The financial situations of families and individuals are often greatly affected by disability. The following three stories represent people that have contacted the Access to Assets program seeking ways to escape debt. The circumstances are all different, yet one thing ties them all together: they all encountered debt as a direct result of their disabilities and their disabilities have made their struggle to eliminate debt much more challenging. Their stories also expose the inequities of the world, as many do not have easy answers or solutions.

The names and personal information have been changed to respect to their confidentiality.

Kevin

After trying to work numerous jobs with chronic fatigue for many years, Kevin finally got to the point that he could no longer work. Employers had a difficult time understanding that some days were fine, while other days Kevin struggled to make it out of bed. Therefore, Kevin applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The program requires that beneficiaries have worked and paid taxes for a certain amount of time that depends on their age. Kevin had worked long enough to qualify the disability insurance provided by the government to protect workers that become disabled.

During the application process, Kevin was advised not work- even part-time. Social Security defines disability by the inability to work, thus if Kevin had worked even a few hours, he would have proved himself ineligible for SSDI. The problem was that his original application was denied and Kevin had to appeal. He had to hire a lawyer to handle his case. Even though the attorney worked on a contingency, meaning that unless and until Kevin received his benefits and back-payment for the time it took for his case to be approved, the lawyer did not receive payment. Yet, Kevin did not have family support or any savings from the time he had managed to work. He survived on credit cards, only paying the minimum balances, for nearly three years. Once he was finally awarded SSDI, he received almost $10,000 in payment for the years he had waited. The high credit card interest rates and paying the minimum amounts (not to mention the amount that went directly to his attorney) left Kevin owing over $8,000.

Kevin is now working with his local credit union to consolidate his debts and repair his credit.

Sharon

Contracting Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 42 was never in Sharon and her husband Kent’s plans. They had been married for nearly 20 years, had three teenage children, owned their own home and were more worried about college funds than health insurance caps. Yet, when the treatments and drug therapies that proved most effective at controlling Sharon’s symptoms were either not covered or only partially paid for, Sharon and Kent took out a second mortgage on their home.

Sharon’s health rapidly deteriorated and she sot out more alternative therapies. While they helped the MS, they were not covered by Kent’s insurance. The debt continued to pile up and Sharon decided it was time to apply for disability benefits. Because Sharon had been a stay-at-home mom, she had not earned the credits necessary to become eligible for SSDI, so she applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). While the monthly check would help, it was more that Sharon would be automatically enrolled in Medicaid because it was tied to the SSI, which would greatly help with the medical expenses.

However, Kent’s income disqualified Sharon from SSI, which is solely for individuals in poverty and does not take into account debt. The Social Security caseworker recommended that Sharon and Kent get a divorce, as this was the only way Sharon would be eligible for SSI and Medicaid. Unfortunately, this is exactly what they did. While, Sharon and Kent have managed to eliminate much of their debt, Sharon lives in an apartment several miles from her home, her ex-husband, and her children.

Jose

Starting his career as a house painter while still in high school, Jose had started on the path to a successful, financially stable life. Yet, by the time he was 25, his manic depression had taken over that steady life. Within the period of three short years, life spiraled out of control. Mental illness, especially when you are a young, proud, Latino man, can be a hard reality to swallow. Jose went from helping his brother establish credit, to destroying his own.

Life quickly got out of hand. Jose could not continue to work, but continued to spend money as though he was employed. He started out paying the minimum balances on his numerous credit cards, but after he could no longer hold a job, even the minimum payments became too much. He moved back in with his family, sold his beloved full-sized truck and tried to deal with his mental illness. He tried numerous medications to help stabilize his moods, but nothing seemed to work and the side effects of the anti-depressants were horrible. The creditors have compounded his problems, making it so that opening his mail and answering the phone are panic-inducing situations. While Jose has qualified and receives SSDI, the meager payments are barely enough to live on in the high cost area where he lives, let alone pay off the substantial debt he has built up. The debt is an ever-present weight that bears upon Jose and has caused significant strain amongst him and his family. For Jose, it is hard to tell which causes more problems in his life- his disability or his financial situation.

Jose longs for a way out. He contacted the World Institute on Disability’s Proyecto Visión (a project for Latinos with disabilities to achieve employment) as a first step to providing the much-needed stability in his life. He is still in the process of dealing with the effects of his disability, his employment situation and his debt; yet, connecting with the Consumer Credit Counseling Services to help get him on sound financial ground is a step towards regaining control over his life.