A Little Good News

To piggyback on Kim’s good news post I would like to give a little update on my struggle with the Social Security Administration. Right after I put up that post I emailed our entire Congressional Delegation asking that Congress look into the SSA’s policy of asking families to re-qualify disabled loved ones who have conditions for which there is no hope of recovery. Although I only heard back from one, the response was immediate. I emailed on a Thursday and by Saturday I had a letter from Senator Patty Murray asking me to sign a release form so that her office could look into the matter. I was blown away by the quick turnaround.

Needless to say, my response was quick as well. I filled out the release form which both my daughter and I signed and sent all the particulars regarding our experience with the SSA and my daughter’s Down’s Syndrome. I sent the envelope certified mail. Now I have received another letter from Patty Murray saying that they are looking into the matter and giving me the name and number of a contact in her Seattle office if I have more problems. I’m impressed.

I sent the SSA all the information I had at hand that proved that my daughter had not “recovered” from her Down’s Syndrome and heard nothing back from them. I’d like to assume that this has put the matter to rest for a while, but I am still nervous when I go to the PO Box. What I hope is that Murray’s inquiry into the matter will shed some light on a flaw in the SSA system so that other families will not have to repeatedly prove that their loved one has not been the recipient of a miracle. It’s nice to know that Patty Murray is responsive to the concerns of her constituents and she really has made me feel less alone than I did in 1987 when it took them seven months to figure it out.