“Describe Your Child in 200 Words or Less”

I’m sitting here once again trying to fill out a form to describe my son, one of the hundreds of forms I’ve had to fill out over the last 22 years. It doesn’t get easier. This particular form is for the Police and Fire Department for a program that keeps information on file about the special needs children in town so if they wander, become lost or if some emergency happens in the home, the police and fire departments have pertinent information on our children, their disability, how to manage the situation, what makes them anxious, what calms them down, where they might go, etc.  {Continue }

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Does everything really need to be this difficult?

 Please Note: The following is a rant, plain and simple; a rant, a vent, whatever you would like to call it. There is no moral to the story, no happy ending, no “Ah Ha” moment, no conclusions to be drawn (actually there are many conclusions to be drawn, but we won’t say them out loud) – just a plain and simple “I’ve had it” kind of rant.

 For those of you who don’t have a child with special needs or have young children and haven’t had to think about the “adult” side of things, here’s how it works. I don’t know if it’s the same in every state, but this is the way it goes here. When your child reaches the age of 18, depending on the severity of the disability {Continue }

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Will it go ‘round in circles – Paperwork and “Please Press One”

or: “For No Help What-So-Ever; Please Press #1”

Paperwork..

and Contact Numbers that rarely bring one to an actual person…. “Please press One”

or “Please complete this form. A form that you or no one you know will ever be able to understand – we do not even understand the form and cannot help you in any way, but we do expect you to be able to complete it by….

Not a fan of the paperwork. (click here for a fun romp through our state’s system)

Not a fan of the mountains of unnecessary mail that comes my way. {Continue }

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I think there’s a form for that…

Last week was DC’s 6-month review IP (no “E”, he is out of the school system) meeting. There are required reports that I have to fill out after each and every IP and review meeting (partially because DC has afternoon staff until I come home from work).  Every report says just about the same thing, but still, I have to write paragraphs upon paragraphs of the same thing each time.

Then, as I’ve written about before, there are the annual reports that seem to all come along all at the same time. Right before this IP meeting, I received a new report in the mail – A review to make sure that DC is still disabled. {Continue }

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Sub-minimum; another view

I just received a letter from the agency that DC “works” for. To paraphrase; there are new federal rules that will impose limits on people earning less than minimum wage. The clients that are already earning sub-minimum can continue to do so, but they will be required to receive “career counseling” annually. Basically, they will no longer be able to accept new clients at sub-minimum.

I know that there is cheering and celebration going on after reading the paragraph above but I ask that you take a minute to read another side to this issue {Continue }

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***The Following Three Posts Go Together – I thought it was over with, but it was not.

 

Social Security, Adult Children, Lessons Learned and a Heads Up

If you follow my Facebook page at all, you may have seen the status below. I wrote it out of aggravation but mostly because it was something that I unknowingly did (or didn’t do) that I wanted to share it in the hopes of keeping someone from making the same mistake.

If you did read the status earlier, do not stop here. There is more to the story and it only gets worse, so please read on…

Before I get to that I want to say that I always did everything for DC ahead of time. I never waited until the last minute for anything. {Continue }

 

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But Wait, There’s More!

If you have been around here for a while, you may remember the whole Social Security fiasco that began in September/October 2016. (If not, you can read it here)

I will not rehash all of the details again, but long story short I had an account that Social Security determined was a resource. Contrary to popular belief, I do know what I am doing; I did check into that many years ago, and I knew that they were wrong. But still I was required to close the account, spend it down, and prove I had spent it on him. Until it was spent, his benefits would be suspended.

Even though I knew they were wrong, a suspension of his benefits until I could prove them wrong could snowball into other areas and his day program. {Continue }

 

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There’s Still More! (Seriously, there is!)

We are about to venture into the ridiculous….

If you read my last post you will know that I because of an account I had, I was required to pay back Social Security $12,000.00 in benefits – which I knew was dead wrong.

It took them all of 4 days after receiving the account information and the spend down documentation to send me a letter informing me that I had to pay back a year and a half of DC’s Social Security benefits in the amount of $12,000.00.

After sending two appeal forms and hearing nothing I finally got to talk with someone (On December 17) {Continue }

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IP Meetings (No ‘E” since he’s left the school system)  

Today

6 month IP (no “E”, he’s out of school) review meeting this morning – <insert sarcasm font> Can’t think of anything that I would enjoy more! <end sarcasm font> #FunTimes#WeDropTheEButTheFunRemains

Also Today

So…. because there are program changes coming down the pike at DC’s work program, my caseworker specifically requested and planned this meeting around a person who could explain (hopefully) how these changes will affect DC. She was not there {Continued }

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Putting the Screws to the Adults that Fall In-Between

If my posts seem to be a little more “downbeat” than usual lately, it is because that is the way I am feeling with all that has gone on and is going on with heath care, Medicaid, (let’s not forget our whole Social Security fiasco) and now new regulations regarding work/agency programs that can also directly impact my son.

Just look at all you have to look forward to when your child becomes an adult. {Continue }

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I want a job like that.. A Vent

Since the 23rd of March, (it is now April 27th) my case worker has been trying to get in touch with the person who missed our last meeting.
I explained to my caseworker that it has been my experience that her MO is just not to reply to anything until you get tired of asking and give up…
He does not seem to understand this and keeps trying to contact her without cc’ing the director (the only way I ever get results) {Continue }

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Registering to Vote and Selective Service

DC and I attended his 6 month IP review today (No “E”; he is out of school).

Every year since he turned 18 his case worker is required to ask if he is registered to vote and if not if he would like to register to vote. Usually when he asks, DC just does not answer him so I usually do the answering. {Continue}

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Fun with Social Security

Those of you that have been here awhile should know just how much I ‘enjoy’ dealing with Social Security or any of the agencies that I have to deal with for DC.

Today I sat down to complete DC’s annual Representative Payee Report, which I must say is one of the easier reports that I have to complete. I like to do it on-line so I get a receipt with the date and time completed, and a summary of what was submitted.

(Continue)

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