Hi! Let me introduce my family! My name is Melissa, and I am a writer, Navy vet, mother, adoptee, and more. We are a family of nine: six kids, my husband, me, and my mom. I met my biological mother in 2020, twenty years to the month after my first post on an online forum looking for her, and shortly thereafter she moved in with me. My mom has intellectual and physical disabilities, and we got her on Social Security with me as her legal representative payee. She gets to live with her biological grandchildren, watch them grow up, and be surrounded by loving caregivers.

In June, we received a letter from Social Security stating that my mother's monthly benefit would be cut to pay for Medicare Part B, in which she had been enrolled in a state she has not lived for over four years. The Social Security Administration has her correct address, and no one at her prior address received any mail for her, so we are completely at a loss as to how she was enrolled in another state. Until the situation is rectified, which may take several weeks or months, her benefits will be slashed.

My mother takes great pride in supporting herself and providing for her own material needs, and she is devastated and near-hysterical over the loss of those funds. She has certain needs not provided for under Medicare coverage, and she's been able to meet those needs independently, which brings her great pride and satisfaction.

My young adult children, three of whom live with us, all work, but as economic tensions rise, their hours have been cut (from already far below 40 hours so employers don't have to provide benefits). For one, requesting more hours became punishment as his hours were slashed to nil for a week. He begins his second job this week, but that pay won't come for another 2-3 weeks. Another adult child has had recurring extreme eczema that leaves open cracks on the skin and cannot work but has been DoorDashing. All of our kids are intent to work and have the drive to do so, but have had difficulty finding adequate employment.

I am a Navy veteran, but due to new naming conventions at the VA, since my last name does not currently match the last name from my separation date from the military, I cannot access my VA healthcare. I lost my ACA plan back in January when the credits expired and the premium jumped to $1,387 per month. When I lost coverage, I lost access to prescription medications, including Wellbutrin and hormones, which made my mental health tumble. Ensuing medical issues include a new gluten intolerance and a revived stomach ulcer.

I am primarily concerned with ensuring my mom has a continual flow of income so she can independently meet her needs until her Social Security is restored in full, and ensuring our household doesn't fall behind on other obligations as my kids' employment struggles to meet their promised hours. We are traveling on Monday to a nearby Social Security office to insist on an appointment in person to see how to begin to rectify this, and we need one new tire on our vehicle before making a drive like that (it involves driving across the infamous Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and a flat on that bridge is actually a nightmare of mine).

Every family has stumbles, and we're hoping this is just a little rough patch as we all work towards increasing and securing income.