Denied for Disability

March 27, 2018

Recently Waylon and I received some financial coaching to figure out how to handle my death when it comes. Unfortunately, I did not have life insurance before being diagnosed with Cancer. This is a pretty big issue. Waylon and I have embarked on the journey to getting out of debt. We are following Dave Ramsey, and his baby step program. In this program there are 7 baby steps to being debt free.

Step 1: Save $1000
Step 2: Debt Snowball
Step 3a: 3-6 Months of Expenses in Savings
Step 3b: Down Payment on a house with 15-20% Down
Step 4: 15% of Income in Retirement
Step 5: Save for Kid’s College
Step 6: Pay off Mortgage
Step 7: Be Generous and wealthy

We began this journey hardcore in August 2017. We hit rock bottom. We reached a point where it was difficult to pay for groceries at the end of the month and we were eating garlic noodles multiple times a week because that was all we could afford. We were paying minimums on all of our debts which was well over half our monthly income. We couldn’t afford to live and had no future. As a couple we were distant from each other. The stress from the money and medical problems had taken over our marriage and we were barely surviving. We knew something had to change. We were offered some help and for the first time we said, yes. You see, Waylon and I had known the Dave Ramsey program for a couple of years at this point, and would off and on start and stop it. We had not hit desperate. We were in denial. We thought we were living a “normal” life. We were wrong.

As a couple we were distant from each other. The stress from the money and medical problems had taken over our marriage and we were barely surviving.

So we packed up our stuff, and moved in with some friends. We decided to drastically change our lives. We decided to live like no one else so later we could LIVE like no one else. Everything has been going great. We have paid off $20,000 dollars in 5 months and cash flowed our ongoing medical bills, new tires, and other expensive murphy events (something is bound to go wrong when you are not prepared to handle it). Murphy lived with us for 6 years. We gave him a vacancy notice and changed the ending to our story. Along with this process we have learned several grown up concepts. Debt is not normal. A credit score is a record of how much debt you are in, not a number to brag about. Anyone can be a millionaire and with any salary if you have no debt and handle your money correctly. Life insurance is vital to taking care of your loved ones and those that depend on you, but once you reach a certain age you only need enough to cover the costs of the funeral. Life insurance should be purchased outside of your work in case you get diagnosed with a life threatening illness and can’t get approved for life insurance after the diagnosis. Wait a minute. Let me stop right there. This sounds great, but I have Cancer. I can’t get approved for life insurance? I’m 28 and have 2 small children and a husband. Well, I learned about that one too late. What do I do now?

Well, we were honored with stopping at Dave’s office and got set up with his partner who started the business with him. The plan is to plan for the funeral now. We are pausing our snowball to save up $15,000 to pay for my funeral and cover Waylon’s loss of wages during his grieving period. Then we will jump right back into the snowball.

When you plan for these events they appear less scary. I don’t fear the car needing maintenance. I don’t have a panic attack when the kids need new clothes or when we blow a tire on the side of the road, and on top of that, we own our vehicles, not the bank. Guess what happened when we got our finances in order? Our marriage got stronger. We looked at each other differently. Being frugal doesn’t mean you have no life. It means you have a written budget and you make your money behave on paper before you spend it. If something pops up in the middle of the month you adjust the budget and handle it.

When we were meeting with the financial advisor he suggested that I apply for Disability since I am unable to work. Disability was originally designed for people like me who physically and mentally cannot work due to a medical condition. I struggled coming to terms with applying for Disability. I didn’t want to admit that I wouldn’t be re-entering the workforce. I have dreams of going back to school and becoming a doctor. Would those dreams never come true? The financial advisor pointed out that getting disability doesn’t mean you are abusing the system and not contributing to society. Society has ruined what disability is actually about. So, I cried a lot and began filling out the application. I got about half way through, and saved my work to finish it this week. I needed to stop and process.

Today I was woken up by a call from the Social Security Office. They asked if I had started the process to apply for Disability, and if I was planning on finishing to apply and submit my medical records. I replied: “yes.” This lady then proceeded to ask me lots of very difficult, personal questions. I answered all of them. I was extremely emotional, but luckily she couldn’t see my face. At the end of the phone call she informed me that of the two programs I haven’t worked enough in the workforce for one of them, and the other my husband makes too much money. I was crushed. I ended the phone call and lost it. It took me a couple of hours to process what had happened. You see, I handled the results of that conversation as the Rhiannon from July. The broke Rhiannon who was rooming with Murphy. I did not handle that conversation as the mature grown up who has her finances in order, and will be just fine without it.

Today, March 27, 2018 I was denied for Disability as a Cancer Patient who will die someday from this disease, but I will be ok, because Dave has fully entered our lives and taught us values that are creating a stable foundation for us to live on. Does it suck that I am not able to get assistance with affording this disease? Yes. Will we be ok without it? Yes.

If you live with Murphy and his friends Debt and Collection Agency. There is hope for you.

My hope for writing this blog, is that if you are like the Rhiannon from before August. If you live with Murphy and his friends Debt and Collection Agency. There is hope for you. It doesn’t matter how much money you make, you too can live securely, and lose the stress money problems bring. And you might even like your spouse more in the process.