Knoxville woman denied social security benefits 

I am a nurse and I had a patient that was 22 years old and had half her brain cut off in an accident. She had bad seizures every few minutes but she was denied over and over. She and her husband lost everything. I don’t know how they thought a person with literally half a brain and seizures could ever work.

My husband was denied twice, after being forced to retire due to crippling arthritis, among other things. I got the second denial letter just weeks after he took his own life. 💔 Absolutely horrible, the anguish & suffering I had to witness & the unbelievable treatment he received.

You absolutely have to have a lawyer who can steer you through this AND have solid medical documentation. If she's trying to do this on her own, she will get nowhere.

I'm a Social Security disability attorney and help people to get benefits. It's common for people to get turned down and sometimes it takes several years to get benefits. What is amazing to me is that this is even a news story. This happens to hundreds of thousands of people every day. But what is even more amazing is that no one ever told her to get a lawyer. She should have gotten a lawyer the first time she got turned down about 9 years ago. She would have had a much better chance of getting benefits a long time ago. If she was worried that she could not pay a lawyer, that's not a problem because by law social security disability lawyers can only be paid a fee if they win, and that fee is 25% of the back pay she was owed by Soc. Security from the date she became disabled.

Our government spending billions for other countries but American citizens get nothing when they are in need. 😞

My son died from his epilepsy,, his Dr. Told him no reason he can’t work .. and at every job he had seizures .. They denied him as well .. The government is heartless .. A seizure takes such a toll on a body after one they will sleep for hours .. I miss my son every moment of the day … But , I know he is at peace now

To everybody suffering and those who have lost people because the SSA is so corrupt... my heart is with you.

I fought for my husband who is bed ridden much of the time. For 4 years. I gave up because it was affecting my health. The system is screwed. People who get benefits and shouldn’t are leeches.

I know 3 people who get disability...and are very capable of working. The whole thing baffles me 🤔

Same thing happened to me, lost everything. I now live in a tent in the woods. I had a disability attorney, it didn't matter. It varies by state but only about 28% are approved. People don't want to believe this but it's true. It happens to veterans, women, nobody is safe. I'm 61 with COPD and lung cancer (stage 3) which I got from covid. I've applied for Medicaid and Medicare but have been denied. The best I can do is apply for Social Security early at 62 but they only go back 10 years now so I'll get about half. Not enough to live indoors anyway. There's a long wait for low income housing. I wish everyone the best, please be careful and love one another.✌️❤️✝️

I have a younger sister in her early 30's who had a brain tumor when she was 12 and had to have a 14 hour surgery to remove, and she has one-sided weakness, balance and cognitive issues for the rest of her life, and she didn't qualify either. Luckily she was able to find a really simple part-time job that only pays minimum wage but she can do alright but she can't drive and often needs rides to and from work where there is no public transportation system.

My brother was dying of cancer. He got approved the week after he died! The hurdles to get either VA or Social Security disability not only cause suffering but also mental health damage. They really let you know how valuable the government see's life as worth. The system to get it is sadistic and mentally ill in its own right. A conversation we need to have is mental illness in the elite classes and government.

My advice to this lady is to get a lawyer. The sad reality is that social security turns everyone down. Even if your arms and legs were amputated they will still deny you. You have to sue, that's the only way to handle this. My father was disabled, could no longer work when I hit my teen years, and social security denied his disability. My father later sued and the government had to pay up close to $100,000, including restitution to myself and my brother since our father could not work and we were both under the age of 18 at the time. This lady is absolutely entitled to social security disability given her health issues at hand, but she's going to have to sue to get it.

Thank you and your station and staff reporting on people in need. You have really helped people out. God bless you. 😊❤️🙏

Truthfully in order to qualify for SSDI you first need to accrue enough work credits in your lifetime, there's more to it than just being disabled unless you're going for only SSI benefits like the lady mentioned.

This sounds familiar. My cousin showed up for an appointment for his elder brother who kept being turned down. They told him his brother needed to be there - where is he? At the funeral home, he had died the day before. They called the cops to get the younger brother out of their offices. A combat vet, he wanted to give them a taste of the stress they had put his ill brother thru. The cops walked him to his car and sent him home. He's gone now, too. RIP Dutch.

I was ran over by a drunk semi truck driver had 9 surgeries took 10 years for me to get approved. I still worked 4 hours a day split shifts. YOU NEED A LAWYER the government will fight you to the bitter end

Tell her not to give up! I lived in California and it took me 15 years. Stay strong, get an attorney.

If you are applying for SSDI, GET A LAWYER. Just make an appointment and they will explain everything. It's not going to cost you a dime to talk to an attorney.

She's not lying hard enough😢

what's really sad and maddening about this, is that they give social security disability benefits to drunks and drug addicts. I know of three personally that have received these benefits.

The problem is they hand out benefits to people who never paid in, and hold back from paying people who paid in for decades

I pray she will get her benefits!🙏

My son was dieing and could barely get out of bed with assistance and Social Security insisted that he go to a training center to determine his ability to work. They wanted to test him for work skills. Needless to say that didnt happen. They didnt like me very much when I got through with them, but my son got disability. He died before his first check came in the mail.

This happens all the time. My wife had stage 3 breast cancer and was undergoing Chemo and other drug therapy and unable to work. We filed for SS disability and was turned down. Do you know how hard it is to work when you are doing Chemo? She had to undergo this mix of chemo and other drugs for over a year. She was so sick but SS admin is even "sicker". Oh you could fight it, but it takes YEARS to get it. Then they let these young male bone heads that have a "back" injury get SS without any problems. Then you see these nut jobs(scammers) doing Zip lines, riding motorcycles, bicycles, hiking, traveling to different countries and videoing it all over social media. Go figure.

I’m happy to see so many supportive comments. Sometimes I click on stories like this and the comments are full of “she’s lazy” and, “she needs to get a job”. Good to know there’s still some compassion and empathy for others.

I had a friend who was diagnosed with a cancer that is nearly always uncurable with high death rates. She and her family fought those last few years of her life for her to get disability. She was finally approved - several months after she passed away.

I have been denied too and it's absolutely ridiculous. They will tell you "you can work" but won't tell you where! It's insane.

I was diagnosed at 25 with epilepsy and it never occurred to me to apply for disability. The grand mall seizures were frequent for several years but I dealt with it and continued to work catching rides after my license was suspended. I learned what triggered my episodes and avoided those situations and eventually got on a medication that controlled the seizures. The meds were expensive and in those years insurance could deny coverage for pre existing conditions so medical expenses were out of pocket. Taking night classes at local university I completed my bachelors degree and started teaching at 45 at which point I had been seizure free for 5 years and at 70 I haven’t had one since with ongoing medication. Every epileptic doesn’t have the good end result that I had although most do. I don’t know this lady’s whole medical history so perhaps she deserves SSI but there are some on it that shouldn’t be. I just wanted to make the point to others diagnosed with epilepsy that it’s a struggle at times but epilepsy is not insurmountable with the new medications available as it once was.

One thing I learned from my experience is that you have to get your doctors on board. I found that although I had told my doctor the issues I had and what I had difficulty doing, had coverdations with my doctor about it, and even the doctor acknowledging my difficulties, NONE of that was in my medical records, which social security uses to make their decision.

It's shameful. I talked to a guy once (I worked at a bank) and he said he'd been trying for 10 years as well, for Black Lung disease. The same week? I talked to a refugee who was getting over $7000 a month in benefits, despite her family never working in the US. Going to chains like TGI Friday's and The Olive Garden were a daily event for them. I could see what they were spending 'their' money on.

I work in an automotive stamping and welding factory and we have a temp that has had several seizures and they allow her to come to work everyday. I know in the past all the other factories I worked at wouldn't allow anyone like that to have a job. It has gotten to the point that my work will hire anyone with a heartbeat. People just don't want to work anymore. And they start at $16 hr for temporary workers and $20 hr hired in and $1.00 raise per year and yearly bonuses also.

This pisses me off, my neighbor who came to this country illegally 5 years ago was able to get on it with no problems. She was in a car crash that she caused and didn't have a DL plus both of her kids under 8 were in the car with no car seats. but she was able to get S.S.Disability because she hurt her back

Same thing is happening to my brother-in-law who has had Crhones and a total colostomy since he was 11 years old. He's 60 now, and his body is simply falling apart. He's having to hire a lawyer to get benefits.

She needs to get a lawyer that specializes in social security disability claims.

So true. After I had been denied by SSA, I immediately got a lawyer and won my case.

My late wife had epilepsy and was denied many times for disability. We had to hire a lawyer and fight in court against the Social Security Administration to get her SSI benefits. She eventually did get assistance after several years. My late wife had to prove that her epilepsy hadn't improved every two years. She eventually died from a seizure.

I've been told the same thing for 5 years. I finally have gave up,that's what they wanted me,and everyone else to do.. They give it to so many ppl that lie,but the honest ppl suffer.. it's sick..💯

The anxiety alone is a contributor to the decline of her poor health. 💙

Same with me... I had attorneys twice!! It would take me a good 20 minutes to tell you all of my diagnosed health problems, plus another hour at least to tell you how i am effected by them. In denial letters I've received from SSD, they have told flat out lies and have twisted my Dr's. words... Disgraceful!! I havent been able to work since 2010... I literally live on less than $500. a month. That includes bills, food and sundries... I wish I were able to work!!

Happens every day. My wife has been unable to work since she had spinal surgery and had 5 of 7 cervical vertebrae fused when she was 45 (she's now 62). She was denied benefits. Luckily I had a good career and we were able to do well enough on one income. Not everyone is so lucky. The government isn't there for you, unless it's with a subpoena, warrant, bill or fine in their hands.

I have been fighting social security disability since 2015. I am on my 3rd attorney. I hope this time I have a good one. The first two attorneys were absolutely useless. They did not fight for me at all. I was initially declared disabled by SS but I do not qualify for compensation or collect my disability payments. In the applications and documentation SS states that if your disablilty is going to last longer than a year you qualify. What a bunch of shit. It is very exhausting to fight for something you should be able to receive especially after paying in for so many years. I submitted all my medical records and current updates. I sent them 4 letters from 4 different doctors acknowledging my health issues. I saw a SS doctor and in his findings he stated that my skin was very well tanned. I’m sorry but WTH does my skin being tanned have to do with my disabilities?? Some days the fight just doesn’t seem worth all the headaches. What SS puts people through is absolutely horrible. I have to fight tooth and nail for my rights and benefits and in the meantime we have tens of thousands illegals crossing our borders who will receive food stamps, housing and medical benefits. I worked 13 yrs in healthcare and saw this every day. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. I feel this woman’s pain and frustration. Our government has become very sad and shameful. 🤬

Discrimination with this Woman….🙏🇺🇸

My daughter got approved at 28. She was a nurse and got diagnosed with AS. She hired a lawyer but he did nothing she did all of the work. Her case worker told her she was getting approved and told her to fire her attorney so he wouldn't get the 25% of her back pay. She did and 6 weeks later got the official approval and the attorney didn't get a dime. It took her 18 month's to get approved. She learned that each state is different and some state's are way harder to get approved. If you live in Washington state it's a lot easier to get approved.

I had a twelve year battle, finally got approved, but just ssi even though I had worked the required amount of time and had credits. They look at the evidence they want to see and disregard most of what's relevant and waste all the time in the world with the endless wanting to know about what they refuse to look at. Hang in there, ain't life great here in the land of the free to do what we're told to do.

I am a terminally ill cancer patient. I am too sick to work. I have been dealing with Social Security since December 2009. I want to work but no one will hire me. I paid into Social Security for 30 years. I am not expected to live through this coming winter. The worst part is in my state the Medical Exams are at these pop up clinics which are not staffed by licensed doctors. Most of the time the "medical exam" for Social Security is done by either a high school drop out or high school graduate. They have a checklist given to them. They know nothing about anatomy. They have no idea what an oncologist does but you get the letter from Social Security that you are going to see an oncologist at the pop up clinic for a "medical" exam. A valid medical exam shoold at least be completed by a licensed doctor. Because the Social Security is running a fraud by having people impersonating doctors that never went to medical school or never passed the medical board to become a real doctor. These people have never been to college or medical school. These people have never been through medical residency yet Social Security is paying them to pretend to be doctors while they do not have a license to practice medicine. That is what I found to be the worst of trying to get Social Security. They tell me that I will be dead by the end of the year antways.

My mother worked with a lady who's husband had terrible heart problems. He was denied disability twice. He was approved the third time except that the approval letter arrived 3 weeks after he had passed away.

I didnt know the government could do that as long as you paid your taxes. Government only seems to work hard when taking your money or preventing you from getting theirs

I am 100% disabled permanent and total through the Veterans Administration, and was denied SSD by an anti military judge in San Diego. There is nothing you can do once a judge determines or rules you can work and denies you. I have lived for over 14 years in constant agonizing pain from war zone injuries with a dozen health issues and non of that mattered.

I had a cousin who had cancer not sure what type but it caused him to lose an arm and both legs, he was denied 3 times and died before ever being approved. If I could find a way, I would never pay into Social security again

My son waited 2 years for a "HEARING" for disability and I was angry when he had mail at my house . Two weeks after his death a letter came to my home, they " Granted a Hearing" before the Disability Board!! To review his claim!! WTF He was 41 and had worked since he graduated High School.

How disgusting not acceptable treatment of a human being. Government officials are just the worst in the way they treat people in need!

She's not a POC. Watched a police interrogation video where the young Black guy claimed that both he and his brother collect over seven hundred a month from SSI. He had no issue robbing and killing people.

They are making it more difficult to get social security and none of those judges or social security people could work with her conditions at all !!!

I got hurt at work and was denied Social Security disability for five years until I got a lawyer and had a hearing in front of five judges and there doctors and finally got it.

I know tons of people on social security disability who fix their own roofs,mow their lawns, paint their house,walk their monster dogs,have plenty of energy to dance the entire weekend during their loud parties,hang out fixing their cars while smoking weed, and a bunch that have no problem at all walking around the city all afternoon into late night panhandling and begging. Maybe the government needs to start investigating people like they used to.

If she can work then social security should hire her.

If it's illegal to deny employment because of having epilepsy, she has a discrimination lawsuit. She said she was denied employment because she was told she was a liability due to having epilepsy.

It took my best friend 12 years and 4 attorneys to get disability. She was trying for SSDI but she finally got approved for SSI when she went to court.

I really feel for her. The soc sec rules need to be updated. It's been like this way too long. I understand her dilemma because I was denied survivor benefits with no good reason from social security. I hope she can get SSI.

It took me two years to get my disability benefits due to my kidney failure. I have had over a dozen seizures. I have had numerous surgeries and had two stints placed in me one in each kidney, right kidney is completely non functioning left kidney struggling but functioning not like it should. My health isn't getting any better its at stable stage from what the neurologist told me. I can relate to what this woman is going through. Prayers to her and others that's unable to work.

They did the same shit to my mom. She ended up dying a week before she turned 60. She needed disability badly, it was awful how hard she fought to get help.

A family member of mine has had diabetes for most of his adult life. He’s worked since he was 14 yrs old bagging groceries he’s now 38 yrs old. He’s lost both legs now and has 5 children from 13 & down his wife can only work so much. He has kidney dialysis every other day. He’s tried to get social security or at least SSI now for 2 yrs now. Someone told him in Tennessee most people don’t get approved on physical aspects only if your mental health isn’t stable. What gives. Him and his family has went through most savings and are on the verge of losing everything family and friends do there best to help but it’s not enough when u have a house full of kids a mortgage , insurance etc..

I know of people who are healthy who got it with first application.

She should have checked the box that she is a minority or trans and she would have been approved on the spot.

They sent denied letters to my mother for 10 years, then when she got her retirement at 62 social security office told her she had been approved for disability 8 years earlier.

A friend of mine had ehlers Danlos syndrome and worked as an attorney for years until so much of her cartilage disintegrated that she had to to take ridiculous amounts of pain killers and couldn’t function at work anymore. They denied her for years because she they said she still had full mobility. It was just painful to move .

I know personally 4 people who are collecting disability from ss. Only one of them is actually suffering life altering conditions. Of the other 3, one plays golf 4 times a week, one bowls in leagues and tournements weekly, one builds decks and pours concrete as a cash only side hussle. Here I am with permanent nerve damage in my left hand, chronic back and neck pain. If we're not for goodies powders, I would not be able to work the 55 hours a week I do. I'm tired of the grifters getting the rewards.

If the government is so sure she can work, they should give her a job that they think she’s capable of with her medical conditions and pay her a living wage! I can’t imagine that companies would be willingly hire someone with so many health issues. In fact, even if she was with a company for a long time, as soon as her medical conditions got in the way, they would find a reason to let her go. That’s how cruel this world is nowadays.

I got denied to 3x i had a major stroke couldn't talk or walk and still got denied prayers out to her

I had a lady who worked for me many years ago. She had epilepsy and would have seizures while sewing in the industrial sewing machine. I worried about her running over her hand. Id talk hee through the seizures and hold her. She was turned down forever! She had her license taken and couldn’t drive. If anyone deserved it, she did. I gave her a job and probably shouldn’t have. I mean, I was really worried she’d run over her hand with the sewing machine. However, it made her quality of life so much better. It was part time and more of a friend and getting her out of the house. It helped her feel better about her house. She truly needed it and as far as I know never got it.

She needs to get an Attorney they trend to back off when you have an Attorney on your side.

My husband had a lawyer. He really did nothing but he still got 25%.It took over 2 years and a letter from our Congressman. After the letter, he was approved almost immediately. You are routinely turned down and so what if you can't pay the bills.

Mean time my sister lived next door to a guy on full disability because after his divorce, he got depressed. His benefits allowed him to qualify for a loan (with no job), to buy a single family home. The guy use to be a lawyer (I don’t know what his specialty was). 5 years after the divorce, he had a girlfriend and was moving in with his life yet, still claimed to be depressed because of his divorce and could not work. He was 30-35 years old, no other health problems. She needs to get a lawyer. That lawyer can help her get the benefits as well as back pay- for a percentage of that money, of course.

She needs a lawyer. They ignore individuals who attempt to file.

My son, at age 27, after waiting over 2 years, was denied. The Attorney was unprepared for the court hearing. My son died 2 weeks ago at age 29. The lawyer never submitted paperwork I gave him or most of the medical records. My son had diagnosed Lupus since aged 4, diagnosed depression, bi-polar since before aged 22, diagnosed heart failure in 2020. He had other problems. He had been homeless for a few years. He just got a section 8 apt. one year ago due to some assistance program in Portland because he was dying. I truly wish I could take that son of a bitch lawyer to the cleaners. My son could have lived another 10 years.

I know several people in their 30's on disability or SSI, and there's nothing wrong with them. They laugh about it and say you just gotta know how to play the game. People like this lady can't get help.😠

I've been fighting disability for awhile now myself, they don't care about the people they are making decisions for, it's a fight that we shouldn't have to go through we are already dealing with problems none but those who have to go through can understand. Things need to change on our behalf.

I knew a 20 year old who was selling drugs on a street corner and got shot in the face. He had never worked and paid into SS In his life and he was receiving SS benefits. He told me this himself. Now, I actually got hurt and work and had to retire early. I applied for SS benefits 5 years early after I have been vested in the system for over 15 years. That means I have paid in full into the system 15 years ago to qualify. I was denied because they said there were 3 jobs I could perform, none of them with 500 miles of where I live. The system is rigged!

The social worker is just stringing her along giving more paperwork that will just be denied 🙄

This woman is not being honest because employers are not allowed to ask about health conditions when applying for a job. There are so many work from home opportunities now that do not require any experience, so it is harder to be approved for full disability.

God bless you, I know the feeling. I have been filing for the last 3years and it makes me wonder also.

Most people get denied. You need a lawyer that specializes in Social Security disability to get approved.

Yet if you eat to the point the fire department has to help you out your house, you’re on the government’s dime. This is a damn shame 🤦🏾‍♀️

My sister is going through this exact thing right now.

I went through the exact same thing with them

But. The gov will give ss to illegals Seriously?!

My son diagnosed with schizophrenia, spent 12 years filing and refiling, doctor confirmed he cannot work. State said nope, federal said nope. Now I carry him on my retirement ! No criminal records on either of us, followed all rules and NO is the answer !

I feel her pain! I have worked so hard my whole life, but my health is declining as well. I am only 51, but can't lift much, can't be on my feet a lot, have long term COVID and short term memory loss, my wrists and hands are weak, I just had surgery for carpal tunnel, My right shoulder is messed up bad and probably going for workman's comp claim. I pray she gets the help she needs to survive!

I was in a motorcycle accident where I broke half my body. I was bedridden for months, in a wheelchair for months, had multiple surgeries, and my doctor stated that I would not be able to go back to work for 2 years. I applied for disability multiple times and was denied. And when I did go back to work I couldn't go back and do the type of work that I had been prior to my accident. Yet I knew people who were on disability were depression and other non-physical reasons yet I couldn't get it because they said I could work. I'd like to know how I could have worked when I was in a wheelchair, had no use of my arm and I was in constant pain etc.

On the other hand no billionaire ever goes a day without receiving subsidies from "the government," as in, our tax dollars.

Back in 2009, I suffered a major heart attack, and subsequently, I had four Coronary Arterial Bypass Grafts. I was 62 yrs old at the time. Less than two weeks' time, I had Another heart attack, and I was back in the hospital, again! My mom and dad also had heart conditions, and my cholesterol was high and occluded two of my grafts. I could no longer work as I was a Surgical Registered Nurse. I ended up with severe depression, unable to sleep, anxiety, and kidney problems. My official diagnosis is Chronic Acute Angina. Social Security also denied my disability claim. I fought it for two years. I hired an Attorney who specifically works on SSID cases. And I STILL was denied. Finally, I demanded that I wanted to be evaluated by Doctors not office drones. I presented the doctors medical record and surgical records and gave them both copies of my medical conditions. I had a Psych evaluation. I finally won and started receiving SSI in 2011. But I had fight tooth and nail to get it. And now, it looks like with the National Dept Ceiling fiasco going on, we aren't going to get paid next month? What the heck! I earned that money, and the government "borrowed" it and is going to default, and elderly people are taking the brunt of the mismanagement of our money.

You need a good lawyer to help you get anything. Those people work a cozy job at the social security office and don't care about YOU or anyone but themselves. They trick you with questions to get you to admit to something you don't have. My friend was asked if they could see his work statements if he works. He said he can't and they said he had to answer the question. He refused to and he got turned down right there.

I’m a World Trade Center recovery worker that has lung issues from 9 months there. I have been turned down 2 times. They are waiting for me to die. My teeth were also knocked out there by a steel cable and Liberty Mutual was the workers comp company and they still refuse to fix my teeth. We had a battle in court until the time limit was up. They all suck.

I know people who kept getting turned down and were finally accepted when a mental health condition was added. My friend was a brittle diabetic (meaning her type 1 diabetes was not under control). SS kept denying her. Finally, when she added that she was depressed, they approved her.

My younger brother always struggled in life. His IQ tested at 72. An IQ of 70 would qualify for disability. He's completely unsafe around machinery or most any sort of responsibility, such as making change, or any kind of thinking. He spent his working years pumping gas and collecting carts for Walmart. He was fired or laid off from every job he ever had. He finally qualified for disability at age 57, as his decline began and depression and lifes frustrations took their toll. This is the most money he ever made. 😢

I would like to know if she has a lawyer working with her lawyers don't charge unless you win so they fight for you until you win. And the maximum they can take from you is $6,000 from your back pay. If she's doing this all on her own then I can kind of understand why she's not getting anywhere. I'm on my 4th appeal now in two years. I signed up for SSA. SSA is where you can still work part time and owm property and assets unlike SSI

Plus they tell you that you can work outdated jobs like switchboard operator!! Jobs that no longer exist!! How the hell is that even legal and we just have to sit and take it!! 😡

This really hits home. I've been trying to collect from my husband since he died. They keep telling me the same thing. It's messed up how they do this to ppl yet hand out money to countries like its theirs to spend. This is what happens when you let the banks run everything. Your money isn't your money.

She was denied because we have people taking advantage of the system and the people who need it end up not getting approved.