53 year old Rodney Bowen has a lot on his mind. The Ladyville resident and former BATSUB Employee hasn't been working since last August when the British Army wound down its operation in Belize.
But his real problem now is that he can't work after he got a stroke last year October.
Social security ruled him an invalid - but they only pay him a benefit of 188 dollars a month.
And that's not for his invalidity - it's for a disability he suffered in 1994 when he lost half of his vision.
And so today he came to our office well before 8:00 am - just so he could get his story unto the media. He says he can't work and he can't live on what they are giving him:...
Rodney Bowen
"They can't pay two pensions, so how can I live? How can I live with $188 per month that they are giving me for my eye? I am just 53 years old and I have to wait until I am 60 years old to get any kind of compensation from them. What I am saying to them is that they should think about my situation. I am a Belizean man; I have been working all the days of my life - paid my contributions constantly upfront. I am in a situation where I have my family, I have all my bills to pay and they are telling now that because of that I am getting a disability pension - they can't give me a invalidity pension. I am telling them if they can take away the disability pension and just stick to the invalidity pension."
Jules Vasquez
"How much is the invalidity pension?"
Rodney Bowen
"I don't know."
Jules Vasquez
"It can't be less than what you are getting."
Rodney Bowen
"Exactly, that's my fight."
Jules Vasquez
"You are basing this on the assumption that the invalidity has to be more than $188.00?"
Rodney Bowen
"It has to be. It can't be less because I was working with my disability. Now I can't work any at all. That's my cry, that's why I come to the media now. This is my last resort because I have to live. I have my wife, I have my bills to pay, I have a mortgage. All this come into effect is hurting me very bad. These people at Social Security don't have any consideration."
"Think about it Jules, I am 53 years old, I am still a young man. If I would have reverse it, if I could have turn back the hands of time - take away this and leave me out there in the work field, I would appreciate it, but that can't happen. That's the way I look at Social Security - they are like Gods. They looking down at you and doing all this assessment and what will happen tomorrow and what will happen the next day - that's the way I look at them. I have to fight for my rights; I have to fight for something that I and my family need to get from them because we pay our contribution upfront. "
As moving as his plea is - it appears that his fight will be in vain. Social Security's position is that it strictly cannot - by law - pay disability and invalidity benefits at the same time. But it is legally obligated to pay the benefit with the greater monetary value. And in his case, we understand that is disability, not invalidity. So while Mr. Bowen believes that the invalidity benefit has to be more than disability - we are told it is actually less.
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