October 8, 2009
Aid for the temporarily disabled?
A friend recently fell from a third-story balcony while at a party and somehow survived, but now has a brain injury.
He already had a serious physical defect from birth that caused him not to be able to do many jobs. He was very independent and found jobs he was capable of doing, lived on his own, etc. His employer did not offer health insurance or disability insurance.
The brain injury now causes him to not be able to do the type of job he used to do, but doctors say it might pass in the next few months and he could be fine. In the meantime, he needs a source of income.
He was not on the job when he fell (so he won’t qualify for Workers’ Compensation) and there was nothing wrong with the balcony (so it would be hard to start a lawsuit against the property owner based on negligence.) It is unclear how long he will be unable to work, but it’s a good guess that he will probably not be disabled for more than 4-6 months best case scenario, which means he would not qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (which requires that he prove he will be disabled for at least a year.)
Are there any sources of aid for my friend? He has no savings, no car to sell, nothing.
I should mention that I have not talked to his doctor personally. I do know he was in the hospital over a week and was told he nearly died.
Filed under People with Disabilities by admin
Comments on Aid for the temporarily disabled? »
Make a telephone call for your friend to the Department of Health and Human Services. (Welfare) and explain to them the same as you did to us. They should be able to help your friend.
Did you talk to his doctor - or is this what he told you? I would be highly suspect of that quick of a recovery from a brain injury. Most brain injuries have a permanent impact that might lessen over time. A serious talk should be had with his doctor because he may qualify for SSI as a brain injury is usually considered a severe disability.
iT SOUNDS LIKE HE WAS ALREADY DISABLED BECAUSE OF THE BRAIN DEFECT, AND NOW THE BRAIN INJURY JUST MAKES HIM FURTHER DISABLED. hE SHOULD APPLY FOR ssi OR ssdi. sINCE HE HAS BEEN WORKING, HE HAS BEEN PAYING SOCIAL SERURITY (IT GOES OUT WITH ALL THE TAXES, UNLESS HE GOT PAID UNDER THE TALBLE?), SO HE WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO DRAW FROM THAT ssdi AFTER HE GOES THROUGH THE PAPERMENT AS LONG AS HE QUALIFIES.
lIKE WAS SAID, A BRAIN INJURY DOES NOT USUALLY HEAL THAT FAST. bRAIN INJURIES ARE SERIOUS THINGS AND MAY LESSEN OVER TIME, BUT TAKE MUCH TIME TO RECOVER FROM UNLESS IT’S SOMETHING SIMPLE LIKE A CONCUSSION, WHICH THIS DOES NOT SOUND LIKE. dEFINITELY HE SHOULD TALK TO THE sOCIAL sECURITY OFFICE.
Those with serious brain injuries (like your friend) do not recover in 4-6 months. It takes a good year for swelling of the brain to ease down! Then, people struggle with figuring out their new boundaries - what they can and cannot do.
Some are lucky, and are able to work around the brain injury. Many make accommodations, and slowly accept their new reality. Others go up and down - between doing okay and misery - like a seesaw.
I know many TBI survivors, and all of us have had to make significant changes within our lives. It is not easy! While we may appear perfectly normal to almost everyone, we aren’t what others expect from us. Result is that we often feel very disconnected from the rest of the world. We often struggle with self-esteem issues. We don’t understand why we can’t do (blank) like we used to. It’s perplexing!
It takes t-i-m-e to perceive what others are saying and/or doing. It takes longer for us to finally determine what we should say or do. Be prepared for several pauses as he/she speaks, and wait patiently. The less pressured those with TBI feel, especially when additional stimulation is avoided, the easier it is for us to get through conversations. Distractions make those with TBI (me) very edgy, as it becomes incredibly difficult to focus.
Depression, increased risk of developing seizures, severe migraine headaches, personality changes and general outlook upon life are commonly affected by TBI. Those with “mild TBI” commonly have very big emotional struggles. Moderate and severe TBI results in addtional physical disabilities. As a result, their perspectives on life are much different.
look for the brain inhury asocaitrion in your state
while brain injuries can significantly improve within a year–there is no way to tell how good it will get–or if it won’t improve at all
I had a serious head injury in 2002–at 1st I couldn’t sit or eat, and could barely talk–i had constant dizziness—it took about 6 months before I could return to relative normalcy–but still have residual effects and was not able to go back to a volunteer job I had been doing prior to the injury—many people don’t do as well as me…so a doctor shouldn’t be guessing he’ll be okay in 6 months
you can check with county social services and see if tehre is any wlefare/food satmps, etc….also talk to voc rehab