I felt like I had been slapped in the face when reading “Benefits dry up for ex-addicts” (Metro, March 31) about Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
As a claim representative at the Social Security Administration, I believe your statement about people who “lack the resources to negotiate the labyrinthine process to requalify for SSI” couldn’t be further from the truth.
For one thing, it doesn’t cost any money to appeal any decision made by SSI. Also, since a lot of the people we deal with have little education or cannot speak much English, all they have to do is lay their letter on the counter, and we have them speak to a representative who fills out all the necessary and proper forms for them. They do not have to figure out anything.
Your article should have stressed how easy we make the application process, unlike the case with some other agencies.
