[sabimax]

Well question is as I always wondered...

if tough to work anymore, and PT even mentioned I could get it but it takes a few years...

is it that you do not work during the years it takes??, in order to get it.. or can you apply while working knowing working is tough on body.... as I could not go without income during time it would take... if even applied for it...

thanks, sarah

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Uh no, Disability means you can not work. And yes it can take a long time. It took me 3 1/2 years of waiting to win my case. You need extensive doctor reports. This is not anything you want to go thru if you can't afford it. We almost lost everything. We are still paying back people we owed during my wait.

[Kitty]

Sarah, if you're contemplating applying for SSDI it's best to start preparing for it now. Make a list of all the doctors you've seen, their addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, etc. You'll have to provide this on your application.

It's also a good idea to get a copy of your medical records from any doctor you've seen about your condition. Make sure they are all on the same page and make complete assessments so that the SSDI people won't have to keep going back and asking for additional information.

You can't work and apply at the same time. It's rough......but if you can't work you can't work.

I applied online because I have such a hard time writing. It still took me a long time to complete the application but I took my time and made sure my doctors knew what I was doing. I only had two doctors to list so that made it a little easier.

I think I got one phone call from the SSDI office about a month after I applied and within four weeks from that call I got my approval letter. I was shocked to say the least. The lady I spoke with said that my medical records were as thorough as she'd ever seen. I think that helped alot. I never thought I'd be so glad to sound so sick!

It's a painstakingly long process for some people and it's not easy waiting. Good luck to you.

[legalmania]

sabimax here is the link so you can maybe find the answers you need.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10095.html

[Janke]

Originally Posted by sabimax

Well question is as I always wondered...

if tough to work anymore, and PT even mentioned I could get it but it takes a few years...

is it that you do not work during the years it takes??, in order to get it.. or can you apply while working knowing working is tough on body.... as I could not go without income during time it would take... if even applied for it...

thanks, sarah

You have to demonstrate that you are unable to perform Substantial Gainful Activity because of your severe medical condition and that that inability to perform SGA will last or has lasted 12 months or longer. It is hard to be found disabled while you are working. It is possible, but not easy since you are showing that you are able to work by doing so. You have to show that you are unable to do more work than you are actually performing and that you cannot earn over $1050 (changes every year) even if you are able to drag yourself to work now. You can show that your employer gives you breaks that other employees don't get; you can show that your performance is not worth the amount of money you are being paid and your employer is keeping you because of a a personal commitment to you or because you are family or that you get extra help or paid or unpaid assistants. SSA can reduce the earnings by Impairment Related Work Expenses if you have a significant amount of out of pocket expenses that you pay for that allow you to keep the job that a non-disabled person would not have to pay.

The link you were given is for work incentives that apply to a person AFTER they have been entitled and AFTER they have been disabled for 12 months. Returning to SGA less than 12 months after onset can reopen the award to a denial.

[Sunrise]

Originally Posted by sabimax

Well question is as I always wondered...

if tough to work anymore, and PT even mentioned I could get it but it takes a few years...

is it that you do not work during the years it takes??, in order to get it.. or can you apply while working knowing working is tough on body.... as I could not go without income during time it would take... if even applied for it...

thanks, sarah

Yup, you have to stop working except as stated above. I felt like I was jumping off a cliff when I decided to apply! I was only able to work 12 hours a week, and struggling with that, but even quitting that job was very scary.

It took me one and half years to win my case and that is considered a short time. I have a friend with MS and her case was over a year old last time I spoke with her. Kitty's fast approval is highly unusual.

Like others I lost a lot. My IRA, my house (that I owned outright) , & my savings. I applied for food stamps, and Medicaid while I waited. I spent my savings.

Medicaid is another story, and I don't know if I would recommend it. Their rules for receiving it are very strict. If I went over some ungodly low amount of income, including any gifts, even birthday gifts, I would lose Medicaid. I couldn't even have a room-mate in my home to help pay expenses and keep Medicaid.

I had to sell my IRA with a penalty in order to qualify for Medicaid. Then I lost Medicaid 1 year after I got SSDI because of a cost of living increase payment for SSDI of $10.00! I don't know if I would have done things the same if I had known then what I know now.

I also wish I had known more about the SSDI/ SSI process before I filled out my own form. I did not fill it out correctly as I later learned from my lawyer. I had learned so many ways to cope while working, and I focused on that when filling out the form, when really SS wants to know all the things you can no longer do. Not all the ways you manage to keep on keeping on. They act like they are there to help but really they are trying to discourage you from applying for it. That is why almost everyone is turned down the first time they apply. Then you appeal. At this point it's really best to get a lawyer.

SSDI wants to know why you can not sustain full time employment of any kind. If you can sit and count bottle caps you are able to work in their eyes. It doesn't matter if employment is not related to anything you are doing or have done in the past.

Most lawyers will tell you to apply and get denied, and then contact them. You don't pay them. If they win the case the money comes out of your back pay. Ie; the money SSDI would have paid you from the time you applied to the time it takes to win your case. The really good lawyers will assist you in filling out the forms correctly!

There are some great web-sites written by lawyers specifically for SSDI with solid information about the while process. I could send a link to one that I trust and who I know has helped people win difficult cases.

By no means is your medical history what determines if you will win or not. Your medical doctor carries great weight but there is much more to it.

And it is not the doctors diagnosis that determines whether you qualify or not! It is determined using criteria based on what you can no longer do. My doctor had to fill out forms that said how far I could walk, how long I could stand, if I could sit, and for how long, if I could lift and how much weight, or bend, stoop, etc. These are standard SSDI forms.

Your age and background also make a difference. Someone with a good education is considered more likely to find some other type of employment than someone with only a high-school education. They also look at how old you are. If you are in your mid 50's or older than your chances of winning are better.

I found the whole process very depressing because I had spent so much time before I applied learning how to cope and work around, or with my limitations. But when I applied, I had to focus on what I could no longer do.
I don't know your history, so it may be an easier case than some, but I do know people dying of cancer have been turned down at least the first time. One person I know with cancer said the applying for SSDI was harder than going through the cancer treatment.

I do know one other person with ovarian cancer who got it on the spot. Again, that is so very rare. The backlog for cases is years which is why they started having court appearances done via satallite/video with the judge.

Sorry so long winded, I know that some of what I wrote doesn't even apply to you, or your question. But I learned and went through so much for SSDI, that my wish ever since has been that I could use what I learned to help someone else down the road.

Sunrise

[Mz Migraine]

Originally Posted by sabimax

Well question is as I always wondered...

if tough to work anymore, and PT even mentioned I could get it but it takes a few years...

is it that you do not work during the years it takes??, in order to get it.. or can you apply while working knowing working is tough on body.... as I could not go without income during time it would take... if even applied for it...

thanks, sarah

To qualify for benefits, you must first have worked in jobs covered by Social Security. Then you must have a medical condition that meets Social Security's definition of disability. In general, SSDI pays monthly cash benefits to people who are unable to work for a year or more because of a disability.

[plgerrard]

I was approved in 9 months, but it was at the Initial Determination level, so I didn't have to wait for any lengthy appeals process. There were 2 reasons my initial determination was delayed.

The first was that I was sent for cognitive function testing. That worried me because, I can still function, but not like I once could. When the test was over, I requested a copy, and was surprised to find that the psychologist didn't think I could function in a job. I had been VP of a company before I could no longer work.

The 2nd reason was that my file was one of those randomly selected for quality review by the DQB.

Like Kitty said, get all of your medical records. I got them, highlighted the important points, and submitted all with my application. I did go in person, because I have had too many dealings with regulatory agencies in my former job, and truly did not trust sending through the mail. You can make an appointment by calling their 800 number. It only took 2 weeks for my scheduled appointment.

Some of the other things I submitted with my application, aside from medical records, were copies of articles from the internet that described the disabling effects of my condition, letters from friends, family, former co-workers and my former employer that described the 'once' me and the 'now' me, and finally my own letter where I also described the once me vs the now me. I referenced the medical records, and even SSA's own Blue Book to describe how my condition and meds made it impossible to work.

Also like Kitty, I have a lot of difficulty gripping a pen and writing. I type almost everything. So, since I have the full version of Adobe, I took the time to create fillable form fields of all the SSA forms. That way, I did a quick run through, and kept them saved to my computer to be able to edit as necessary.

After I was done, I realized I had put a lot of work into the forms that others could benefit from. So, I have made all of them available on my blog. You can follow the link in my signature line to get to my blog. Once there, find the tab at the top for "SSDI Fillable Forms".

Good luck.

[legalmania]

sabimax you must be totally confused now. If you go to the original Social Security disability thread there are stickys that show guidelines to determination of SS disability, that plgerrard simplified from my legal explanation. There are also useful sites you can read.

[mahonhm]

Originally Posted by plgerrard

I was approved in 9 months, but it was at the Initial Determination level, so I didn't have to wait for any lengthy appeals process. There were 2 reasons my initial determination was delayed.

The first was that I was sent for cognitive function testing. That worried me because, I can still function, but not like I once could. When the test was over, I requested a copy, and was surprised to find that the psychologist didn't think I could function in a job. I had been VP of a company before I could no longer work.

The 2nd reason was that my file was one of those randomly selected for quality review by the DQB.

Like Kitty said, get all of your medical records. I got them, highlighted the important points, and submitted all with my application. I did go in person, because I have had too many dealings with regulatory agencies in my former job, and truly did not trust sending through the mail. You can make an appointment by calling their 800 number. It only took 2 weeks for my scheduled appointment.

Some of the other things I submitted with my application, aside from medical records, were copies of articles from the internet that described the disabling effects of my condition, letters from friends, family, former co-workers and my former employer that described the 'once' me and the 'now' me, and finally my own letter where I also described the once me vs the now me. I referenced the medical records, and even SSA's own Blue Book to describe how my condition and meds made it impossible to work.

Also like Kitty, I have a lot of difficulty gripping a pen and writing. I type almost everything. So, since I have the full version of Adobe, I took the time to create fillable form fields of all the SSA forms. That way, I did a quick run through, and kept them saved to my computer to be able to edit as necessary.

After I was done, I realized I had put a lot of work into the forms that others could benefit from. So, I have made all of them available on my blog. You can follow the link in my signature line to get to my blog. Once there, find the tab at the top for "SSDI Fillable Forms".

Good luck.

My insurance co got ss for me at no cost took 6 month and the normal waiting tine. you need a laywer-max fee is either 2 or 4 grand the gov pays in mbut out of your pocket. with a laywer you will get it faster and the first time m lUCK