but it also has a lot of provisos. In my view, it's manna from heaven. Try sticking with it! Also, its less addictive than Lyrica.

[No Vested Interest]

13. It's true tht some days can be worse than others.

Since you know your brother is under stress himself, it might help to let him know that you're aware of inconvenience to him and that you truly appreciate his helping you at this time. And that you hope to be of assistance to him in his need.

You don't have to grovel. You are a most decent person and a person of value.
We here on DU are glad for what you share with us, personal or political.
We benefit from your presence among us.

Stay strong. Stay well.

[daredtowork]

15. wise advice

This is the way to handle it.

[TexasTowelie]

45. Thank you.

I have told my brother many times that I appreciate the support he provides and try to help him out as much as I possibly can. Most of the time we get along, but about 10% of the time he gets into his mood swings where he is grumpy, blames people and makes excuses for his actions. If I avoid being around him during those times, then I can handle the stress.

The good news is that Friday went better than expected and the apartment managers are not going to ask for me to leave.

[No Vested Interest]

48. So happy for your good news re staying

in your present apartment.
Hank in.
You can provide a good model for many of us re living with hard circumstances.
(Play - Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me.&quot

[LiberalAndProud]

7. Antipoverty programs are being sacrificed at the altar of tax cuts for the wealthy.

Very few will of those in power have a problem with that. I don't know what our response should be. I voted for the guy who reformed welfare in 1996. And sadly, that was the best I could do.

[daredtowork]

14. You may have misunderstood the word "reform"

It was welfare reform of the 1980s that gave County governments free reign to totally gut the cash portions of welfare in the name of incentivizing work.

Now there is NO income-based welfare for more than 3-months out of the year for single people in Oakland, CA. So if you've lost out in work musical chairs and you've run out of Unimployment Insurance and you're not married or shacked up - tough cookies to you. You're now homeless.

And what about all the disabled people in the multi-year gap applying for SSI (where I fell). What are they supposed to be living on if there is no "cash" welfare?

I asked someone at a nonprofit recently about the major categories of single people on General Assistance welfare who would qualify for the exception that would allow them to get it for more than three months out of the year. Disabled with a doctor's letter is one exception. One that raised my eyebrow was displaced youth. General Assistance - which is a $336/month LOAN that goes DIRECTLY TO A LANDLORD - is all these displaced youth can get because all the welfare programs that would actually provide cash forms of support are GONE!

But no one outside the system knows that. They are still trying to figure out how to block and tackle the Big Black Welfare Queens the politicians keep telling them they should be mad about.

[LiberalAndProud]

24. I understood perfectly well what reform meant.

Bill was very proud. I was heartbroken. And the fact remains that of the available options, Bill was the best I could do.

[daredtowork]

28. Yes the Clintons came in with a trumpets blaring

At one time didn't they have a full Democratic congress behind them? By the end of Clinton's second term, the economy was roaring along. They at least got the healthcare conversation started.

But "welfare reform" was a great mistake, and it opened the door to the great disaster that is happening on the ground today. The key issue is no one can see what is happening: what really works and what doesn't and why. What the measures should be. Usually the conversation about welfare in Washington is actually about "families" and not about "people", and that excludes broad swathes of the poor in the name of bringing various political factions into the conversation.

[LiberalAndProud]

35. It is a matter of changing the trend of our national conversation.

There is a widespread mindset that poverty programs are the province of the church. That may be well and good, but the church sucks at them.

[daredtowork]

36. I agree, but you're wrong about the church

It's all about political will, and that starts with the issue actually being part of the conversation.

I have to say, though, I was amazed at just how much slack the church is picking up in this situation, though. Before I was on welfare, I was furious about Bush funding "faith-based" initiatives and the implications about funding belief systems and pressuring poor people to fake faith just to get a little bit of help. Also, when I was growing up the small town "church ladies" would complain about the same "drifters" showing up and begging for help. So I had a negative view of both the church helping and the people who were going to them for help!

Wow has my outlook ever changed now!

Since the State does not offer adequate survival resources, the Church steps up to fill in the gap. Once you find out the only thing you can get from "welfare" is a $336/month check (a LOAN) to your LANDLORD, you scramble everywhere for places to get help paying bills and to pick up necessities, and for help to cover your rent during months the State screws up that welfare check - which is often!!!

In Oakland the best place to go is St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities. I've heard St. Anthonies in San Francisco is similar. In my home town all the churches, Protestant and Catholic, cooperated to provide these charity services. To give you an example of the sort of help you can find, without any "religious" pressure at all: baggies of non-food hygiene necessities, billboards with consolidated lists of important services for the homeless in the area, direct help with payment of bills, on-site medical clinics such as podiatry, clothing and shoes (I got a pair of New Balances that I really needed because I was having difficulty walking), hot food, and a place to do your laundry.

When you are on welfare you need a lot of stuff, and the State does not help you with it. All "social workers" do is process the form for the 2 programs single people without children in Oakland area are eligible for General Assistance and Food Stamps. While there are "secular" nonprofits that help very low income people, most of them are narrowly focused, and sadly some of them are just about enrolling people so they can get funding: they mainly just supply people with referral lists elsewhere - largely back to the religious charities which actually DO stuff to help people!

So until we have a welfare system that actually acknowledges and addresses peoples needs, these religious charities have to exist, and they have to be lauded for continuing to step up while everyone hates the idea of "faith based" charity and the fragmented approach of volunteerism. (And I certainly hate the idea of a bunch of "church ladies" making judgments about me because I have to come back month after month). But right now THAT IS ALL WE HAVE. And I'm falling down on my knees and thanking whatever deity there is, if there is one, that something is still there trying to help the people that government "welfare" has failed to help.

[LiberalAndProud]

37. I don't think we have an argument.

The programs you speak of are absolutely essential, especially in our current political climate. But those programs will not and cannot lift people out of poverty. Whereas our national welfare system fell far short of that ideal, we didn't improve the program to achieve that. We are in the process of eliminating it.

As far as the church goes, it goes so far and by necessity, not far enough. From there, the suckiness part.

[daredtowork]

40. I totally agree - church programs do nothing to lift people out of poverty

The programs I mention are only small patches in a very leaky bucket. They are absolutely essential right now. But even they do not meet crying needs - like meeting regular rent payments to keep someone from becoming homeless (because the $336/month loan General Assistance welfare payment is too low, and the landlord rejects that as rent in an area where rooms in houses are renting for $900/month).

The welfare program is in the process of being stealthily eliminated, and nothing is replacing it. And no one is asking what is happening to the people who need it, once their unemployment insurance runs out or while they are waiting 3 freaking years for an SSI claim to process.

If politicians cover up what is happening to these people, that is corruption.

If the nation chooses not to look or lets it happen, then we are collectively guilty of human rights violations on a massive scale. And we have no moral standing to go around lecturing the rest of the world on their human rights abuses.

[maced666]

47. Oh, snap

Churches give so much in time, money and assistance and are often attacked for it because, well - for many that is what they do - attack religion, support the state.

[daredtowork]

50. churches should understand the reason why

The type of aid they offer is fragmented and not enough. It is the same is when a random person cries "help me!" on the Internet, and it's the luck of a draw whether they find some person or community willing to do that - or whether they just find "compassion fatigue" or people who are jaded and cynical because they were besieged by scammers the last time they exhibited the willingness to help anyone.

The idea of secular welfare: regular/reliable, impartial, designed to enable people survive and, if possible, lift them back into the mainstream.

Well, that's the idea.

Sure, there are plenty of people who might just stay on an alternative system to work if it's offered. But why not? There's not enough work. We have an economic system with a "natural" 6% unemployment rate already - though it's been larger for years, and it's only going to get better. Welfare is a bad choice of alternative lifestyle: you will get very little in the way of "discretionary" income, your mobility will be low, you just wont be able to do much with your life. Any person who wants anything out of their life will want to find another way. But if someone doesn't want to, why not let them?

If people do make this "choice", isn't the actual question why are the circumstances of the paying workplace so bad that people would "want" to flee? Maybe the onus is on business owners to make the prospect of work more attractive so people won't choose the alternative route.

[daredtowork]

51. btw

SNAP is the name of the food stamps program in California.

[progressoid]

11. Rec!

[daredtowork]

16. TY for the Tiger Power

And I just realized that I've shot myself in the foot for posting so late. I should have crashed an two hours ago, and now I want to read replies to my thread, lol.

[rpannier]

17. K&R

[daredtowork]

19. TY for the K and the R

I'm really happy some folks are seeing this chart and hopefully understanding what it means for the people on welfare in their local communities.

[rpannier]

21. It's important for people to know about

and they won't if they don't see it here (that includes on-line as well)

I would have had something other than K&R but I couldn't think of anything that added to what you posted... it speaks for itself

[daredtowork]

30. If you participate on other forums, bring it up

I think this graphic did a nice job of summing up the issues. I linked to the source at the bottom.

Also, it's not too late to sign my petition, even though I already got the original 50 signatures I was asking for (link in my sig). The gist is that doing a little work and reporting it as required by law is punished by the welfare system. I would like to bash my local as well as national politicians over the head with this until they get the fact that all their "just get a job" grandstanding is horse hockey as long as welfare policy is written this way. On top of that, representing people on welfare as dishonest cheats is unfair if you put them in a position where they aren't even allowed the cash to buy toilet paper. I was hoping a landslide of people would sign my petition, but I guess I haven't conveyed the underlying issue in the proper terms yet.

[adirondacker]

23. Kick and Rec! Excellent OP and informative bulletin. nt

.

[daredtowork]

31. Thank you!

The bulletin is not new, but it deserves to be recirculated. It summarizes the issues well in ways that academics, policymakers, and the person in the street can all see at a glance.

And I'm living proof of the premise!

[Moosepoop]

25. K&R

Trying to navigate the welfare "system" is a mental exercise in futility. It starts with being treated from the beginning as though one is below average in intelligence, regardless of whether that is true. By the end of it, one may well be.

Thanks for the thread, daredtowork.

[daredtowork]

32. The Irony

The irony is all the paperwork is loaded with tons of small print that it would take a doctorate in jurisprudence to understand! No one who is in a situation where they need welfare is in a condition to read or understand those forms. Furthermore, all the forms say "call your worker" if you have questions, but the number goes to a phone tree, which ultimately takes you to a voicemail - and your worker never calls you back. On top of that you're terrified to ask too many questions because some obscure rule might work AGAINST you. So you end up only asking a question when something gets cut off - usually by accident (and it usually takes a month or more, while your rent is in default, to clear up).

This doesn't even go into the 3-day turn around times for required monitoring documentation, the burden of documentation that's been shifted to the person on welfare despite the fact they receive no cash income for printing and stationary supplies, and all the contradictions in rules that they do encounter.

I count myself extremely lucky to be living in Berkeley where there are nonprofits that can help me while I'm drowning in all this ridiculous crap. I can't imagine what it's like for someone on welfare out in some rural area (where they are obviously trying to push me with the level of General Assistance rent offered). I don't drive, either, so it's a blessing just to be able to run (well, hobble!) for help.

Anyway, welfare policy as it stands PRODUCES people on welfare. And I'm shining a light on that.

[riderinthestorm]

26. A friend once said that the stress of being poor was like the panic you feel when drowning

Its overwhelming and so difficult to breath.

K&R!

[daredtowork]

33. It Does Feel Like Drowning

I've used the word "drowning" in several replies already! There is so much paperwork, so many appointments, and so much of it conflicts with each other. So much scolding and indignity is involved. It's like drowning in a sea of bullshit. And you're supposed to be pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and finding your way back into the mainstream working world at the same time.

There's a reason drowning people usually need a lifeguard to grab them and pull them out.

[Tree-Hugger]

29. Thank you for posting this

I am short on time at the moment so I have to be brief. Just wanna say "me too." Very high IQ here and I have certainly noticed a change in my own intelligence.

[daredtowork]

34. I keep hoping neurons can be regenerated

I know that people fend off alzheimers by studying languages, learning a musical instrument, doing puzzles, etc. I think the best defense is to realize that the absurdity, stress, and exhaustion wears down your mind as well as your body, and try your best to compensate for it while you're in this situation.

Of course the irony is if people can maintain themselves mentally and physically, the political powers that be will just go whistling along, presuming there's nothing wrong and nothing needs to be fixed. They tend to only put out fires where they see smoke.

[salin]

41. K & R - excellen graphic and OP. Even more insightful discussion thread.

I hope many read it and pass on the graphic and insight in a multitude of places.

I work with many families (well teens - and through them, their families) for whom this is the daily reality. It is true - that to most of us this is invisible and unknown.

It certainly is unseen and unknown by most in the top seats of the three branches of the federal govt. and the langauge of "makers and takers" in the 2012 election (now oft repeated by rightwingers) - has hardened the conversation. I honestly think that most folks have *no* idea. And if confronted with this reality - and then the magnitude of this reality (the multitude within the population) - a critical mass would grow. Sure the hard Rush or Faux newshead probably isn't going to do anything but read through a harsh narrow scope of blame (as they have been trained to do after nearly 2 decades of propaganda) but that is just a slice of our society.

We need to keep having this discussion. Several years ago there was a DUer who worked tirelessly to bring the realities of poverty and create a current of understanding and push for action per creating political action around poverty issues. You would have to search the archives for those posts her name was Sapphire Blue. Sadly she past a way a couple of years ago. Great loss to the DU community.

This thread is worthy of Sapphire Blue - and the conversations she began. Thank you for this thread. Thank your for in the course of the thread making what is invisible become very visible and visceral.

It sounds so trite to say that I hope that you turn a corner and the SSI comes through - or some other turn comes that changes your circumstances and allows you to be able to take more control/command (but when there are 0 resources, that just isn't feasible - you just have to survive). Being far away - I don't know what else to do but be trite (and which that you are able to turn a corner).

[daredtowork]

42. Thank You

I've already turned in a major corner because of the Affordable Care Act. The minute the 1 year wait time dropped for specialists, I was able to see specialists for complex conditions beyond the few available through the county hospital, and I was able to get access to medications, my condition started to improve. Rapidly. Which meant it could have improved years ago.

In fact, I was feeling well enough not go on to SSI (and just hoping I could make the case for SSI to cover the time to pay back my welfare "loan&quot on a new medication, though it's still not clear whether it's going to hold up. I've been trying to make that leap though. If you click on my sig, you can see what happened when I attempted to work and follow all the legal requirements of "welfare". I'm still hanging in there, though. I'm working with the Department of Rehabilitation (though they are famously slower than just about any other department of government). I was looking for a job for myself via an employment program I was going to. But then my attention and energy was completely tanked by what Social Services did to me regarding that first work check and my fight to get that addressed and politically noticed. Trying to fight Supervisor Keith Carson's wall of silence is really sapping the energy that I had so recently gathered.

And again the medication I'm on is unstable. The last batch did not work at all. So I have to be determined and just have faith now that there's a better picture of what my medical problems are, that corrective measures will happen, and I *will* be in a condition to work, and I should just keep looking for a job (good luck to myself explaining the enormous gaps in my resume) and trying to move forward and trust it will all work out.

Regarding SSI: they should be investigated like the VA. While people go through their years of appeal processes, they sink into welfare and it makes their medical conditions worth. I imagine if they have a mental health condition, that would become much worse. The delays and the panic and desperation it causes ends up enriches ambulance-chasing lawyers because people think that's the only way they can get SSI: then the money that should properly go to them goes to the lawyer.

Note how all the incentives are on the side of Deny - for the abstract, unilateral government and against the weak, poverty-ridden individual:

1) Both Social Services and SSI will set people without insurance up with medical evaluators who do cursory exams and seem disposed toward ruling "able to work". They focus on strict mechanical limitations only.

2) Doctors in the medical system face penalties for fraud if they misdiagnose someone in a way that helps them get on welfare or SSI, but they face no penalty if they leave someone to suffer while they are unsure of the diagnosis or would rather not deal with the government.

3) The State automatically stop payments which the welfare recipient's survival depends on at the first whiff of a problem - and they face no penalty for doing so when they've made a mistake. They set short deadlines of three days for ridiculous reams of paperwork all the time. But when it comes to rectifying paperwork or doing things for people, the State takes it's precious time from months to years.

The VA scandal showed how people actually die because the bureaucracy defaults to its own convenience rather than to what would cover the individual's needs. The welfare system certainly drives people to homelessness instead of helping lift people out of it. I would argue that genocide of the poor is an indirect consequence if not a direct consequence of these policies. But if "genocide" is too conspiratorial a term, I hope it's clear that this is torture, and the entire nation has been complicit in allowing it to go on for so long.