As we continue the march toward full marriage equality in
all fifty states, whether through state courts or legislatures, or through action,
again, by the Supreme Court, we will continue to see more and more stories like
this one come up.
Lisa and Melody Rawson are a same-sex couple who, in 2002,
while living in New York, adopted a son. Eight years later they decided to get
married in Iowa. Then last year, after coming to see that the winter’s in the Northeast
were difficult for their special needs son, the Rawson’s moved to Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina, and warmer temperatures.
But it actually got colder.
Their son, Terrel, is wheelchair-bound with spina bifida, a
bilateral hip dislocation and a condition that causes water on the brain among
other medical issues. When the family lived in New York, Terrel was receiving $600
in Social Security disability payments per month for his condition, but once
they moved down here, again, for his health, they haven’t seen a penny because,
here in South Carolina, their marriage is unrecognizable, so the Social security
benefits no longer apply.
The Rawson’s have contacted everyone from the Social
Security Administration to the Justice Department, and have even written to Congress
asking anyone to look into their situation, and all they get is the run-around.
The run-around is this: the state of South Carolina says it
does not have the paperwork to approve the forms to put Mother and Mother on
the forms to get the paperwork so they can get the funds their son needs.
Yes, there is no form to fill out, to get a form to fill
out, to put Mother and Mother on a form that will get them a form to fill out
to get Social Security.
This has got to change, y’all, because now an innocent child
is suffering because of the inequalities in this country.
Should have been able to be grandfathered in under his previous classifications. Or someone say to heck with it and just do the #&$* paperwork. (It is enormously frustrationg - have a friend with two special needs boys.)
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I don't think these assholes care about any kids.
ReplyDeleteIt's ridiculous that they have to go through this but I have to wonder if they are capable enough to have adopted and gotten the SS support in NY and have been intelligent and resourceful enough to contact all those they say they have, shouldn't they have made sure that SC would recognize their family before they moved their?
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, these folks should have looked into this before they moved. I know adoptive parents of special needs children who SSDI and they either have a social worker that they are on good terms with or they know the law better than than the rule makers who wrote them. And one just doesn't up and move someplace without knowing the law. And Congress has, for years under Republican domination pushing this funding toward states for administration. So states making these rules are not new.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have great sympathy for them, my question is did they do their homework before they moved, or did they move without doing their homework?
It is not beyond the wit of man (or woman) to amend a form to delete the word father and replace it with the word mother.
ReplyDeleteBut Social Security is a Federal program and the Feds already accept same sex couples that are married. Shouldn't that count or is it the clerks being jerks and not just crossing out "Father"and replace it with another "Mother". If it's Medicaid then that's another story in itself. Many republican Governors have rejected the Federal money for the state's Medicaid program to help block the ACA (I don't like calling it Obamacare). But if they can at least delay our civil rights then it's time to take action in that state. ALL of us need to, at least, call or email our decisions Not to visit or support SC in Any way. We Must act and act Fast while the momentum is on our side!
ReplyDelete