[thechosenone]

Hello All-

I have been reading this forum for a while and decided to join.
I have been suffering from depression and anxiety for pratically all my life but have been treated for it for the last 9 years, with the most recent 5 years being treated regularly. I now have severe depression, anxiety, panick attacks, type 2 diabetes, morbid obesity, and sleep apnea. All I have documented medical records for.

I applied for SSDI/SSI on 2/28/11 after quitting my job of 6 years because I just could not function properly anymore. I have always been fatiugued, some days only having enough energy to make it to work and back. I was late constantly because I was always so tired in the mornings. I could no longer concentrate and my work day was FULL of anxiety. I became extremely anti social to even those that are close to me. Work was brutal and exhausting mentally. I tried to stay as long as I could as I have worked consistenly for the last 17 years. It because mentally challenging to even show up as i work in a building with 300 people and I NO LONGER could even stand to be around people. I am still that way. Even with family and friends. I take Paxil, Wellbuturin, Xanax and Metformin for all my conditions. Had my initial appointment on 3/14/11. I have sent in all medical records from my primary care doctor, my psychiatrist and my therapist. I went to my psych CE exam in April. 4 days before that exam I reced a call from the DDS caseworker that I needed to go to a CE medical exam (still not sure why). Received paperwork in the mail confirming my appointment FIVE WHOLE WEEKS away. So I attended the med CE appointment 10 days ago. I called today to check on my case and the DDS examiner stated "your file has already been signed off on, im just waiting for the report from the CE medical exam". What in the heck!!!! These people made me wait an additional 5 weeks to go to a doctor that you are not even using to make a decision? I dont understand that and my mind is going 100 miles a minute and I an full of anxiety after that convo. I cant concentrate at all.

I am single and been w/o income since Febuary. I have depleted my savings (what little I had) and maxed out all of my credit cards just trying to pay mortgage and utilities. I have no idea what the outcome will be and it feels liek my brain is gonna burst stressing and worrying about it!!!!!! Does anyone have a guess at what the answer she gave me could mean?

[Janke]

Our guesses are probably less helpful to you than you think. My guess is that you have been either approved or denied.

Sometimes CE appts are set up because the analyst has been waiting for the information needed from your treating doctors and perhaps is trying to make sure that there is enough information to make a decision and is covering all bases just in case your treating doctor doesn't provide the necessary evidence. Impossible for us to know why. Guesses are pretty useless, IMO.

Assuming your claim is an approval: Since you stopped work 2/28/11, your five month non-payment waiting period for SSDI will be March 2011 through July 2011. Payment would be effective with August 2011 and first check comes the month after it is due which would be a Wednesday in September 2011, based on your birthday.

If you also have an SSI claim pending, you will probably have to prove your income and resources since the date you filed before you get any checks but it can be effective with the month after you filed the claim.

If your claim is a denial, you will receive a notice and an explanation about the appeal process which can be very long and no guarantee it will go your way. Not what you want to hear, I am sure, but no one here can predict the outcome. You do have a varieity of problems that can severely impact daily functioning on a job so you may be approved.

[thechosenone]

Thank you so much for the reply. I just wish they would get on with this, so I can get on with my life, whatever that may be. It seems like this was a stall tactic. Everything was running smoothly until this last CE exam was scheduled. My DDS examiner would call me almost weekly to remind me of an appointment or ask did I receive something in the mail from her. Now I barely hear from her. I have sent in documents and wrote her notes that she havent even bothered to answer.

Its like being suspended in mid air not knowing if your gonna fall or continue hanging on. I wish I were well enough to work, but im not. I enjoyed working and being independent. But im not well anymore and I need assistance. I dont know which is more stressful - working in this condition or waiting on a SSDI decision!!!!

Originally Posted by Janke

Our guesses are probably less helpful to you than you think. My guess is that you have been either approved or denied.

Sometimes CE appts are set up because the analyst has been waiting for the information needed from your treating doctors and perhaps is trying to make sure that there is enough information to make a decision and is covering all bases just in case your treating doctor doesn't provide the necessary evidence. Impossible for us to know why. Guesses are pretty useless, IMO.

Assuming your claim is an approval: Since you stopped work 2/28/11, your five month non-payment waiting period for SSDI will be March 2011 through July 2011. Payment would be effective with August 2011 and first check comes the month after it is due which would be a Wednesday in September 2011, based on your birthday.

If you also have an SSI claim pending, you will probably have to prove your income and resources since the date you filed before you get any checks but it can be effective with the month after you filed the claim.

If your claim is a denial, you will receive a notice and an explanation about the appeal process which can be very long and no guarantee it will go your way. Not what you want to hear, I am sure, but no one here can predict the outcome. You do have a varieity of problems that can severely impact daily functioning on a job so you may be approved.

[Janke]

I think your DDS analyst's main goal is to get your claim off of her pending list, making a decision that is justifiable by the evidence. She has no personal stake in whether the decision is an approval or denial. Still gets paid the same amount of money for her job. DDS has a timeliness goal so stalling is really counterproductive and contrary to the way they do business. However, your case is only one of many that she has to work on.

[thechosenone]

Thanks again Janke. Does anyone else have a guess regarding my original post? I realize it would just be an opinion. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Janke

I think your DDS analyst's main goal is to get your claim off of her pending list, making a decision that is justifiable by the evidence. She has no personal stake in whether the decision is an approval or denial. Still gets paid the same amount of money for her job. DDS has a timeliness goal so stalling is really counterproductive and contrary to the way they do business. However, your case is only one of many that she has to work on.

[thechosenone]

I had been calling the National SSA # every day since they told me a decision had been made but was selected for quality review. I was hoping someone would "slip up" and tell me something. Well today I decided to call the local office today and after I gave the rep my info she was searching for quite a while and then said "hold please" and came back and told me I was approved on 6/1/11 and I should heard something in 3-4 weeks! Now I have read this board enough to know that the decision is not "etched in stone" and the Quality Review can overturn it and also that people have gotten incorrect info from SSA reps, so I wont do a happy dance until I see it on paper but it looks promising. Will update again when I hear something else.

[bdh1]

Originally Posted by thechosenone

I had been calling the National SSA # every day since they told me a decision had been made but was selected for quality review. I was hoping someone would "slip up" and tell me something. Well today I decided to call the local office today and after I gave the rep my info she was searching for quite a while and then said "hold please" and came back and told me I was approved on 6/1/11 and I should heard something in 3-4 weeks! Now I have read this board enough to know that the decision is not "etched in stone" and the Quality Review can overturn it and also that people have gotten incorrect info from SSA reps, so I wont do a happy dance until I see it on paper but it looks promising. Will update again when I hear something else.

The review may be checking to see if you have paid in enough quarters to be eligible for SSDI, otherwise it reverts to SSI. Hope this helps.