The Illusions of Supplemental Security Income, from Someone Who Knows

By Deborah C. Tyler

I've looked at SSI Disability from both sides now, from in and out, and still somehow it's the scammers, the duped, and the resentful I recall. I have been involved in hundreds of SSI Disability cases. I have worked in the system providing mental status exams, called consultative examinations, in two states. I have done dozens of private psychological evaluations for people trying to get on Disability rolls. I have sent reams of case notes and reports to the Disability bureaucracy on behalf of therapy clients. There have been memorable examinations. One was of a sassy prostitute. She said she worked for an "escort service," but it seemed important to her that I know the full range of her proficiencies. Her claim for SSI was based on major depression, but she seemed in high spirits to me -- or, as we say, "affect contraindicated mood disorder at this time." I think she was just getting a little long in the tooth for "claimant's customary employment." I have interviewed foul-mouthed teenagers.... (Read Full Article)