Life With No Money

Today I received a letter from the Social Security Administration. They administer the SSI program or Supplemental Security Income program. As a disabled person, I qualify for this disability program, which gives me a check every month.

Their letter said they are reducing my payments from $579 a month to $515 a month because I worked from September 2007 to December 2007. Social Security's rule is to deduct $1 for every $2 I made while working. The whole system is annoying and penalizes disabled people for working, even part-time the way I did.

First of all, nobody can live on $500 a month to begin with. If I did not live with my parents, I would probably be homeless. When they pass away, I'll be homeless or in a group home, which is like a mental hospital only you can leave it during the day.

The big sticking point is health insurance. As a recipient of SSI, I am qualified for Medicaid from the state welfare agency. Medicaid pays for my treatment for mental illness. Just one of my psychiatric medications alone costs $600 a month. Without my treatment I cannot function. The way the whole disability system is set up, it keeps people like me perpetually in poverty. If I make too much money, I lose all my benefits.

This is not to say that all mentally ill people live in poverty, but a good number do. Millions are homeless, and you may have encountered some in public places screaming about the end of the world. I have met mentally ill people who work regular jobs, but whether this is the rule or exception I do not know. I just know so many of us who do live in poverty. I meet many at the public mental health clinic.

Poverty is a way of live for the mentally ill. My clinic prints a list of social services ranging from homeless shelters to state welfare offices. The patients often have to employ these social services for the destitute. I will admit I am fortunate I have a good family that supports me.