SS Disability for not being able to speak English?

[Deleted]

Please tell me this isn't true!!

freebeacon.com/issues/feds-consider-puerto-ricans-disabled-because-they-speak-spanish/


“We found the Agency did not make exceptions regarding the English-language grid rules for claimants who reside in Puerto Rico, even though Spanish is the predominant language spoken in the local economy,” the OIG said. . . The agency does not currently have a system in place to keep track of the number of beneficiaries who receive disability insurance for not being able to speak English. However, the OIG was able to identify 218 cases between 2011 and 2013 where Puerto Ricans were awarded disability due to “an inability to communicate in English.” Furthermore, 4 percent of disability hearings in Puerto Rico involved looking at the individual’s ability to speak, read, write, and understand English.

Isn't the ability to speak English a correctable situation? If that was the only issue the person had (and no physical or mental disability) why would that qualify you as disabled?

[zibazinski]

Sigh. Only a matter of time.

[andi9899]

Ok. I'm hispanic and I think that's BS! We wouldn't go to Puerto Rico and expect to get a hand out. Why should they get one here?

[NastyWoman]

Shoot! Now you tell me! Too late for me now  I don't see how the inability to speak a local language is a disability that qualifies under SSDI rules though.  Totally weird.  Either learn the language or work in an environment where your language is spoken (plenty of companies around that would hire a Spanish speaker, even when not in PR)

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2015 15:44:52 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Ok. I'm hispanic and I think that's BS! We wouldn't go to Puerto Rico and expect to get a hand out. Why should they get one here?

They are getting US SSD in PR based on not being able to speak English. It makes no sense at all. Federal employees making the decisions seem to have autonomous control over this. Wonder if there are kickbacks or something else going on that the SS employees are getting benefits from.

[mroped]

I believe this claims are bogus- as in the article is just making a false claim.
If anybody gets SS benefits for not being able to speak English, that won't be somebody that speaks Spanish!
With the percentage of Spanish speaking people in the workforce, nobody can prove that as being a problem.
Id believe it if those in question were Russians or Chinese or something. Spanish? Never!

[happyhoix]

Disability is notoriously hard to get. I can't imagine this is actually true.

Furthermore, 4 percent of disability hearings in Puerto Rico involved looking at the individual’s ability to speak, read, write, and understand English.

I wonder if their 'inability to speak, read, write and understand English' was actually an inability to speak, read or write? for instance, disability for a deaf person?

[mroped]

Not speaking English in this country is not a disability. Never has, never will!
Why?
Because there is no official language to establish ones ability to communicate, that's why!
So somebody making such a claim is just looking to stir shit up and create more discord or possibly start one of those movements that has as a target a government program of sorts.

Some of these journalists should understand that "freedom of press" doesn't mean that they can make whatever claim. There should be a punishment for that.
A personal opinion is one thing but making false statements in regards to someone else or public policy, that's a no-no!

[Deleted]

mroped the washington free beacon has outed some other governmental bad behavior. I did check snopes.com but they don't have anything on this. It sounds unbelievable.

I think it is an abuse of SSD evaluation for capacity to read/write/speak english as one of the evaluations for actual disability. If a person does not have the capacity to do those things, they are in fact disabled. It should not, however, extend to people that just don't speak english, but that are fully capable of language skills in other languages.

[mroped]

I still have hard time believing it!
I remember that while I was prepping for my citizenship test there was some clause in the requirements for reading and comprehension of English.
If an individual is older than 50 or something like that at the time they apply for citizenship they are exempt from the English test if they choose so.
Spanish was/is a language accepted for the citizenship test due to high numbers of Latinos in the country.
So for somebody to tell me that the government considers giving SSD to an individual that speaks Spanish but doesn't speak English, I have hard time swallowing that pill.
Moreover, they are talking about doing that for people that live and lived all their life in Puerto Rico! That's where it doesn't fit!
If you are a natural born citizen of this country as Peurto Ricans are, why in the world would you offer that benefit to an individual that doesn't speak one of the languages in a multilingual country?
Will I be able to apply for that because I could never learn Swahili? Would that be considered a handicap that would qualify me for it?
Common sense would dictate that since we don't have an official language, all languages are accepted so all I have to do is pick one that I have no interest in learning and claim it to be my disability.

Giving SSD based on something as such, would be close to impossible.
How would one prove that he/she can't learn English? There is no test for that.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

As I remember the form that I had to fill out, there was some question on there as to whether or not my disability made it difficult for me to speak, read or write in English.  This is presumably to cover cognitive disabilities (i.e. stroke, brain tumors, injuries).

This was the way that the question was worded, and answering 'yes' if you have cognitive problems that have affected your language skills makes sense, regardless of what language you speak.

As you generally need a buttload of doctors and medical information released to get SSDI, then I seriously doubt that these people are getting it because they cannot speak English but because they can't speak/read PERIOD.

[Ombud]

Flawed story. In order to get SSD (also known as SSDI), they have to have work history. In that they have that, how would language be a disability? If the writer means SSI then I can hardly wait until the auto cuts next year

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 7, 2015 21:14:48 GMT -5 Ombud said:

Flawed story. In order to get SSD (also known as SSDI), they have to have work history. In that they have that, how would language be a disability? 

If they cannot speak it due to a cognitive disability.  If you have a brain injury or stoke, this can be considered a disability if you can no longer speak or read English (or any language).

Most jobs require that you be able to speak and/or read, regardless of language.

[Ombud]

The article states they couldn't speak ENGLISH but spoke SPANISH

[resolution]

It looks like the ability to speak English is considered a factor when evaluating the impact of a person's disability on their ability to find other work. The link below is the official SSA report that shows that it was a factor in approving 218 people in Puerto Rico over the last two years.

www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CD4QFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Foig.ssa.gov%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Faudit%2Ffull%2Fpdf%2FA-12-13-13062.pdf&ei=4JqcVZCyHMOx-AG2r4OABg&usg=AFQjCNHkcLl0N4gYgc1qkU0-q7B_ZvbNbQ&bvm=bv.96952980,d.cWw

When the claimant’s medical impairments do not meet the criteria of a severe impairment, the adjudicator performs a function-by-function assessment of the claimant’s physical and mental residual functional capacity to determine the work-related activities the claimant is capable of regularly performing, including lifting, walking, sitting, and following directions. If the claimant can still do the work they performed in the past, the claimant is not disabled. However, if the claimant cannot perform past work, the claim proceeds to the final step.

In the final step, adjudicators make findings of fact with respect to the effects of the claimant’s physical or mental limitations in combination with “vocational factors,” including the claimant’s age, education, and past work experience. The medical-vocational guidelines (grids) direct a conclusion as to whether the individual is, or is not, disabled.2 The rules are set out in separate grids3 categorized by the residual functional capacity based on whether the claimant is capable of performing sedentary, light, medium, heavy work, or very heavy work.

In this final step, the burden of proof shifts to SSA to show the claimant can adjust to other work that exists in significant numbers in the economy.SSA considers formal schooling, other training, and a claimant’s ability to communicate in English4 as part of the claimant’s education under the vocational factors for purposes of assessing a disability. Under the grid rules, SSA defines the inability to communicate in English as a claimant who cannot speak, understand, read, or write a simple message in English, such as instructions or inventory lists.5