When a person diagnosed with mental illness under the Social Security Act (Title XVI) has Social Security Income (SSI) and Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB), the system allows a lapse by putting some benefits in suspension. When the person has an inpatient stay of over thirty (30) days in a hospital or corrections facility, their money and insurance benefits are fully or partially discontinued until the person is released or discharged. This problem must be corrected so that when the benefits are cut off, the facility/staff directly informs the Social Security Administration (SSA) immediately about the date of discharge/release. The facility should be required to restart the benefits. This should aid in the accuracy and consistency of records and eliminate red tape, saving time and money. As it is now, the afflicted person is left to restart SSI/DIB and repay overpayments they did not initiate. In other words, it is the responsibility of the disabled person to inform the Social Security Administration of his/her hospitalization or incarceration beginning and ending dates. New bureaucratic policies and procedures should take that burden from the disabled person. Some chronically disabled individuals cannot effectively deal with a repeating cycle paperwork, communication, office visits when they may be homeless, own no car, no phone, have no money, possibly no support system, sometimes delusional, when they may not know where their next meal is coming from and may be dealing with an array of newly prescribed or ongoing neuroleptic medications. The burden on the suffering individual is too significant and must be eased. The current process causes recidivism.
Most chronic mentally ill do not have family members or advocates/surrogates that have the knowledge, resources, or time to tend to re-establishing the SSI/DIB benefits payments, again and again, so they may never get reinstated. This is a full-time job and leads to a slippery slope that becomes a downward spiral. The family may not be available to intervene, and oftentimes homelessness or worse, ensues. Modification on this issue is imperative for consistent recovery and continuity of care.
When the SSA’s regulations require suspending benefits due to a month inpatient at a psychiatric facility, in jail or in prison, the SSA needs to coordinate with that facility and reestablish the disabled person’s benefits. Making sure the disability income (SSI/DIB) and insurance is back in place on the date of discharge is an absolute necessity and should be an easy policy change. Then, in the future, the afflicted individual can live freely, safely and more securely on day one, to aid in their recovery and health.