Virginia vet waited years for Social Security benefits. Then he called CBS 6.

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia veteran who spent greater than three years attempting to get incapacity advantages by means of the Social Safety Administration lastly bought some excellent news after calling CBS 6.

Joseph Carle, 53, stated he appeared to hit one roadblock after one other attempting to get permitted for his advantages.

“A unending nightmare, ” Carle stated about his odyssey by means of the Social Safety Administration web site and cellphone system.

He first utilized for incapacity advantages again in 2021.

“I’ve gone by means of multitudes of physician’s appointments, simply query and reply periods, issues like that, however made no actual progress,” he stated.

After first ready almost a 12 months, with numerous resubmissions of paperwork, the Navy vet lastly bought a listening to date.

However when the time got here, the decide could not get his laptop to work correctly.

“Anyone in that entire disaster put down that the listening to by no means occurred,” Carle stated. “So I wound up getting my declare canceled.”

That meant Carle needed to get the Social Safety Administration to reinstate his declare.

And the drama did not cease there.

“I proceeded additional, and I am questioning what is going on on, what is going on on, after which I get an approval letter, however no actual details about pay or anything,” stated Carle.

When Carle lastly bought that approval letter, he known as the 800 quantity and stated he was instructed to count on the fee particulars by a sure date.

That date got here and went.

“I known as again up there, and the gentleman I talked to, I instructed him that they stated I used to be presupposed to get some kind of discover or one thing by the 18th,” Carle stated. “And his solely response was, ‘Yeah, they lied.'”

Carle stated the hours spent on the SSA web site, the ready on maintain on the cellphone, with hearings cancelled, and the ache in his again which he injured years in the past on a Navy ship not getting higher, all took a toll.

“So the mix of all of it simply actually maxes out my anxieties, melancholy, and I am not afraid to confess that due to the Social Safety stuff, at one level, I did try suicide,” Carle stated.

Finally, Carle contacted CBS 6, and so I reached out to the SSA to ask about his years-long utility course of.

A spokesperson stated she couldn’t touch upon particular person circumstances, however that somebody would attain out.

For Carle the response got here shortly.

“I lastly bought in contact with you all, and mockingly and fortunately, it solely took one cellphone name,” stated Carle. “It is as if someone simply took a take a look at it and stated, ‘Oh, okay, permitted. There you go.’ That is all that wanted to occur. It means a lot. And I am unable to inform you ‘thanks’ sufficient instances for this.”

However so far as what we would be taught in regards to the incapacity profit course of, Carle stated probably the most vexing factor is that he was by no means instructed what precisely was unsuitable together with his utility.

So his recommendation to anybody else making use of is to maintain observe of all of your documentation and contacts with the Social Safety Administration.

CBS 6 is dedicated to sharing neighborhood voices on this essential matter. Electronic mail your ideas to the CBS 6 Newsroom.