How (and when) to get financial assistance:

The best time to apply for financial help is the minute you realize you're not going to be able to continue working. Some of us did it the hard way, and kept thinking if we just got a little rest, we would be able to keep going. And then all of a sudden we lost our jobs and businesses, and homes and cars, with no money coming in. That's a scary place to be. I definitely waited too long to start the application process. I never ever thought I would have to apply for assistance. I had always been strong and independent and self sufficient, and it was a terrible thing to adjust to being helpless.

And when you're that ill, it takes enormous strength just to survive, let alone go thru rigorous application processes, especially when a lot of them are designed to discourage people from applying.

Get help! If you can't manage it by yourself, ask someone to get the papers and help you fill them out, and even make the calls for you and set up appointments, etc.

There are many avenues for seeking financial assistance. I've listed several of them below, along with hints for helping it go smoother and faster. Don't give up! If one door closes the first time, it might open the next time you knock. And there are other doors. Just keep knocking until you get what you need.

Catholic Social Services. They can provide immediate emergency assistance if you have received disconnect or eviction notices. They can refer you to food banks and other assistance. They have counselors that can help you. They also have people that will fight for federal disability for you if you have been turned down the first time. They will help you fill out paperwork, and will even pay doctor fees, etc. to help you get disability. It's a wonderful organization. And you don't have to be Catholic to benefit from it.

Prescription Assistance. You might be able to qualify for prescription assistance if you have no, or a low, income and if you don't have insurance or other prescription coverage. Go to http://www.rxassist.org/default.cfm and check out the different medications you need. You can download forms from the manufacturers to be filled out by you and your physician. Some of them ask you to include proof of income. If you qualify, they will usually send a 3 month supply to your doctor for you to pick up there. Then you have to re-apply every time you need a refill. But it is worth it!

State Social Services. You could be eligible for immediate food stamps and cash assistance, depending on your situation and lack of income, especially if you have exhausted all of your own resources first. You'll make an initial call, get paperwork sent to you, and have an interview. Sometimes if you are disabled the interviews can be handled over the phone. You'll need copies of your bank statements for the previous three months, doctor's records, birth certificate, utility bills. You will qualify if you have no income. And if your bank account has less that $200, you will get immediate cash. You'll have to go in for reviews every three months. Don't get discouraged. It can seem overwhelming, but just do it and it will be a big relief to you.

The individual benefit amount is small, probably under $200/month plus food stamps, but it will help.

NOTE: Don't let them cooerce you into signing over your disability payments to them when you get it. They'll say it will just pay back what the state spends to help you in the meantime. But you don't have to do that, and it will eat up a big chunk of your disability benefit when you get it.

Medicaid. This is state based health care assistance. After you have applied for State Social Services assistance, you can apply for Medicaid. If you qualify, it should cover almost all medical expenses, including presciptions. The benefit continues as long as you don't have an income and until you start receiving federal disability (if your disability payments exceed the income limit for an individual.

Social Security. This is the next step. Pretty much the same kind of application process, through your local Social Security office. The benefit is higher than State Social Services, and if you qualify for Social Security, you are automatically eligible for Medicaid. The approval process takes longer and you have to keep bugging them to push it through.

Federal Social Security Disability. This is the big one. If you have worked and contributed to this fund, you have benefits coming in case of disability and inability to work. The amount depends on how much you worked and contributed to the fund over the years. This is not welfare! This is your money, that you put into "savings" in case of disability later on. You are entitled to it if you are truly disabled. And not being able to work means you are disabled. Some of us had trouble admitting that or wanting to even think about it. But the sooner you get over that and apply, the sooner you'll get help.

The main thing is to get medical documentation. It has to be from M.D.'s, not physicians assistants or other medical personnel. If you can, find a specialist (rheumatologist) and get him/her to document your diagnosis and treatment. Keep records! Write everything down... when the illness started, how it affects each part of your life and daily activity...how it has disrupted your life...how difficult even the smallest tasks are. If you can, get written documentation regarding the loss of work and the reasons for loss of work, including the date you had to stop working. Be as descriptive and detailed as you can be in your documentation. If you have a lot of documentation, it makes the application process much easier and faster.

It starts with a phone call to Federal SSI Disability ... 1-800-772-1213, or call your local office number. Tell them you want to apply, ask them to mail you the paperwork and set up a time for a phone interview. (This is because you are disabled, and it is difficult for you to go in to their office.) They also have a website at: http://www.ssa.gov

There will be a time limit on getting the paperwork back to them. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Get it back on time, or you may lose your benefits. Get someone to help you. Write them letters to go with everything else they ask for. Tell them in great detail how bad it is. Let them know if you're about to be homeless, or whatever the urgency is. You can always add more to the file later. But get the application in on time!

Keep a copy of everything, including application forms, for yourself. They have a habit of 'losing' files.

You'll send the application papers to the local office. When everything is done, they send them to a state evaluation board. Their panel, which includes physicians, makes the decision, which is ultimately approved by a federal board as well. Keep making phone calls to see where your application is and what part of the process is taking place currently. The squeeky wheel does get the grease! Keep writing them letters telling of the urgency of need for disability assistance. Be nice, but be assertive, be persistent, and keep asking for what you need until you get it.

The board might ask you to see one of their doctors or psychologists. If you decide to do that, ask them to send a driver to pick you up for the appointment. You are not able to drive yourself there. And this service is available, at no cost to you.

Be honest. But be very descriptive in helping them understand how bad it is. Let them know how difficult it is for you to ask for help, and that you'd much rather be working. Don't be embarrassed about tears.

You may be eligible for back payments, if you can prove the date you had to stop working because of this illness. The application process can take a year or longer. This is one of the reasons you shouldn't wait around to begin. They'll probably tell you that the majority of people get turned down on their first try. This could be true. But miracles do happen. I got approved the first time I applied. But it took a year to actually start getting checks. If you do get turned down the first time, call Catholic Social Services and get into their program for help to file an appeal. Or, you can get an attorney. But get one who does this a lot and knows the ropes. Find one who doesn't charge up front, and who doesn't take more than 25% of the back payment when you finally do get approved. If you appeal and win, they have to pay you back payments from the time you had to quit working.

Once it does start though, you have three years before you have the next evaluation. After two years, you are eligible for Medicare. Waiting for this can put some people in a bind. Especially if your Disability payment puts you over the income limit for Medicaid in the meantime. For me, it meant being able to pay the rent finally, but not being able to afford healthcare for the first two years.

There are a lot of free services available. There are community clinics that charge on a sliding fee scale. There is meals on wheels for people who aren't mobile.

The important thing is to not give up. You can do this. And you deserve the help as much as anyone else.