Community Chat

[Vesti]

Brian Doyle still wears his 1978 World Series ring... on the shaky right hand that symbolizes the life he lives four decades later.

"If it wasn't for family, and friends, we wouldn't be making it," Brian Doyle slowly says.

Doyle made himself a Yankee favorite from two pressure-filled weeks in October, 1978. Filling in for an injured Willie Randolph, the seldom-used second baseman hit .438 against the Dodgers in the World Series, including three hits off future Hall of Famer and future Braves broadcaster Don Sutton. The Yankees won the series in six games.

Three years later Doyle retired with a career batting average of just .161. He went into coaching.

But after a bout with leukemia in the 1990s, Doyle began having problems with his bones. His family blames the chemotherapy, Pentostatin, for causing joint deterioration.

Despite two neck fusions, the pain just got worse. So in 2013, Doyle applied for Social Security disability benefits. He got turned down. Twice. Then the man who learned how to gracefully turn two on the baseball diamond got hit with something else: Parkinson's Disease.

For many Americans like Brian Doyle, getting Social Security disability benefits has become a cruel waiting game.

See.the.story.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/28411579/its-easier-to-win-a-world-series-than-get-social-security...

[sgraham30]

It's very had to get SSDI. The husband of a friend of mine applied 3 times before he was finally approved. It took 18 months before he was finally approved. The poor guy has heart issues, MS, & problems with his eyes.Now since he's been approved, he's getting half of what he was approved for due to "clerical error." My friend says that if they hadn't saved money over the years that he was able to work, they wouldn't be able to make it.

[Mominohio]

I don't see why he should be any different than others that have to go through the process. He played baseball professionally, which doesn't even compare to the vets who have served and continually get the shaft in medical care, and benefits.

Social Security disability is the new welfare, and the government is actually recruiting people to go this route, whether they need it or not. The amount of fraud is staggering, and costing the taxpayers big.

The Social Security disability process needs overhauled, and some of the things qualifying and the people drawing need to be dropped. It was intended for people with real disability, but like everything else run by the government, has exploded and is riddled with waste and fraud.

Should the conditions described in the article be accurate, he should have to go through the process,and if found accurate, should be drawing. I think that making it an overnight process will only increase the abuse and fraud.

[TaxyLady]

There are many people that need SS disability going through the same thing. The difference is they don't have a World Series ring. If he can't wait a couple of years to get SS then he needs to sell the ring.

[Hoovermom]

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[Hoovermom]

Chicago Tribune

Apr 30, 1989 - The asking price on Steve Garvey`s 1978 World Series ring was $1,750, and former White Sox pitcher Early Wynn`s 1959 American League .

Not much money to help defray those huge medical bills.

[RetRN]

Have you seen some of the people collecting disability? The system is a train wreck. Those who need it can't get it and those who don't need it somehow manage to get it and love abusing it. Fraud all over the place.

[moonstone dunes]

n/m

[hckynut]

If one knows the ropes I see it is quite easy to get disability. One need look no further than increase in the number of disability checks now going out to people that are far from what I consider disabled.

[TaxyLady]

On 3/17/2015 RetRN said:

Have you seen some of the people collecting disability? The system is a train wreck. Those who need it can't get it and those who don't need it somehow manage to get it and love abusing it. Fraud all over the place.

I agree. I know of a couple who's husband collected SS disability and took out charter fishing parties. His wife made good money also working in local government. Yet another man I know (builder) who has had two back surgeries and can hardly walk is turned down. I don't get it. Something is wrong.