Day Treatment Question

[Guest Jim S.]

This past week has been a very difficult one for me, spent three days on the Psych ward for suicidal idealations and severe depression with mild psycotic symtoms. They tweaked my meds a bit and I am now back home with my critters, Cat and Dog that is. Boy were they happy to see me and I them. I'm glad I opted to give them both self feeders and had left plenty of water out for them. I never know what will happen, so at least, I didn't have to worry about them in my absence.

The Dr's and Pyschiatrists want me to think about doing voluntary work at the VAMC to help get me out of the house and doing something constructive. I have some concerns with this type of program and how it might effect my SSDI, if it is shown that I can do more than my current disability picture shows.

Some of the programs pay a couple of dollars and hour to help defrey the cost of transportation to and from the VAMC.

Has anyone been in these programs and could they tell more about them and whether it may have had a negative impact, that is to say, your disability picture improved and they looked at this in determining your current benefits?

I don't know if I can physically handle a day, much less a few hours, I usually have to have a day or two to recuperate from my current trips in.

Anyway, just needs some info.

Jim S. B)

[Pete53]

Jim:

The nice thing about Volunteer work is that you can say no or limit what you can do to suit your own needs. The little that they pay is ok cause first of all you can earn for 9 months at a regular job and SSD still pays. Also they will probably not pay you near enough to go over the 700 or 800 a month that SSD allows you to earn with no change in status.

So the first thing is that you can do it without jeopardy to your SSD benefits and secondly its your choice. Don't forget that there are other things you can volunteer for also. A good friend of mine used to drag a big coffee pot around and offer free coffee to anyone who wanted it in the VA and said he loved doing it.

I think that what your Doc's have suggested would make you feel better about yourself. Good Luck.

[carlie]

Jim,

One of my old VA shrinks suggested I do some volunteer work @ Bay Pines VA.

I checked into it and was told they ONLY want volunteers that will be very dependable and show up as scheduled.

With my multiple medical problems I am veiwed as non-dependable, therefore they did not want to make use of what I did have to offer - which would be showing up to help work as I was able and not on a set schedule.

The payment there for volunteers is a meal if you work a certain amount of hours during specific shifts.

OMO,

carlie