I'm glad to know that your case is moving forward, or at least it sounds as if it is.

Unfortunately, there's a 24-month wait until Medicare starts, or at least there always has been even though many have protested this policy. I haven't heard that it has changed. And I'm not sure if that's 24 months after disability benefits begin to be paid or 24 months after it's determined that your disability began.

Good luck with the psychiatrist. I too was sent to a psychiatrist--and to a clinical psychologist. The psychiatrist interview took only about an hour and wasn't difficult but the clinical psychologist put me through an entire day of tests.

I wasn't told what tests I was being given but later when I requested copies of my medical records I learned that I'd been given an IQ test.