Transmisia and the Social Security Administration

Yesterday I had my latest ‘random’ every-six-month SSI Eligibility Assessment.

These are done over the phone, and as I’m deaf, this is incredibly difficult, and they get very snippy if I’m using IP Relay; it takes a long time. Having my care coordinator (CC) help and act as an interpreter speeds things along quite a bit, as well as having someone in my corner taking notes (anyone who has dealt with the Social Security Administration knows what a boon that is). First they call my phone number to verify identity, and then I give them my CC’s number so we can switch to translation.

It got off to an amazing start:

Me: Connected

Me: Hello qq ga

Agent: T-MOBILE IP RELAY OPR XXXXF WITH A CALL (F) HELLO HI IS THIS [NAME] Q HOW DO I PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME IS IT [DEADNAME] [NAME] GA

Screenshot of IP Relay, edited for safety

Note my deadname is nothing like my legal name, and it’s been years since the judge’s order was signed and sent in. We also asked for the misgendering to stop. “I’ll try.” She didn’t, it continued throughout the interview.

My care coordinator (CC) and I were informed that the Assessments are chosen purely by lottery, and when my CC said, “It just seems a little coincidental…” and started listing off past dates (six months apart), we were asked, “You do know this Assessment determines whether you’ll continue to get SSI, right?”
My CC didn’t push the issue further after that loaded statement. Six months ago we were told that my file had the wrong code on it: MAF (medically needy), as opposed to MAD (disabled). It still hasn’t been updated. We both await the next Assessment in six months, if I get through this one.

It’s been over 10 years of this.

We also inquired about getting permission to open a medical savings account to fundraise so that I could, perhaps, deal with my macromastia. I was told the only option was to raise all the money within one month, lose that month’s SSI, and hope that the doctor would schedule before the month turned over, because as long as I had over $2000, I would not get SSI.
She did not mention ABLE accounts. She did not mention the possibility of first- or third-party trusts (which do require a lawyer, but are legal entities that allow people on SSI to fundraise, etc). Don’t be fooled.

The reason I’d need to fundraise for necessary surgery? Well, trans people are given last priority on anything that may be considered ‘gender-affirming’, even if the reason they need the surgery is thoracic back pain, shoulder subluxion, contribution to scoliosis, etc.
I’m not a simple case. They’d have to bring in a pediatric anesthesiologist. I don’t like my chances, fundraising in a month.

Yes, a trust is a possibility, for those with family.

The rest of us wait on lists that never end, by design.

Transmisia: from the personal to the systemic, in one call.