Some tips on how to handle SSI interactions and communication effectively, courteously and confidently!
Here are some tips for dealing with SSI. Some (haha most) of these are things my mom told me when I became responsible for dealing with all of my own money about 4 years ago. This is based off of my own experiences and opinions so I understand it might be different for you.
-Memorize your SSI number. That way you can have it whenever you need it. Don’t share it with anyone or write it down anywhere public.
-No one in the SSI system talks to each other, so it’s good to keep records of when you did things. For example dates of when you spoke on the phone or met with someone. I’m not always the best at this myself. They certainly aren’t keeping track of that stuff, so unfortunately it’s up to you. You will likely be taken more seriously if you can present them with evidence that you did talk to someone or received mail about this or that.
-KEEP ALL OF THE MAIL THEY SEND YOU. Do not get rid of it. File it somewhere, have it somewhere you can easily access and have as reference and evidence of their communication with you. Again, it’s unfortunate that this is all up to you, I agree. But it’s better than not having what you need to support what you are trying to accomplish.
-Report any income changes ASAP. If you work, contact SSI as soon as you get paid from your new job to give them the information about it. Then, submit your income as timely as you can each month. They want you to submit income before the 10th of each month, so try to keep as close to that as you can, but obviously sometimes life happens and it’s a bit late. When I submit my income, I have to wait for one paystub to show up in the mail, print off the other, scan the mailed one AND THEN send it to them. There was an app that worked for a while where you could submit income but that’s not working anymore so it’s a whole process. They hold people to a double standard, because they are allowed to be late and make mistakes, but they penalize SSI recipients for every little thing it seems.
- Also if you work : Keep all of your paystubs! It is important to keep these even months after they have been given to you, because you might need to refer to them if they ever ask you about past income.
-Before you call SSI to speak to someone about an issue, know what it is you want to say (write down what you want to say if that helps). If you are dealing with an issue like I am where you are unsure of what to say and how to advocate for yourself, ask someone you trust to help you. My mentor gave me advice on what to say before I called, since I’ve never dealt with this before.
-Wait while on hold : If you call SSI to speak to someone on the phone, you will be put on hold, sometimes for 20, 30, 40 minutes. If it’s a really important matter to you, I suggest waiting on hold even though it sucks that you have to wait that long. Do something else quiet while you wait, like organizing a drawer in your desk, going over your calendar, or making a to-do list.
-The person on the phone is a human just like you : Once you get an actual person on the phone, remember first that they are just a person. Whatever is happening to you is not specifically their fault. They are just the person who happened to answer your call. It is important to treat them with respect, because if you just get upset, that will likely not go well.
- Do your best to speak with confidence, even if you are nervous inside : When you are explaining your situation, try your best to do it with confidence. I know from experience that this can be hard. In the past, I have not seen myself as being good at advocating for myself, or pushing back respectfully. When I called someone to speak about the overpayment issue in my last post, the person on the phone at first just kept saying that I needed to pay back the money. This is the point when past me would have given in and been too scared to press on. But I imagined what my strong mom would do, she would not back down. When I explained that I could not pay it back, and said that it would create a financial hardship for me, I did so with conviction in my voice even though I was nervous. I was respectful but also I was not giving up or giving in. I was shaking and was definitely nervous but I stood my ground.
My mentor Nikki and her coworker were with me when I made the call, listening quietly on speakerphone. When I was finished, they told me that I did a great job which made me feel good.
- If you have to fill out paperwork for SSI, get help if you need it. The form I had to fill out to request a waiver was 14 pages long. They do not make this stuff easy, and I believe it is a deterrent to people actually getting what they deserve. They don’t want people to actually stand up for themselves, or they don’t expect that perhaps. Many people who are being asked to pay back money unfairly may see that form and not understand it, or not have the time or energy to pursue the matter, so they give up and end up in a mess. The SSI form I filled out was long, did not have easy to understand language (really ableist to those who have trouble understanding language or bureaucratic forms and processes) and took a lot of work to fill out. I had help from my mentor and her coworker, and it took us about an hour and a half to do the whole thing. If you have a family member, friend, mentor or personal support worker who can help you, ask them for help. Just because you can’t understand or do this on your own doesn’t mean you should not do it.
I am getting better at handling this stuff every day. It takes energy and work, but it is important. Your voice deserves to be heard, and you have the right to advocate for yourself.
See you in the next post, and as a 31 -year- old! (my birthday is tomorrow, January 23rd). I hope you all are well, and staying safe from COVID.
Nirvana
