Financial Woes

In September of 2009 I had run out of hours in my Limited Term Employment job.  Finding myself unemployed I was left with my only subsidization being a choice of either a monthly check from Social Security or Unemployment Insurance.  Social Security would pay around $800 a month, while Unemployment would pay roughly $1200.

However, as fate would have it, the choice came with a quandary.  If I took the Unemployment payment, I would have to give up the Social Security payment.  While this didn’t sound so bad, giving up the Social Security check would render me ineligible for the Medicaid based home healthcare I need on a daily basis.  Thus, I was forced to take the lesser payment in order to keep home healthcare services.

Now $800 in Social Security checks may not sound bad, but this did not even cover my rent, and I live in a subsidized accessible apartment.  On top of this I still had roughly $100 in utility payments per month, $100 for groceries, and other standard expenses including the cell phone bill (which I need for emergency situations and when caregivers call in).  I had no idea how I was going to make ends meet month to month.  Fear set in that I wouldn’t be able to remain in my apartment.

While coping with financial burdens, I frantically searched for a new job.  Seeing as my disability doesn’t exactly lend to grabbing a retail or food service job on the side, I was applying to every office and IT job I could get my hands on.  I contacted most every temp and staffing agency in the greater Madison area trying to find any paying job that would take me.  Fortunately, after a month of applications and interviews I landed the job with Raven as a video game tester.  The job was great, and it was quite a relief having a job once again, but the financial strain of that month certainly made an impact.  I had never considered that my Social Security payments would leave me so shorted that I might have to break my rent agreement and move out.  I even considered bringing in a roommate, but with all of the space required for my chair, my patient lift, and with caregivers constantly coming in and out, how many roommates would easily cope?

In hindsight, I could have applied for Food Stamps and several other programs to help offset the financial burdens, but it came as quite the shock that in spite of my working for a year and a half, and having unemployment available I couldn’t even make ends meet.