Anderson J R
Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1982 Apr;33(4):295-8. doi: 10.1176/ps.33.4.295.
More than a half million mentally ill or mentally retarded individuals received Social Security or Supplemental Security Income disability payments in 1980. To become eligible for these payments, claimants must go through a multilayered adjudication process to establish the severity of their condition. Yet because of their symptoms, many mentally disabled individuals are unable to fend for themselves properly through this process. The author describes the different levels in the adjudication process, outlines the problems the mentally disabled encounter in applying for benefits, and proposes an advocacy program for mental health professionals to follow in assisting claimants in applying for benefits. Such an advocacy program should be given high priority in the operational budgets of all publicly funded mental health and mental retardation facilities, the author asserts.
1980年，超过50万精神疾病患者或智力障碍者领取了社会保障或补充保障收入残疾津贴。为了有资格领取这些津贴，申请者必须经过一个多层次的裁决程序来确定其病情的严重程度。然而，由于自身症状，许多精神残疾者无法在这个过程中妥善地为自己争取权益。作者描述了裁决过程的不同层级，概述了精神残疾者在申请福利时遇到的问题，并提出了一个倡导计划，供心理健康专业人员在协助申请者申请福利时遵循。作者断言，这样一个倡导计划应在所有公共资助的心理健康和智力障碍设施的运营预算中被列为高度优先事项。
