In a situation that highlights the importance of Social Security disability benefits, one woman is fighting to take care of her son who was injured in a car accident on Aug. 15. Her 6-foot-tall son wasn’t wearing a seat belt and became trapped beneath the dashboard. His sustained severe neck and back injuries, and he suffered trauma to his brain and chest.
Her son is 31 years old and has been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder. She says that as a result he is “childlike” and trusting, which may have been why he was riding as passenger in a car that collided with a power pole, leaving him seriously injured. No one has been charged in connection with the crash, but the investigation is ongoing.
Due to his illness, Social Security disability covers his medical care. SSD provides coverage through Medicare, and Medicare premiums are paid by Medicaid.
The man is paralyzed from the shoulders down and in the process of being taken off a ventilator. At the beginning of his treatment, he had 11 IV tubes running into his body. Fortunately, he is awake and understands what has happened. However, he is unable to speak because of an injury to his trachea.
The doctors currently treating him have recommended that he go to an acute physical therapy center where he can receive the long-term care he needs. Unfortunately, it will cost $11,000 to transport the man to a different facility — a cost neither state nor federal programs have been willing to cover. His mother tried reaching out to a charity that helps cover transport for medical needs, but the program says it only supports children.
To help offset the cost, the family has created a donation account at a local credit union. Hopefully the man in this case will get the funding he needs to pay for his long-term care.
Source: The Charleston Gazette, “Parents want, can’t afford, the best care for injured son,” Rosalie Earle, Sept. 20, 2011
