WELCOME to the Benefits Programs & HIV Forum!

[POZ Forum Moderators]

Coming soon.

For further information on the POZ forums, including posting guidelines, please visit the Welcome Thread found in the Living with HIV forum.

[JR Gabbard]

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen (and everyone else who doesn't identify with either of those labels),

My name is JR Gabbard.  Tim has asked me to help out as an expert poster on Social Security disability issues and other benefits matters, and I am more than happy to be of service if I can.  So please allow me to introduce myself (formally).  I have been an attorney in California since 2002, and HIV+ since 1984.  I have worked at several non-profit ASOs, and have successfully represented many HIV+ disability applicants against SSA.  I am also on SSDI, so I claim both professional and personal expertise with these issues.  I started a little project writing about SSDI/SSI a few years ago, but let it slide because I got too sick to carry on with it.  I still have it somewhere on the hard drive.  I'll see about making it available again.

But enough about me.

There's a whole lot of posts on this brand new forum, so it is going to take a while to make my way through them all to see if anything needs to be added or clarified (it happens sometimes).  New posts will be my first priority, second will be anything posted after Sept. 1, and then older stuff if needed.  

So if you have any questions about Social Security, SSDI, SSI, Medicaid, Medicare, ADAP or any other benefits-related questions, feel free to post them here.  This includes questions about your own situation, but be mindful that you are on the internet.  Also, I'm not taking new clients at this time, so if you need help I will refer you to a rep in your area.  But you are entitled to a second opinion (even if it comes first!)