SSDI / SSI - Question

[RENEENAY444]

Hello - Does anyone else receive SSDI or SSI for bipolar, borderline, and anxiety? I am curious to know if they require you to have a Rep Payee like they do me. I have no one I trust and finding a new payee has me in knots literally. Would they allow me to manage my own money do you think? Thanks for reading.

[Hidden]

Hello. You are actually asking a legal question. I practiced Social Security law, but under the rules of ethics in my state, I can not give you legal advice as you are not my client.

I can educate you though in the way SSDI works. However, you have not provided sufficient information about your situation for me to educate you.

First, I need to know if you have an attorney. If you do I can't go any further, as that would be an ethics violation for me under Florida and Federal Bars.

[Hidden]

Hello, did you receive my reply I sent to you several hours ago? I would like to share information that may answer your question. I am an attorney who practiced SSD and then suffered serious injury and received SSDI.

I understand your situation and would like to answer some of your questions by providing information about how SSDI works.

But I need to know if you have an attorney representing you in your SSDI? That is because if you have an attorney, you need to ask your attorney about this matter.

[RENEENAY444 in reply to Hidden]

Hi - I do not have an attorney. Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate it. I just need a payee ASAP, and am very limited as to who I can get. Thanks again.

[Hidden]

Ok, so you fully are aware of your situation. If your mental health challenges were serious enough to grant you SSDI or SSI, social security also believes your challenges are serious enough to prevent you from managing your SSDI and SSI, and could be taken advantage of, hence the payee.

If you try to prove you don't need a payee, social security may determine you are well enough to work and cut off your SSDI or SSI.

Understand your predicament. I went through this same thing 15 years ago...I had multiple physical injuries and PTSD from a truck collision.

I had one close friend I trusted, and four times a year we'd meet and wrote checks ahead of time for the mortgage, utilities, grocery, etc., so I had money on accounts in these places so my bills were deducted against the balance at each vendor.

Several years ago as I improved, with documentation from my physicians that I was able to handle my money but my anxiety and some permanent physical injuries prevented me from working, social security dropped the payee requirement.

I hope this info is of some help and I wish you the best.