eSpecially Ben

The paperwork mounts as I file reconsideration and waiver forms for Social Security Income (SSI). There are some weeks that I receive a letter from Social Security Administration (SSA) every day, sometimes two come in one day. Next in line for the appeal process is a hearing with an Administrative  Law Judge (ALJ), which I found out today could take up to a year to schedule. Today, I spoke with a lawyer from the legal aid organization in our state. They have a file on us, but are not officially handling our case. It seems they will jump in after I have exhausted all appeals and waivers. They do offer advice on what paperwork to file and what steps to take to keep our case moving along. In another arena, Letters of Medical Necessity (LMN) have been added to my paperwork frenzy. Our local management entity, a private agency that manages the state resources for community programs for children and adults with specials needs, Medicaid, etc, has changed. The new company is efficient, o

Our Family Weekend experience at Victory Junction was incredible and best shown through photos. It is the only way for you to see how much we did in less than 2 days. Not pictured, the Talent Show, Fab Shop (get your hair painted), 50's Rock & Roll Dance, tree house (accessible to wheelchairs), mini-golf, maze, arts & crafts area and wood shop. A pool & zip line are available during the summer. The families we met were all great. Kids made quick friends with our cabin neighbors. Our camp counselors showed us the ins and outs of the camp and activities. Personally, the camp wore me out. Ben was too excited at night to sleep and the eight twin beds in our cabin were too much for him. He had to travel from one to the other. This would not have been so bad had it not been 10pm at night and other family members were sleeping in them. Inside our cabin. Sports Complex Cabins for the campers and families. Dressed up for the 50's Rock &

If you want to make Ben mad, give him an activity that he sees no point in doing: make him throw a tennis ball to no one and then make him walk 10 meters in a particular direction that is not of his choosing. Ben participated in two events this year in the Track and Field Division of the Special Olympics Spring Games. He took silver for the walking event, and only threw the tennis ball when I stepped in to catch it. In contrast, Matthew , the son of my freshman college roommate and good friend, Karen, reveled in the games. He took a Gold for the 100m run and exclaimed, "I did it!" while he was on the platform. Last year he  walked, but this year, he stepped up his game and ran the entire race.   Matthew, 9 year old Olympic Gold Medalist Each athlete is paired with a high school student at Charlotte Country Day School. This year, Jacob, helped Ben get to and from his events, participate in the crafty activities and maneuver around the crowds. Jacob