jimells
Senior Member
- Messages
- 2,009
- Location
- northern Maine
Valentijn, you got it right. Maine has very good laws protecting people from unsecured creditors, not like, say, Texas. They can't take your farming equipment, tools of your trade, or your house if it's worth less than $47,000 and you actually live there. There's a 'homestead exemption' law that reduces the taxable value of the property. Of course, how many residences are worth less than $47,000, outside of Detroit? Mine is right on the edge, and since I only own half of the trailer house, that helps some.
Last week I saw a therapist from the case management agency. She tried to assure me that if I became homeless I could apply for subsized housing, and being homeless would put me higher on the waiting list. She didn't mention how long is the waiting list. I'm sure it's years and years. There are no homeless shelters for men north of Bangor - just the bush, if one can find a place where one won't be driven out by the cops. And I'm too old and sick and too far north to live in the bush. I lived on the road for almost a year when I was young, healthy, and strong, when it was easy to hitch hike, or work at Manpower for a few days, or find an empty couch. Those days are long gone, for me personally, and for all the young people now leaving home.
kurt, I have a question about the SSDI review process. Don't they have to show there has been improvement in order to kick you off? The State of Maine is trying to kick me off Medicaid, but their own policy manual clearly states that DHHS has to prove I am no longer impaired enough to qualify for benefits, as stated in Social Security regulations. Check out 20 CFR 416.994(b):
"... We must determine if there has been any medical improvement in your impairment(s) and, if so, whether this medical improvement is related to your ability to work. ... If medical improvement related to your ability to work has not occurred and no exception applies, your benefits will continue... we must also show that you are currently able to engage in substantial gainful activity before we can find that you are no longer disabled."
This looks to me like the burden of proof is on them to produce medical evidence that you are no longer impaired. No medical evidence, then pass Go and collect $200!
jenbooks, those are good thoughts. Thankyou.
markmc, I think the case management agency will help me navigate the benefits maze. It's so fragmented and chaotic, it's hard to imagine a more irrational and dysfunctional system even if it was designed that way. The social workers at the state "Integrated Access" office were no help. They told me to go to the Salvation Army. It seems state social workers have to get a masters degree so they can enter all your info into a computer. They have no authority to make decisions of any kind. All decisions are made by the computer or the big shots in Augusta. The social workers apparently have no knowledge of any programs, public or private, outside of food stamps, TANF, and Medicaid. Kinda sad, actually, that they are forced to be so limited. I expect most of them would like to help, if they were allowed to.
Roommates - uggh! I could rent a room, if I could find the right person. And they'd have to be nice to my birds. I've had very poor experiences with roommates in the past.
I did recover the church letter from the trash. I do need to send a copy to my useless disability lawyer. It seems to me that a letter stating my job performance is unsatifactory could just as easily be used to against me, proof that I'm a welfare bum who refuses to 'pull their own weight'.
aprilk, sometimes I put a can of tuna on my salad, and about once a week I cook brown rice and add frozen vegetables and a can of shrimp to the pot. It's easy and tastes OK. I also eat a lot of yogurt, eggs, cheese. My gut seems to like those items. Today I got a blood test for B12 and Vitamin D, so I will be watching for the results of those tests.
I have some good news to close with. The Salvation Army dug deep into their pockets, and said they can buy me 50 gals of fuel oil. As usual in the U.S., it's poor working people helping each other while getting kicked in the head by the overlords: the money will come from the local Army thrift store.
Thanks for all your support.
Last week I saw a therapist from the case management agency. She tried to assure me that if I became homeless I could apply for subsized housing, and being homeless would put me higher on the waiting list. She didn't mention how long is the waiting list. I'm sure it's years and years. There are no homeless shelters for men north of Bangor - just the bush, if one can find a place where one won't be driven out by the cops. And I'm too old and sick and too far north to live in the bush. I lived on the road for almost a year when I was young, healthy, and strong, when it was easy to hitch hike, or work at Manpower for a few days, or find an empty couch. Those days are long gone, for me personally, and for all the young people now leaving home.
kurt, I have a question about the SSDI review process. Don't they have to show there has been improvement in order to kick you off? The State of Maine is trying to kick me off Medicaid, but their own policy manual clearly states that DHHS has to prove I am no longer impaired enough to qualify for benefits, as stated in Social Security regulations. Check out 20 CFR 416.994(b):
"... We must determine if there has been any medical improvement in your impairment(s) and, if so, whether this medical improvement is related to your ability to work. ... If medical improvement related to your ability to work has not occurred and no exception applies, your benefits will continue... we must also show that you are currently able to engage in substantial gainful activity before we can find that you are no longer disabled."
This looks to me like the burden of proof is on them to produce medical evidence that you are no longer impaired. No medical evidence, then pass Go and collect $200!
jenbooks, those are good thoughts. Thankyou.
markmc, I think the case management agency will help me navigate the benefits maze. It's so fragmented and chaotic, it's hard to imagine a more irrational and dysfunctional system even if it was designed that way. The social workers at the state "Integrated Access" office were no help. They told me to go to the Salvation Army. It seems state social workers have to get a masters degree so they can enter all your info into a computer. They have no authority to make decisions of any kind. All decisions are made by the computer or the big shots in Augusta. The social workers apparently have no knowledge of any programs, public or private, outside of food stamps, TANF, and Medicaid. Kinda sad, actually, that they are forced to be so limited. I expect most of them would like to help, if they were allowed to.
Roommates - uggh! I could rent a room, if I could find the right person. And they'd have to be nice to my birds. I've had very poor experiences with roommates in the past.
I did recover the church letter from the trash. I do need to send a copy to my useless disability lawyer. It seems to me that a letter stating my job performance is unsatifactory could just as easily be used to against me, proof that I'm a welfare bum who refuses to 'pull their own weight'.
aprilk, sometimes I put a can of tuna on my salad, and about once a week I cook brown rice and add frozen vegetables and a can of shrimp to the pot. It's easy and tastes OK. I also eat a lot of yogurt, eggs, cheese. My gut seems to like those items. Today I got a blood test for B12 and Vitamin D, so I will be watching for the results of those tests.
I have some good news to close with. The Salvation Army dug deep into their pockets, and said they can buy me 50 gals of fuel oil. As usual in the U.S., it's poor working people helping each other while getting kicked in the head by the overlords: the money will come from the local Army thrift store.
Thanks for all your support.
