Frequently Asked Questions

 

54.       How long does it take for Social Security to act upon a request for Appeals Council review after an unfavorable hearing decision?

History dictates about a year, maybe longer.

55.       I am disabled.  I need help with medical bills even more than I need a cash income.  How do I get help with medical bills?

Getting help with medical bills is usually tied up with getting cash benefits, that is, you don't start getting help with medical bills until after you start getting the cash benefits, so you have to keep going with the Social Security disability claim in order to get the help with medical bills.  In Michigan, you are encouraged to go to the local Family Independence Agency and inquire as to what medical benefits may be available to you. 

56.       What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

Medicaid is a poverty program and Medicare isn't. Many disabled people who get Medicaid get it because they are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This is called “categorical” Medicaid eligibility.  To get SSI and thereby get Medicaid you have to be poor and disabled.  Medicaid pays doctors at very low rates.  People who have only Medicaid can have a hard time finding doctors willing to take them on as patients. Medicaid does pay for prescription medications.  Medicaid can go back up to three months prior to the date of a Medicaid claim.  Note that it is possible to apply for Medicaid directly - through a local Medicaid office - without having a companion claim for SSI. For Medicare it does not matter whether you are rich or poor.  If you have been on Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widows or Widowers Benefits or Disabled Adult Child Benefits for 24 months you qualify for Medicare. The good thing about Medicare is that it pays doctors at a higher rate than Medicaid.  Almost all doctors are happy to take Medicare patients.  The bad things about Medicare are that it does not begin until after a person has been on cash disability benefits for two years and that it generally does not pay for prescription medications.

 

57.       If I get Social Security disability benefits will I get Medicare?

If you are approved for any kind of Social Security Disability benefit other than SSI you will get Medicare after you have been entitled to Social Security Disability benefits for two years.

58.       If I get Social Security Disability benefits will I get Medicaid?

If you are approved for SSI you will get Medicaid.  It is possible to get both Medicare and Medicaid if you are entitled to SSI and some other type of Social Security disability benefit.

 

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