[QUOTE=Achilles927;619315]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abasaki
She didnt go into detail, but touched on a couple things like the costs of treatments for suicidal patients, possible death benefits that may have to be paid out, etc.
This is not something ANY SS person will tell you. It was only through my lawyer (30+ years of SS exp) I learned this. Thats and how I was grilled about it. Good luck dear...  |
The reason no SSA person will tell you this is because it is not part of any SSA policy. So if Achilles' attorney "knows" this, it is based on her experiences with the handful of ALJ's she may have dealt with in her long career, their personal biases and the type of clients she takes on and her anecdotal observations. Doubtful she has conducted any serious research study.
It is also illogical. Now this may sound crass and I hope no one takes this to mean that I encourage suicide, but paying lifetime SSDI benefits to the disabled person would cost much much more than paying out only death benefits, in most cases. The lump sum death benefit is a paltry $255; minor children can be paid in both life cases and death cases. The monthly amount to children may be higher in death cases, but that is because the worker isn't getting paid. So EVEN IF SSA or an ALJ made payment decisions based on the cost of paying the claim over a lifetime (which is nowhere in the regulations either), paying a living claimant costs more than paying any survivor benefits almost all the time.
Also, there is already a provision in place for limiting the amount of psychiatric treatment covered by Medicare or Medicaid. For suicide patients, cancer patients, patients with chronic illnesses that lead to depressed states, or anyone who seeks psychiatric care. So, an ALJ is not going to deny a suicidal claimant because of the cost of care. What is the cost of dialysis? Or transplants? or cancer and hospice? A heck of a lot more than psychiatric. And those claims are approved almost immediately. So it is illogical to state that an ALJ is going to deny any claim on the basis of the cost of care. Just doesn't make sense.
This attorney may be reflecting her personal bias or biases that she has observed in her small circle (albeit many years) of SSA experience. A suicide attempt is not in and of itself a disabling condition. The underlying psychiatric problem could be and the suicide attempt is a symptom of that problem. But there has to be more symptoms and lack of response to treatment.