SSDI & trying for a decent job
 

What does anyone know about Voc. Rehab. only wanting to train clients for menial jobs instead of a decent job? I've had a heck of a time with Voc. Rehab. in my state over the past few years. First they send me to a MS office training in which had I graduated it would not get me a job except for something menial pay wise. The MS office training was at one of Voc. Rehab.'s vendors whom they contract with. Voc. Rehab. has told me I can't do this and I can't do that when I tell them what I would like to do. I've filed a complaint with a federal agency concerning Voc. Rehab. refusing certain services like paying for transportation to school for what I wanted to do. That agency took over 6 months to get back with me and then to only tell me that they did not find Voc. Rehab. at fault. The training center that Voc. Rehab. sent me to was not conducive to my training. It was a complete joke of a training center. I don't know anyone who got a job from there using the skills they've learned there. One such woman who graduated from there got a job at the same training place sorting clothes all day. Another woman got a job stuffing envelopes.

My interests are high in the Arts. I had at 1st told my Voc. Rehab. counselor I wanted to be a web page designer. He said it was too hard of a job to know. Then I said I wanted to be a photographer thinking that would be easier and they said I could not do that either. My voc. rehab. counselor's supervisor had told him this year that they need to focus on getting me a job and that's when all chances of them helping me realize a good enough paying job vanished.

Had anyone have any suggestions, have been through this, or going through this? It makes me upset to see goverment agencies surpressing people's careers like Voc. Rehab. is trying to do with me. I will not stop learning toward my goal.

befuddled2

You have to fight sometimes to get your goal across to the counselor. Usually each state gives you a client assistance program to help you with your goals. My first two counselors were idiots; now I have one I work with. I chose to go to graduate school to help me find a job that will let me have some income. I had to go on disability because of severe anxiety and depression. You can pull your ticket to work from VR and assign it to another agency. Good luck. I am applying for jobs left and right; I was also laid off from my internship with the state. Things don't make sense right now! Especially when I am finishing up my program in a few days!

Thank you. Yes, I can pull my ticket from work from them.

Your question brings up another one ............what does SSDI feel about the minimum wage you could make ? Meaning $7/hr x 40 week = $280. Per month that would be $1120. I make $1700 with SSDI, plus my kids get benifits. If I could stuff envelopes (which I can't), would they expect me to work ?

Obviously, SSDI is designed for when we can't work at all.....but if our conditions improved to where we could work some, then what does SSDI do ?

I know the ticket to work covers the trial of working, but if, say, you could work 2 hours a day permanently and make $500 month......would they pay you SSDI rate minus $500, or are you just off SSDI ?

A person would have to be gainfully employed to get off of SSDI. Gainfully employed would be over $700 a month I believe.

barbara