This is Jason. Born and raised in a family with strong Christian values he has lived his life humbly as a husband of 25 years to his wife Sherry, and a father of two kids, Jevon and Tamara. After graduating high school he served eight years in the national guard while working various security and customer service jobs.

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   A family friend recommended him to a job as a caretaker for the state of Texas in a group home for adults with mental health issues.  It was a tough job that demanded thick skin.  Some of the residents were under court order and prone to physical and verbal aggression.  Jason never broke stride.  He stayed easy going and affable. After 20 years he retired from the State of Texas but worked part time to stay ahead of the bills.

 

  One day in October of 2024 he noticed he was unsteady on his feet and he felt "off".  He thought maybe Father Time was just saying hello. However the following weeks led to a trip to the emergency room, and a congestive heart failure diagnosis. The news hit hard.  Jason rarely drank, didn't smoke, and was moderately active all his life.  As more trips to the doctors followed, bills stacked up fast and it was clear Jason could not work.  The medical evidence irrefutably supported the fact.  His only hope was to apply for disability, then the ugly truth reared up its head.  Eighteen months later, after being on hold for one hour he hears the same rubber stamp reply "Its pending" , "Were still waiting for...", "We need more records".  In the mean time, he needs medications, food, and mortgage paid.  It is unacceptable that someone, who has served in the armed forces and worked for the State of Texas in a high risk capacity for 20 years cannot get a substantial response.  After all this is the big SSA. This is the first feature story of this page. There are millions of Jasons.  I know that the volume of applications is staggering, but so is the level of apathy and negligence. At some point we need to give hard working Americans the dignity they deserve, especially when they fall on tough times at no fault of their own.