RESTORED.
BO:
SHE'S A CANCER SURVIVOR AND
TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT, BUT LOST
HER SUPPLEMENTAL
SECURITY INCOME ELIGIBILITY
LAST
YEAR.
WITH NO WHERE TO TURN, SHE
CALLED WATE, 6 ON YOUR SIDE
CONSUMER
REPORTER DON DARE.
DON:
WHEN WE FIRST TALKED, THERE WAS
NO POWER OR WATER AT HER HOUSE
LAST MONTY, BUT
RECENTLY SHE RECEIVED SOME LOCAL
ASSISTANCE.
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME, OR
SSI, PAYS BENEFITS TO
DISABLED ADULTS AND CHILDREN
WHO
HAVE LIMITED INCOME. TO RECEIVE
SSI, GENERALLY YOU
NEED THE HELP OF A DOCTOR AND AN
ATTORNEY TO PROVE YOU'RE
CASE.
ONCE YOU BEGIN RECEIVING
PAYMENTS, YOUR CASE IS RE-
DETERMINED ABOUT EVERY 6 YEARS.
IT TOOK SEVERAL YEARS FOR
MELISSA GRUBB TO GET HER
BENEFITS, THEN
TWELVE MONTHS AGO, SHE LOST
THEM.
DARE: THERE'S NO POWER IN HERE.
MELISSA GRUBB: NO.< IT WAS NOT
ONLY DARK IN MELISSA GRUBB'S
HOME, SHE
DEPENDS ON BOTTLED WATER.
BECAUSE AT THE TAP, WATER WAS
TURNED OFF MONTHS AGO,
SO WAS THE POWER. SHE COULDN'T
PAY EITHER BILL SINCE SHE NO
LONGER RECEIVES HER ONLY SOURCE
OF
INCOME, SSI PAYMENTS.
MS GRUBB, A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT
RECIPIENT AND
CANCER SURVIVOR, OWNS HER
TRAILER.
<MELISSA GRUBB: IT IS MISERABLE
AT NIGHT,
MISERABLE, I CAN'T HARDLY SLEEP
CAN'T HARDLY DO
NOTHING.
THIS NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM 1998
HERALDED THE "GIFT OF LIFE"
MELISSA HAD RECEIVED FROM HER
FORMER HUSBAND WHO DONATED HIS
KIDNEY TO HER.
MELISSA GRUBB: I HAVE REAL BAD
INFECTIONS BECAUSE MY
IMMUNE SYSTEM EVER SINCE I HAD
MY ORGAN TRANSPLANT, I
CATCH ANY KIND OF COMMON COLD,
AND KIND OF INFECTION.
AT THE TIME OF THIS INTERVIEW
LAST MONTH, IT HAD BEEN ONE YEAR
SINCE MELLISSA LAST RECEIVED HER
SSI CHECK, SUPPLEMENTAL
SECURITY INCOME.
BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1ST OF
LAST YEAR, HER MONTHLY 735-
DOLLAR DISABILITY CHECK WAS CUT
OFF, ACCORDING TO THIS LETTER
FROM
SOCIAL SECURITY.
MELISSA: THEY STOPPED MY CHECK.
DARE: WHY? MELISSA:
THEY DIDN'T NEVER TELL ME WHY.
MELISSA SAID SHE DOESN'T
UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS. AS A
RESULT, SHE APPEARED BEFORE A
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATIVE
JUDGE EARLY LAST YEAR WITH NO
ATTORNEY OR DOCTOR TO
REPRESENT HER.
ACCORDING TO THIS JULY 2017
REPORT, THE REVIEW OF HER
DISABILITY FOUND THAT SHE WAS
ABLE
TO WORK, TO HOLD A SIGNIFICANT
NUMBER OF JOBS, IT SAID.
THE REVIEW SAID MS GRUBB'S
IMPAIRMENTS OF A POST-KIDNEY
TRANSPLANT, HISTORY OF MALIGNANT
MELANOMA, AND
MILD INTELLECTUAL LIMITATIONS
DID
NOT PREVENT HER FROM PERFORMING
LIGHT WORK.
MELISSA: AND I FALL, I USUALLY
SOMETIMES HAVE TO WALK
WITH A CANE. I HAVE HAD TO USE A
WALKER BEFORE.
MELISSA SAYS IF SOMEONE HIRED
HER, MOST OF THE TIME SHE'D
BEING
CALLING IN SICK, UNABLE TO WORK.
IT WAS RIGHT HERE
NEARLY YEAR AGO, NINA ROUSE
WHOSE ESOPHAGUS AND PART OF HER
COLON WERE REMOVED TOLD US
A SIMILAR STORY.
NINA ROUSE: THEY CUT IN HERE, I
THINK TO TAKE A PART OF THE
ESOPHAGUS AND THEY HAD TO CUT
INTO MY BACK AS WELL.
NINA SHOWED US A BOOK FILLED
WITH
HER MEDICAL DOCUMENTS DESCRIBING
HER ILLNESS AND LIMITATIONS.
AFTER NEARLY FIVE YEARS OF
HEARINGS AND DOCTOR VISITS,
SOCIAL SECURITY GRANTED HER
TOTAL DISABILITY IN 2013. BUT
FOLLOWING A ROUTINE REVIEW IN
AUGUST OF LAST YEAR, HER
BENEFITS WERE CUT, SOCIAL
SECURITY SAYING SHE WAS ABLE TO
WORK.
THEN AFTER A REVIEW OF HER
APPEAL, SOCIAL SECURITY DECIDED
SHE WAS DISABLED AND HER
BENEFITS
WERE RESTORED.
DARE: WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU AT
SOCIAL SECURITY? MELISSA:
TOLD ME I HAD TO RE-FILE AGAIN.
MELISSA HAS RETURNED TO
SOCIAL SECURITY SEVERAL TIMES
REQUESTING THAT HER CASE BE
RECONSIDERED.
SHE SAID SHE'S BEEN TOLD
ANOTHER HEARING WILL BE NEEDED
TO
SUPPORT HER DISABILITY CLAIM.
BUT ODDLY THIS LETTER FROM
SOCIAL SECURITY IN TWO MONTHS
AGO
SAYS SHE'S "ENTITLED TO MONTHLY
PAYMENTS AS A DISABLED
INDIVIDUAL."
MELISSA: NOW IT'S MISERABLE I
DON'T EVEN WANT TO BE HERE.
THIS IS MY HOME. THIS IS NOT THE
WAY I SHOULD HAVE TO
FEEL.
SINCE FIRST TALKING WITH
MELISSA LAST MONTH, SHE HAS
SINCE RECEIVED AN ENERGY
ASSISTANCE ALLOWANCE FROM CAC.
HOWEVER, SHE'S NOT TURNED
ON HER AIR CONDITIONING UNIT.
DARE: YOU HAVE YOUR POWER BACK
ON. MELISSA: YES. DARE:
BUT YOU WHY HAVE THE FAN?
MELISSA: I DON'T WANT TO RUN
MY BILL BACK UP WHERE I'M NOT
ABLE TO PAY IT.
THERE'S STILL NO WATER IN THE
HOME, BUT WITH FOOD STAMPS,
SHE'S ABLE TO KEEP A SMALL STOCK
OF
STAPLES IN HER PANTRY. MELISSA:
WITHOUT BENEFITS I'M REALLY JUST
STRUGGLING. I'M
TRYING TO DO WHAT I CAN, BUT MY
LEG HAS BEEN SWELLING UP.
MELISSA SAYS PHYSICALLY SHE
HURTS AND EMOTIONALLY SHE'S
A WRECK.
MELISSA: I'M FIGHTING FOR MY
LIFE THERE IS NO OTHER WAY
OF SAYING IT SIR. I FEEL LIKE I
WAS REALLY DONE WRONG. IT'S BEEN
BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE
HER LAST SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY
CHECK ARRIVED.
DON:
WE CONTACTED SOCIAL SECURITY
LAST MONTH AND WERE TOLD THEY'RE
"INVESTIGATING THE
CASE."
MELISSA SAYS SHE'S UNSURE HOW
TO NAVIGATE THE COMPLICATED
SYSTEM OF RE- FILING FOR
BENEFITS.
SHE WAS TOLD IT'S BEST FOR HER
TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY, SOMEONE WHO
KNOWS THE SYSTEM. RIGHT NOW,
HOWEVER, SHE
CAN'T AFFORD THAT.
KRISTIN AND BO
WHILE MELISSA'S CASE IS SIMILAR
TO
THE ONE WE REPORTED EARLIER THIS
YEAR -- NINA ROUSE, NINA HAD A
SUPPORT SYSTEM,
MELISSA DOES NOT.
BO:
IF YOU HAVE A CONSUMER QUESTION
FOR DON -- SEND HIM AN EMAIL AT
D-DARE AT W-A-T-E DOT COM,
OR CALL HIS SIX ON YOUR SIDE
HOTLINE
NUMBER AT 865- 633-5974.
KRISTIN:
A NUMBER OF NEW MOVIES - MADE