Equal Justice Coalition Story of the Week:

“Ben” is 60 years and was previously incarcerated. After a lifetime of laboring as a union worker, he is unable to work any longer and learned that he has a severe heart condition that requires surgery. Until talking with an attorney of the Seattle Community Law Center at a local homeless shelter, Ben was under the impression that he would not be eligible for benefits before he reached full retirement age. It did not occur to him that he might be eligible for disability benefits. SCLC helped Ben apply for Social Security disability benefits, which were very quickly approved. As a result of the help and support of SCLC, Ben is housed and paying his own rent, he has access to Medicare, and his recovering from his surgery is going smoothly.