Recently, The Washington Post published an article written by a man regarding the shame he felt from needing Social Security disability following a stroke. In the piece, the man discusses how he worked his whole life, including 20 years as a process operator for Exxon, before suffering an ischemic stroke. However, since his stroke, he cannot work. Why? He cannot drive, there is no public transportation in the part of Texas where he lives and brain damage from the stroke has limited his reflexes. In addition, a few weeks after his stroke, his wife of 41 years lost her job. At that point, he had to apply for Social Security disability benefits. Unfortunately, after getting through the mountain of paperwork, it took months before he underwent physical and psychological examinations by doctors. Following the examinations, he and his wife’s finances were reviewed. After that, they have had to wait. As of this writing, it has been several months and he has yet to receive a disability check. Despite working all his life, he and his wife have been forced to apply for food stamps and ask family for money. As a result, while he feels grateful for the help they have received, he also says he has felt ashamed for needing financial assistance at all.
Why You Shouldn’t Feel Ashamed About Needing Social Security Disability