fallenangell
12-11-2006, 11:33 PM
Did anybody know that after you've been given a fully favorable decision, and you are waiting on your back pay, that if you are in "dire straights" (as they put it), that there is something they call "critical pay" that they can give you, out of your back pay, to keep you going financially until they actually get your back pay to you??
I was given a fully favorable decision in October, and at first they said I should have my back pay within 30-45 days, but I talked to SSA about 2 weeks ago, which was right at the 45 day mark, and they said it was in the payment center, but they were having a problem with my file, but who I talked to said she didn't know what the problem was as the payment center is in Baltimore.
Well, I am so damn broke that my phone has been shut off twice in 3 months and I got a disconnect notice for my electricity, so I didn't know what to do. I called my Congressman's office to see if they could help, and they said that if I could provide them with documentation of the disconnects and my income, they would call SSA and see if they could hurry them along.
Last Friday, within 2 days of taking to the Congressman's aide, I got a call from the supervisor of the payment center who told me that it was taking so long to get anything to me because even though I dropped my SSI claim at my local office, they didn't forward it to the national office in Baltimore, or the payment center, and they were figuring out which back pay to give me, SSI or SSDI.
He also told me that within a week he could give me something called "critical pay" for people in "dire straits", which is basically an advance on the back pay that I am due. They can give up to $9,900 as long as they know that you will be getting at least that much in back pay. He asked me if I wanted it mailed or direct deposit, and since I gave him my bank account number for direct deposit, he said it would be there within 5 days...yah!!!
He also told me he took care of the glitches in my file, and they would be getting me my first monthly check in January, the rest of my back pay by the end of January, including the back pay for my daughter, and would get her "dependent benefits" started in February.
I guess it pays to know (or get help from) people in high places.
I didn't know about this "critical pay" thing and I had never seen anybody talk about it in the forums, so I was just wondering if anybody else knew about it.
I hope you all are doing well, and Happy Holidays to all of you.
Angell
I was given a fully favorable decision in October, and at first they said I should have my back pay within 30-45 days, but I talked to SSA about 2 weeks ago, which was right at the 45 day mark, and they said it was in the payment center, but they were having a problem with my file, but who I talked to said she didn't know what the problem was as the payment center is in Baltimore.
Well, I am so damn broke that my phone has been shut off twice in 3 months and I got a disconnect notice for my electricity, so I didn't know what to do. I called my Congressman's office to see if they could help, and they said that if I could provide them with documentation of the disconnects and my income, they would call SSA and see if they could hurry them along.
Last Friday, within 2 days of taking to the Congressman's aide, I got a call from the supervisor of the payment center who told me that it was taking so long to get anything to me because even though I dropped my SSI claim at my local office, they didn't forward it to the national office in Baltimore, or the payment center, and they were figuring out which back pay to give me, SSI or SSDI.
He also told me that within a week he could give me something called "critical pay" for people in "dire straits", which is basically an advance on the back pay that I am due. They can give up to $9,900 as long as they know that you will be getting at least that much in back pay. He asked me if I wanted it mailed or direct deposit, and since I gave him my bank account number for direct deposit, he said it would be there within 5 days...yah!!!
He also told me he took care of the glitches in my file, and they would be getting me my first monthly check in January, the rest of my back pay by the end of January, including the back pay for my daughter, and would get her "dependent benefits" started in February.
I guess it pays to know (or get help from) people in high places.
I didn't know about this "critical pay" thing and I had never seen anybody talk about it in the forums, so I was just wondering if anybody else knew about it.
I hope you all are doing well, and Happy Holidays to all of you.
Angell