My goddaughter is 22 and her officlal diagnosis is schizoaffective with bipolar as well as substance abuse. She has decided that after 3 1/2 years here in Wisconsin she wants to move to Florida to be closer to her family (although not her mother who is in Chicago and where she previously lived for 10 years).
Is anyone familiar with the mental health resources available in Florida? Also she is on SSI, so I was wondering how that is in Florida as well.
TIA
Here in Florida my brother gets $710 a month for SSI. Sorry, I don’t know much more than that.
Is there any state of Florida SSI payment added to that. Here in Wisconsin it is an additional $83/month.
Not that I am aware of, but I don’t deal with his check directly so you should ask someone who might know a little more about it to make sure.
Don’t they give you the same amount if you move from state to state or do they change the payment when you move?
The federal SSI amount is the same, but some states have their own SSI amount added to the federal SSI. In Wisconsin it is an extra $83/month.
Oh, I guess here in Texas they don’t add anything because it doesn’t say on my check.
A search reveals that Florida ranks #49 in the nation in mental health care spending. That pretty much tells the story. I really do not understand why any mentally ill or poor person would choose to move to any state which shows so little care for the mentally ill and the poor.
Here in Wisconsin my god daughter has a team that works on her behalf as a mentally ill adult on SSI. She has a caseworker, an employment specialist, as well as a psychiatrist that she likes and they meet each Monday to discuss her case.
Yet after 3 1/2 years here in the city where she was born with mixed success but light years of what she had previously experienced in the Chicago area she has been talked into going to Florida by well meaning but ignorant relatives there. She is simply running away and will likely regret it for many years, and will never have the level of care and opportunities she has had here in Wisconsin.
I went here for a little while. It seemed like a really good program, it just wasn’t for me. I think there are like 10 locations in Florida. Hope it helps.