PART 2 : April 9, 2005
I made my initial application in July of 2005 and the response (lack of) inspired this letter:
"I want to make a formal complaint about the way I have been treated by the Social Security Administration. I have multiple sclerosis, and I filed for disability benefits in 2005. The following is my history with the Social Security office:
- The Disability application was mailed to me very late. I applied over the telephone, and I was told by the interviewer that a follow-up application would be mailed to me. After I didn't receive the follow-up, I called to see what was happening. No one had even mailed the application to me. I had the telephone interview in July. I did not receive the rest of the forms until three months later.
- Mrs. Salis (the woman handling my application) noticed a discrepancy (that seems very minor to me) [and turns out to be incorrect. She claims that I wrote on the application that I was making $800/week, and you can clearly see on the Application that it says $800/month - that is all of that I could work at the time without falling over. I returned her call at the number she provided, and proceeded to wait on hold for four hours. I never did speak to anyone. I hung up at 6:00 because the recording said that the office closed at 4:30.
- When I finally did get through a few days later, it was because I just happened to have another number, and I left a message on another person's voicemail to be passed on to Mrs. Salis. On this message, I asked that she return my call after 2:00 pm since that is when I feel best. She called me at 9:00 am (while I was asleep).
- Mrs. Salis then told me that she had denied my application because, as she put it, I was "not cooperating" by not contacting her at the number that she provided to try to resolve the error (even though, as I stated, I actually did).
- When I told her how ridiculous the entire situation was, she threatened to hang up on me for "berating" her.
- She now demands that I go through the entire process a second time and re-file the application.
Stress makes the symptoms of MS worse, and I can't even conceive of a situation that would put more unnecessary stress on me. She [Mrs. Salis] decided to have a little trantrum and power trip at my expense, and now I have to deal with this on top of an already complicated situation.
I want to make sure she doesn't handle my application. She proved herself inept. Even though the application states that I am disabled, she refused to help, and I assume that her job is to assist me. She obviously wouldn't put forth any extra effort if it were necessary. She was confronted with a minor mistake [which was clearly her mistake], and (instead of admitting her error and correcting it, after I tried to point it out) she did what would make less work for her, and simply denied my application. I also do not trust her to provide the assistance I need. Since she was so nasty to me on the telephone, I can see her not giving my application the attention she should out of spite, maybe even purposely delaying my application.
I'm not sure why this process is so difficult. I am disabled. I am applying for Social Security Disability. It seems pretty cut and dried to me. I understand that you don't want people to collect Disability income if they are not disabled. But it seems to me that all that you have to do is ask my doctor, and they will give you the proof that you ask for. The entire process is so over-thought that it is terrible for people who are disabled. And then to deal with these people (who are supposed to be helping) is making it almost impossible. It is very hard for me to do everyday things, and the SSA has made it infinitely worse. Isn't this supposed to be the new, user-friendly Social Security Administration?"
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