The Strangest Job I Ever Had (2)

Tweet

There was a man who had started the business of putting together all the information called for in order to submit a claim for Social Security Disability Payments. He knew what he was doing and had been quite successful at it before he developed ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It’s also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and is extremely painful and eventually fatal. So, this man would put together a case to me made before the “judge,” but it has to be presented by an advocate. That was me, in this case. I had worked with and around attorneys all my working life and could speak their language. My acting ability was an asset as well. In my navy blue blazer, button down collar and tie, I looked the part. I would meet the client at the Federal Courthouse, where after presenting ID to satisfy the armed guards, we would directed to a room filled with other advocates (mostly lawyers) and clients. When our turn was called, we would take a seat around a big table where it was my job to read the case summary to the judge, recorded by a court stenographer. The client would then be asked questions by the “judge” for a few minutes, then it was over. The process of getting the SSDI payments is a long hard road. Not all succeed by any means and it can take years. Some clients are faking it. I was a bit suspicious of one man, but my job was to present his case, not judge. I did this job for maybe six months. The pay was not great and I decided that if a client did not get their SSDI, that, perhaps, they could sue my employer and me for what they could say was a bad case, so I resigned. It was an interesting job, but sometimes involved driving to other parts of the state where clients lived and I felt bad for the people who deserved the benefits, had tried for years and been denied.