A 19 month fight for me to get SSDI, I didn`t file for 10 months after I stopped working because I wanted and thought I would be able to return to some sort of work.

Two denials and then an ALJ hearing where I was approved back to the last day I had worked. The judge couldn`t understand Social Security`s logic in the delays and denials, possibly because I was visibly disabled? Because medical records indicated I was even though I didn`t have a clear dx until right before the ALJ hearing?

I did use a lawyer after the first denial, they get a fixed amount or a maximum fee from your award.

Yes your earnings figure into it, like an insurance policy, a percentage of your pay and matching by your employer funds SS and SSDI. You can`t expect to insure a yugo and get a cadillac when it`s stolen. You pay more in? you get more out.

Yes your children can get a benefit from it, it is split equally among the children until they are out of high school, my son turned 19 in Feb of 2008 but wasn`t out of high school yet, held back a year because of A.D.D. , he continued to get his portion until he graduated in June 2008, then my daughter got the full benefit until she graduated in June 2009.

Sorry for being long winded, one of my pet peeves, people don`t understand the system and complain about it, an entitlement? aren`t you entitled to what you paid for?

The only problem with the system is the same people in charge of starting it have never made sure it was properly funded. LOL an old saying, if the opposite of pro is con? then congress must be the opposite of progress?