My name is Matthew Neumann. I am the volunteer Executive Director of the grassroots LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas. I’ve dedicated the last several years of my life to serving my community, even while navigating a long and difficult disability journey.

In 2007, while working at the Larned Juvenile Correctional Facility, I sustained a serious neck injury while removing a juvenile from an unsafe room. The injury, combined with years of trauma exposure, led to a severe mental health crisis that uncovered PTSD and agoraphobia. I was placed on Social Security Disability in 2013, where I have remained while working through years of therapy to rebuild my stability, health, and independence.

For the last 12 years, I have been fighting to reclaim my life and return to the workforce. I’ve held part-time positions when I could, and most recently, I began transitioning off disability through Kansas’ Working Healthy program while building the LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas. My goal has always been to stand on my own again.

But last month, I received a devastating letter from Social Security Disability.

They are claiming that I worked more than I actually did and now say I owe a large amount of back pay. They have already stopped my benefits, and I have 60 days to appeal.

I’ve learned this kind of mistake happens to many people—but it is life-altering when it happens to you.

I have found an attorney willing to take my case, but he requires payment upfront to begin the appeal. Since I am not receiving disability income right now and have not yet secured full employment, I cannot afford the legal fees on my own.

So I am asking for help.

This fight is important not only for me, but for everyone who has ever tried to work toward independence only to be punished for it by a system that is supposed to support them. Any amount you can give—large or small—will help me secure legal representation and fight this decision.

Your support truly means everything right now.

Thank you for reading, donating, and sharing.