Originally Posted by Pokeno

Hello Everyone:

I want to thank everyone who posted tips on applying for SSDI. I found the posts extremely helpful when I applied for benefits last spring. I pored over them prior to filling out my application. As a result, it took a little less than 6 months from the time I filed my initial application to being approved!. I know there is no way this would have happened had I not read and followed the tips in this section.

One tip I found very useful was to describe how my disability fluculates and impacts me differently on different days. I also found it important not to use words such as "I never do or I can't do...", but rather to state "I find it difficult to do..."

One interesting thing that happened was that they moved my disability date back 5 months to when I turned 55, rather than use my application date. The down side is that I have to wait longer for Medicare to take effect. Their reasoning was that at 55 there is less of a chance I can be rehabilitated or re-trained for another type of job.

Thank you all again for the invaluable tips!

Pokeno