Douglas called legal aid and explained that he was not able to meet with a lawyer in person because he is severely disabled and cannot easily leave his home. He is 70 years old and lives in a group home with other disabled seniors. Doug applied for SSI benefits and was denied because the agency said that he had too many assets that disqualified him. It turned out that, when Doug’s father died, he left Doug an interest in the family home. After talking with Doug, it became clear that his sister had taken control of the property and that Doug would never be able to live there, nor would the property have any value to him. Legal aid wrote a letter to the Social Security Administration explaining the situation, which eliminated the confusion for the agency. Doug now is receiving the benefits he needs to continue living semi-independently in his group home.
